Another Championship for Arizona?

August 29, 2007 by Nasser Kompani

Don’t look now, but the Mercury have reached the Western Conference Finals. Actually, you probably should look now because they need your support. That’s right, there is basketball in August and the Mercury’s next opponent in the playoffs is the San Antonio Silver Stars. It may not mean as much to some, but beating San Antonio on the way to the championship would be some sweet revenge.

As a young kid, when I was a bigger fan of the WNBA, I was envious of the Houston Comets and LA Sparks’ success, but now the Mercury are in a great position to win multiple championships.

They have Diana Taurasi, who is one of the best players in the game. She won three championships at UConn and has carried her success over here. Then they have Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor who have been equally as great this season. All three players are under 27 years of age so the Mercury on in a great position to compete for years to come.

There is also Tangela Smith. The front office made a bold move trading their first overall pick for her during the off-season and she has delivered. Smith is the type of player that Mike D’Antoni would love; A center who can shoot the three. Not only is she skilled offensively, but she can also rebound and block shots well. That is something that the Mercury have lacked in previous years. She has helped the them become a respectable rebounding team.

If you love Steve Nash you will also love Kelly Miller. She’s no MVP, but you can’t help but think about Nash when she plays. She’s a very good three point shooter, runs the offense very well and gives that same great effort that Nash is respected for.

The Mercury run an up-tempo offense just like the Suns do, but their’s is even more unstoppable and they have a quality bench that they use. Westhead was not very successful in the NBA, but his style is really working in this league. What better way to get your mind off of the Suns playoff disaster than watch another local team, playing a similar style, beat San Antonio and move on to the Finals? I know the WNBA is not popular, but if you haven’t given it a chance yet you really should. The state of Arizona is nearing it’s fourth pro/semi-pro championship and you don’t want to miss it.

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