After clinching a trip to the WNBA Finals on Sunday, Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts is taking in the success the team has accomplished so far this season.
“It’s been an amazing journey so far in the playoffs,” Tibbetts told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Monday. “We’ve had a hell of a run. It’s not done yet but we are excited to see who our next opponent is.”
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In his second year as Mercury head coach, Tibbetts has coached Phoenix to the franchise’s first finals appearance since 2021.
The team saw several additions and departures after his first season, including Diana Taurasi retiring, Brittney Griner leaving in free agency and the team acquiring Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas through trade. The team also added veteran DeWanna Bonner to the roster during the season.
Phoenix’s path to the WNBA Finals as the No. 4 seed wasn’t an easy one, as the Mercury faced tough matchups in the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, the two teams that played each other in last year’s finals.
Tibbetts said those were the two teams that Phoenix had in mind when constructing their team in the offseason.
“When we were rebuilding our team this offseason, those were the two teams we had our sights on,” Tibbetts said.
The Mercury faced plenty of adversity to start the season, with Kahleah Copper missing the first 11 games with left knee surgery. She also missed time in July with a hamstring injury.
Tibbetts credited his best players — Thomas, Sabally and Copper — for overcoming the adversity despite the trio not playing together to start the season.
“We just kind of kept telling ourselves and the group to just stay with it and we’ll figure it out when we get that time,” Tibbetts said. “Give credit to AT, Satou and Kahleah that they’ve just continued to get better with each other and every game.”
The Mercury await their opponent of the Las Vegas Aces-Indiana Fever series as they are tied at 2-2 in the other semifinal series. Game 5 will be in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, which is a best-of-seven series, starts Friday.
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/tQeiJgr
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