2010 phoenix mercury playoff media guide - WNBA.com

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BOMBS AWAY! 2010 PHOENIX MERCURY POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE 2010 REGULAR SEASON One of the signature qualities of ―The System‖ that caused the Mercury to lead the league in scoring for the fifth consecutive season is the number of shots attempted per game. ―The more you take, the more you make‖ as the saying goes. The 2010 club was definitely holding true to that mantra. Phoenix averaged a league-record 33.8 made field goals per game, and 71.5 field goal attempts per game, the fourth most in WNBA history. The same held true from the three point line. NOT JUST SHOOTING…MAKING The Mercury didn‘t just shoot the ball a lot, they made a lot too. Led by Candice Dupree‘s WNBA-leading 66.4% shooting from the field, Phoenix led the league in field goal percentage making 47.3% of its shots, the highest mark in franchise history (.460, 2009). The performance was due in large part to five players ranking in the top 40 in the league in field goal percentage: MAKING THE FREE ONES COUNT PLAYER FG% WNBA RANK Candice Dupree .664 1 Kara Braxton .516 6 Penny Taylor .509 8 DeWanna Bonner .465 19 Diana Taurasi .427 T-38 Highlighted by a franchise-record 21-for-21 performance from the free throw line on July 6 at Los Angeles and a perfect 15-for-15 showing on July 17 vs. Tulsa, the Mercury led the league in free throw percentage for the season shooting 84.8%, the second best season effort in league history (.855, Phoenix, 2009). Three players ranked in the top 10 in the league in free throw shooting were major contributors, paced by Diana Taurasi who matched a league record with a 14-of-14 performance from the line on July 24 at Minnesota: PLAYMAKERS PLAYER FT% WNBA RANK Candice Dupree .936 2 Diana Taurasi .912 3 Penny Taylor .893 6 Phoenix recorded a franchise-record 30 assists in TWO games during the 2010 season and dished out at least 25 assists SEVEN times (7-0). Thanks to a trio of guards who ranked in the top 10 in the league in assists – Temeka Johnson, Penny Taylor and Diana Taurasi – the Mercury led the league with a WNBA-record 20.2 assists per game. “SCOOT IN CLOSER!” The league‘s leader in field goal percentage may have found a secret weapon to shooting such a great percentage. In the eight games prior to its matchup with Indiana on August 8, the club increased its scoring in the paint by 17 points per game. Here‘s a look at how it affected field goal percentage and scoring: FIRST 19 GAMES NEXT EIGHT GAMES POINTS PER GAME 93.6 105.5 POINTS IN THE PAINT 39.2 55.8 3-POINT FG ATTEMPTS 22.8 17.6 FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE 45.4 54.1 43
JUNE SHOWERS BRING JULY FLOWERS 2010 PHOENIX MERCURY POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE 44 2010 REGULAR SEASON June proved to be a difficult month for the defending champions as the Mercury posted just a 3-8 record, but like the two championship seasons (2007, 2009) July was the best month of the year as the club averaged 105.3 points per game on its way to a 6-3 record. In 2007 and 2009 June was the worst month of the summer as the teams combined for an 11-10 (.524) record. In both seasons, however, the drought was immediately followed by the season‘s best month with a combined 16-5 (.762) record in July. Here‘s a look at the team‘s performance by month in 2010: NOT FAR OFF MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST RECORD 2-2 3-8 6-3 4-6 PPG 92.5 91.2 105.3 87.0 FG% .420 .456 .508 .474 3PT% .371 .352 .366 .365 RPG 42.5 34.8 36.6 34.1 APG 16.3 20.6 23.2 18.2 Based on the Mercury‘s record (15-19) you might not consider them in the hunt for another title run, but if you take a closer look at the stats you will notice they weren‘t far off of the numbers from the 2009 championship season. Below is the comparison of those numbers. DOWN BUT NOT OUT 2009 SEASON 2010 SEASON PPG 92.8 93.9 FG% 46.0 47.3 3PT% 38.6 35.9 RPG 35.0 35.7 APG 18.4 20.2 FAST BREAK PPG 13.9 15.6 The Mercury‘s six-game losing streak from June 18 – July 1 was the longest setback in a single season since July 2-25, 2003 when the club lost a franchise-record seven consecutive games. It was certainly not an insurmountable hole, however. Four teams in WNBA history have overcome seven-game losing streaks to eventually make the playoffs including a WNBA Finals appearance by the Charlotte Sting in 2001. Below is a look at those four teams and how they finished the season. PLAYOFF BOUND TEAM YEAR LOSING STREAK REG. SEASON FINISH PLAYOFF FINISH Orlando 2000 7 Games 16-16 (3 rd Place) First Round Charlotte 2001 7 Games 18-14 (4 th Place) WNBA Finals Washington 2002 7 Games 17-15 (3 rd Place) First Round New York 2007 7 Games 16-18 (4 th Place) First Round The Mercury defeated Los Angeles 78-77 in its season opener on May 15. In the 14-year history of the franchise, every season in which the Mercury has won its season opener, the club has qualified for the playoffs. Conversely, every season in which the Mercury has lost its season opener, the club did not qualify for the playoffs.
Page 2 and 3: EDITOR: Bret Burchard ASSISTANT EDI
Page 4 and 5: NEWSPAPERS 2010 WNBA POSTSEASON The
Page 6 and 7: 2010 PHOENIX MERCURY POSTSEASON MED
Page 14 and 15: 2 Temeka Johnson 3 Diana Taurasi 4
Page 16 and 17: WNBA Regular Season Record 2010 PHO
Page 46 and 47: 2010 REGULAR SEASON THREE STRAIGHT
Page 48 and 49: 2010 REGULAR SEASON DYNAMIC DOUBLE-
Page 50 and 51: 2010 REGULAR SEASON RECORD HOME ROA
Page 68 and 69: GAMES PLAYED Cappie Pondexter 20 Di

2010 phoenix mercury playoff media guide - WNBA.com

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