Fansided

WNBA Season Preview 2019: Every team’s biggest question

By Miles Wray

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 19: Kayla McBride #21 of Las Vegas Aces handles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx on May 19, 2019 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 19: Kayla McBride #21 of Las Vegas Aces handles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx on May 19, 2019 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ- MAY 11: Brianna Turner #21 of the Phoenix Mercury looks on during a pre-season game on May 11, 2019 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ- MAY 11: Brianna Turner #21 of the Phoenix Mercury looks on during a pre-season game on May 11, 2019 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Phoenix Mercury: With all this talent and experience, what’s so hard about winning regular season games?

There is year-to-year consistency on a basketball team, and then there is consistency on the Phoenix Mercury, which exists on a geologic timescale: Diana Taurasi and DeWanna Bonner were already teammates in 2009 when they had to beat Lisa Leslie’s Sparks on their way to the championship. Brittney Griner has been in the mix since 2013, quietly providing a huge boost to her offensive productivity in the last two years. So why has it been so hard for this team to win regular season games? Since a dominant championship run in 2014, the Mercury have yet to hit 21 wins in a regular season. With apex predator Taurasi roaming around the playoff bracket, the Mercury have managed to do damage in each of those postseasons — but they haven’t gotten back to the Finals. If Phoenix manages to take care of business in May and June, it’s easy to imagine them dismantling any of the WNBA’s upstart contenders in September. If the Mercury have to endure the single-elimination rounds once again, however, odds are that the playoff climb will eventually get too steep.