Why The Mercury Were One Of The West's Best Teams

The Phoenix Mercury had a historic 1998 season, and they were one of the top teams in their conference.

The Phoenix Mercury get ready to host the Indiana Fever on June 30, 2024, at Footprint Center in Phoenix. / Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Phoenix Mercury had a successful 1997 season. They built their roster, had their star player in Jennifer Gillom and they finished over .500. The Mercury finished the season with a record of 16-12, and their performance led to them making the playoffs.

Phoenix faced the New York Liberty in a single-elimination game, and the Liberty won. They beat the Mercury 59-41, and they made it to the first-ever WNBA Finals. New York faced the Houston Comets, and Houston won by 14. The Comets made history, and as history shows, this was just the start for that stacked and talented squad.

Fans hold up ÒAT for MVPÓ signs court side at a Mercury home game against the Chicago Sky at PHX Arena on Aug. 28, 2025, in Phoenix. / Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Comets won another championship the following year, and they beat the Mercury to do it. Phoenix finished the season with a record of 19-11. They had an even better season than their first, and it led to them making the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Mercury reach playoffs, take down Eastern Conference team

The Mercury faced the Cleveland Rockers in their first postseason matchup. The WNBA moved to a series format this time around, and the Mercury won the series 2-1. Phoenix started the series with a win, then after losing the second game, the Mercury recovered in Game 3. Then, they faced the Comets in the WNBA Finals, and Houston won 2-1. The Mercury won the first game, the Comets picked up an overtime win in Game 2 and they closed the series with an 80-71 win.

Scorch fires up the crowd before the Phoenix Mercury plays against the Dallas Wings in Phoenix, at PHX Arena on Jun 11, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was a good year for Phoenix, and when it comes to standings, they were second in the Western Conference. The only team that was ahead of them was their Finals opponent. Houston finished the season with a record of 27-3, as they dominated throughout the year. Outside of the Western Conference, there was one other team that had a better record than the Mercury. The Rockers finished the season with a record of 20-10.

After reaching the Finals, the Mercury missed the playoffs. However, they reached the playoffs again in 2000. Then, it was a while before they reached the postseason, but that all changed when they reached the Finals in 2007.

Aug 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury mascot Scorch at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 1998 Mercury paved the way for future teams, and it all started with a strong regular season.

Please follow us on X to read more about the Mercury early season and how they played against Western Conference teams when you click right here!

feed