Mercury's Top Players Facilitate, Lead Team To The Playoffs

The 2011 Phoenix Mercury made the playoffs, and their playmaking played a major role in their success.

Sep 25, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) , forward Nakia Sanford (43) , Penny Taylor (13) , guard DeWanna Bonner (25) , and guard Ketia Swanier (11) while playing against the Minnesota Lynx at the US Airways Center. The Lynx defeated the Mercury 103-86. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images / Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury made some changes before the 2010 season, as they acquired Candice Dupree. They gave up Cappie Pondexter, who became the franchise's first Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Sep 9, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3), forward Penny Taylor (13) and forward Candice Dupree (4) against the Chicago Sky during game two of the WNBA Finals at US Airways Center. The Mercury defeated the Sky 97-68. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Pondexter joined the New York Liberty, and she had the best season of her career. Dupree had a strong season of her own, and she was in the top five when it came to assists. Penny Taylor was Phoenix's best playmaker that year, and she dished out 161. Dupree had 45, and she made an impact in several areas.

Phoenix's familiar faces lead the way

The 2011 season was a good year for Phoenix, and the team finished the season with a record of 19-15. They did well in several areas, and looking at their assists, they had a total of 652. The team's top facilitator was a familiar face, as Taylor led the way once again. She had 135 assists, and her best performance was against a Western Conference rival. The Mercury forward had 10 assists, and that was her career high.

Sep 19, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks forward Alana Beard (0) guards Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor (13) in the second half of game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals at Staples Center. Phoenix won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Phoenix's All-Star tied that number later in her career, and in the game against the San Antonio Silver Stars, she did a bit of everything. On top of her assists, Taylor had 18 points, three rebounds, three steals and a block. Unfortunately, the Mercury lost that game, as the Silver Stars beat them 101-99.

Taylor led the way, and Temeka Johnson was behind her. In the previous season, Johnson was one assist away from tying Taylor. She had 160, and in 2011, the guard had 132. She played well, and her season high happened against the Los Angeles Sparks. Johnson tied her career high, as she had 12 assists against her old team.

Sep 5, 2010; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Temeka Johnson (2) handles the ball against the Seattle Storm during the first half in game two of the Western Conference Finals in the 2010 WNBA Playoffs at US Airways Center. The Storm defeated the Mercury 91-88. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images / Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

Taylor and Johnson were close once again, and while Diana Taurasi had over 100 assists, those two had a lead over here. Taurasi had 114 assists, and she had a season-high eight assists in Phoenix's win over the Minnesota Lynx.

While those three set the tone, Ketia Swanier did well in that area as well. She had 66 assists that season, and her high was against the Tulsa Shock. She had a career-high nine assists, and she tied that number the following season.

Then, Dupree was behind Swainer, and she had 61 assists. She had six assists against the Connecticut Sun, and the Mercury lost by three.

Phoenix's top players had strong seasons, and they did it as a unit. They shared the ball, and that led to some notable performances. The 2011 Mercury did well, and they headed to the playoffs once again.

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