Phoenix's 2019 Season Sparks Success

The Phoenix Mercury finished the 2019 regular season on a bad note, and the playoffs turned out the same way.

Sep 12, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner on the bench during the first quarter in game three of the 2014 WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky at UIC Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images / Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

The 2019 Phoenix Mercury made the playoffs, but it was a challenging period. They finished the season with a record of 15-19, and they lost their last four games of the season.

Phoenix did not win a single game in its final month of the season, and three of those matchups were home games. The Mercury were on the road against the Chicago Sky, and the Sky beat them 105-78. Then, Phoenix hosted the Seattle Storm, the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces, and all of those were losses.

Mercury's Leilani Mitchell (5) and Brittany Griner (42) double-team Liberty's Tina Charles (31) during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. on Aug. 19, 2018. 865709002 / Patrick Breen/The Republic

Mercury fall to a familiar foe

Once those games were over, the Mercury faced the Sky in a single-elimination game. The Sky took care of business, and they beat the Mercury 105-76. That score was nearly identical to their last regular-season meeting with Chicago.

DeWanna Bonner was the star of that game, and she finished the game with 21 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. The Mercury had two more players who scored in double figures, as Briann January had 12 points, and Camille Little had 10.

Jun 27, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard DeWanna Bonner (24) shoots in the first quarter against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The Sky's balanced effort was too much for the Mercury, and Diamond DeShields, a future Mercury player, was their leader with 25 points. Then, they had four more players who scored in double digits.

Things did not work out for the Mercury, but they added a playoff appearance to their legacy. When it came to the Phoenix Suns, they not only missed the playoffs, but they also encountered strange circumstances. The NBA season started off like it usually would, and that eventually changed as the season was suspended in March 2020. That was during the pandemic, and it took a while for the season to return.

December 26, 2020; Sacramento, California, USA; Detail view of the shoes worn by Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Once the season resumed, the Suns fought their way through the rest of the season. They played well during the NBA's isolation period, and by the end of the season, they had a record of 34-39. They missed the playoffs, but things would turn around for them.

Phoenix's teams did not have their best seasons, but they were still in a decent place. They had the talent to succeed, and in time, both teams would make history. Until then, the Mercury were trying to defeat an Eastern Conference team, and that did not work out.

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