Etched in History: The Mercury's First Title

The Phoenix Mercury have three championships, and their first one happened in 2007.

August 28, 2010; San Antonio, TX, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi against the San Antonio Silver Stars during the second half at the AT&T Center. Phoenix beat San Antonio 92-73. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-Imagn Images / Brendan Maloney-Imagn Images

Winning is never easy. It takes hard work and dedication to win, and inevitably, there is some sort of heartbreak.

A team can get so close to winning, and something like a late foul, a missed jumper or an injury can stop them from reaching their goal. It is a challenge and unfortunately, not everyone can win.

The Phoenix Mercury have had a taste of victory in their lengthy history. They have three championship in their franchise history, and there first one came in the fourth year of Diana Taurasi's career.

The Mercury won in 2007 in a season where they finished with a record of 23-11.

The year before, the Mercury finished with a record of 18-16. They did not qualify for the playoffs, despite being two games over .500. They had a shot, but lost a tiebreaker between Phoenix, the Houston Comets and the Seattle Storm.

After the season, Phoenix surprisingly won the first pick of the 2007 WNBA Draft. They used that pick to draft Lindsey Harding, but they traded her to the Minnesota Lynx. The Mercury received Tangela Smith.

Phoenix fought their way through the season, and they ended up being the top team in the Western Conference. Their strong season led to a first round series against the Seattle Storm. They swept the Storm 2-0, with the first game being a blowout. They beat Seattle 101-84. The second game was closer, but the Mercury won 95-89.

The Mercury advanced to the next round, where they met the San Antonio Stars. The Stars had a nice season, they finished 20-14. They were led by Becky Hammond, who averaged 18.8 points. Phoenix went for the sweep once again and beat the Stars 2-0.

After that series, one more team stood in their way. The Detroit Shock reached the WNBA Finals after beating New York and Indiana. The Shock were also the only team in the league that year to have a better record than the Mercury. In what ended up being a competitive series, the Mercury defeated the Shock 3-2.

The Shock started off the series with a win over Phoenix. They beat them 108-100. The Mercury bounced back in the second game and won 98-70. Taurasi had a big game, as she finished with 30 points. The next two games were very close, and the Mercury forced a Game 5 after their 77-76 victory.

Then, when it was all said and done, the Mercury made history and won the championship. This win was the start of it all, and the Mercury won two more championships after. Then, if things go well this year, Phoenix can add another one to their legacy.

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