Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts believes his team will have to deal with either Connecticut Or Minnesota when the first round of the WNBA playoffs begins on September 22.
The seventh-ranked Mercury (17-17) clinched a playoff spot after a 74-66 victory over the No. 9 Atlanta Dream (11-22) to split their four-game season series on Tuesday.
Phoenix also got a boost when the No. 4-ranked Las Vegas Aces beat the No. 8-ranked Chicago Sky, who have lost seven straight games and have the same record as Atlanta, battling for the final playoff spot.
“We know we want to work hard in the playoffs,” Tibbetts said after Tuesday’s game. “We know we’re going to start on the road. I don’t know if it’s going to be Minnesota or Connecticut, but we’re confident in our group and we know we can go out and get a game.”
The Mercury are one of seven WNBA teams that have clinched a playoff spot. However, seedings are not yet set, as all other playoff teams have seven regular-season games remaining. Phoenix has six.
Besides two-time defending champion Las Vegas, the other teams in the playoffs are the New York Liberty (1), Connecticut (2), Minnesota (3) and Seattle (5). The Mercury, who have never been higher than sixth all season, are a half-game behind Indiana (6) (17-16). The Fever are the league’s hottest team. They are on a four-game winning streak and have won six of seven games since the league ended its Olympic break in mid-August.
The playoff matchups are: 1-8, 2-9, 3-6, and 4-5.
The Sun and Lynx, both 24-9, have been hovering between second and third place for most of the season. New York (26-7) has led since June, and Tankathon Ranking New York’s remaining strength is 10th on the schedule, so they will likely be the top seed.
In the best-of-three first-round series, the format is 2-1 with the higher seed having home-court advantage.
Phoenix hasn’t played very well, going 4-5 since the break and not hitting over .500 in more than two games. They’ve been dealing with injuries all season, including starting winger Bec Allen (right hamstring) missing all nine games after the break.
Tibbetts sounds very confident after a win that snapped the Mercury’s three-game losing streak. Phoenix hasn’t played well against Connecticut or Minnesota this season, with the exception of the Mercury’s 81-80 home win over the Lynx, in which Kahleah Copper hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
In their other two meetings, the Lynx have won at home by an average of nearly 19 points, led by MVP candidate Napheesa Collier. Connecticut has outscored the Mercury by an average of 20 points in the first three of their four games this season. The Suns’ regular-season finale is in Phoenix on Sept. 13.
Tibbetts acknowledged that the Mercury lacked continuity.
“The fact is, it’s a new group,” Tibbetts said. “I think we only have three players from last year.”
Tibbetts refers to Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham.
Even though the Lynx are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, they have the league’s third-best defense and fourth-best offense, and are led by Cheryl Reeve, the league’s longest-tenured coach with a single team since 2010.
Connecticut has three All-Stars on its roster the shock duo Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonneras well as the great Brionna Jones, who have been playing together since 2019.
However, Phoenix has taken a big step forward under Tibbetts after missing the playoffs last year with a league-worst 9-31 record.
“I’d be disappointed if we weren’t in the playoffs,” Tibbetts said. “We have a really good team. Our management has done a tremendous job. I’m hoping for some continuity in getting some people back, just so we can get into a rhythm. Our goal all year is to be healthy and play our best basketball when we go to the playoffs.”
This article was originally published on the Arizona Republic: Phoenix Mercury coach predicts he’ll face Suns or Lynx in WNBA playoffs
