Diana Taurasi was named the Finals MVP and spoke about teamwork when she was given the microphone. In fact, she actually tried to pass her individual award to others in the crowd around her. She wanted nothing to do with it; she wanted the championship trophy instead.

“Winning never gets old,” she said. “But when you do it with a group that generally cares about each other, you don’t care about any of that individual stuff … I think as a group we put it together.”

Taurasi is not one to be humble. But she easily deflected any compliments and accolades made towards her and reemphasized the fact that the Mercury won as a team.

Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor are the three x-factors that made the difference in the Finals. When one struggles, the other two step up and carry the load. And when all three are in the zone, watch out.  As is stands now, the Mercury roster won’t be changing too much in the upcoming years. With Taurasi, Pondexter and Taylor at the helm you can expect a few more WNBA Championships in Phoenix.

Can anyone say, dynasty?

See Taurasi’s Finals MVP acceptance speech:

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Phoenix Mercury Defeat Indiana Fever

“I don’t expect anything else,” Phoenix’s Cappie Pondexter said, according to ESPN.com. Pondexter and teammate Diana Taurasi are ready to air it all out and leave everything on the floor.

“At this point, if you don’t want to do that, you shouldn’t be on the court,” Taurasi added.

Diana Taurasi knows that in order to win another WNBA Championship, she's going to have to leave it all on the floor tonight.

That sentiment is echoing through both locker rooms. Tonight’s game on ESPN 2 (at 9:00 Eastern) promises to be as exciting as the previous four games. Only there’s a lot more at stake because after tonight, there are no more games to play. This is it, folks. Game five. It’s the end all be all to the 2009 WNBA Finals. Whoever wins tonight will walk away WNBA Champions.

And whoever loses will just walk away.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

2009 WNBA Finals: Game Five

But in order to pull off a win against the Fever, both Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter are going to have to start off strong. Taurasi has not shot well throughout this entire championship series. And for some strange reason, Pondexter has suddenly grown reserved. In the first three games of the series, she waited until the second half to start being aggressive. I’m not exactly sure what she’s waiting for. But one thing is for certain, she’s running out of time. If Pondexter and Taurasi want to win another WNBA Championship ring, then they need to be aggressive right from the tip-off.

Tamika Catchings can see the light ... she's one game away from her first WNBA Championship.

Otherwise, Tamika Catchings will have the opportunity to take control of the game and win her first WNBA title. She’s got that look in her eyes that says, “Nothing can stop me. Not even Diana Taurasi.” At this point,  I’m about four quarters away from believing her.

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Are You Ready For Game Four?

The award came as no surprise to players, coaches, fans and certainly, Taurasi herself. She is the league’s leading scorer and the best all-around talent. I’d go as far to say that she is the world’s best women’s basketball player.

According to ESPN.com, Taurasi received 27 first-place votes and 323 points overall in ballots cast by representatives of every WNBA team as well as nationally-respected reporters.

When she found out that she won the award, Taurasi’s response was simply, “I felt like a little kid again.”

As if accolades weren’t enough, Taurasi was handed another reason to smile after the Mercury shut down the Fever in overtime to win the first game of the series. The game was fast-paced and full of aggressive play by both teams. But the Mercury held on to take a 1-0 lead in the Finals.

Shine on, “D” …  shine on.

Tune in for Game 2 tonight on ESPN 2.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tuesday Was Diana Taurasi’s Day To Shine

Last week, WNBA All-Star Lauren Jackson found out she had a severe back injury that would keep her out for the rest of the season.

This week, gold medalist and WNBA All-Star Kara Lawson announced that she will miss the rest of the WNBA season with the Sacramento Monarchs due to tendinitis in her right quadriceps muscle. (Ouch.)

Kara Lawson is out for the season with tendinitis.

Lawson, a seven-year veteran, was recently chosen for the U.S. women’s national basketball team. She was one of eight players selected, which speaks to her ability as a point guard.

Chamique Holdsclaw, Lisa Leslie, Katie Douglas, and DeLisha Milton-Jones were all injured at some point this season (among others). Are the veteran’s just getting worn down?

Image: Zuma Press

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WNBA Veteran’s Continue To Get Hurt

“Lauren has been playing with back pain for a couple of weeks,” head coach Brian Agler said. “She will rest and work with our team physicians and trainers to rehabilitate her back.”

Lauren Jackson won't be able to help the Seattle Storm in the playoffs.

According to ESPN.com, Jackson had a bone scan done last Friday that revealed the stress fracture.

The Storm clinched a playoff spot after last Thursday’s win over the Connecticut Sun.  As the team’s leading scorer, Jackson will surely be missed in the playoffs. It’s up to the rest of the players to step up if they want to have a chance at winning the WNBA championship.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

Lauren Jackson Out For The Season

Most expansion teams take a few years to get themselves together. After last season’s laughable performance,  the Dream looked as though they were going to follow the expansion blueprint. Then something shifted.  Veteran players were traded and talented rookies joined the team. Now, the Dream is a team of believers on the cusp of basketball redemption. They have gone from the WNBA’s worst team to playoff contenders in a single season thanks to players like Angel McCoughtry, Chamique Holdsclaw, Michelle Snow, Ivory Latta, and Armintie Price.   

Head coach Marynell Meadors deserves some serious Coach of the Year consideration. If the Dream can stay focused and capitalize on their momentum for the duration of the season, their “dream” season might carry them all the way to a WNBA Championship.

Atlanta Dream 2009 highlights:

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The Atlanta Dream’s “Dream” Season

Sure, Candace Parker is a household name, but Leslie was dunking basketballs well before Parker could even drive a car.

Leslie reached yet another milestone in her basketball career by reaching 6,000 points in a game against the Indiana Fever. The exclamation point of the achievement was made as Leslie hit an 11-foot jumper with only 11.9 seconds left before halftime.

Leslie is also an eight-time All-Star, leads the league in career rebounds with 3,203. She is only one of four remaining players from the league’s inaugural season in 1997.

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Lisa Leslie Reaches 6,000 Points

Yolanda Griffith announced her retirement Tuesday after suffering a career-ending tear of her left Achilles tendon back on June 9.

Yolanda Griffith is retiring from the WNBA after 11 seasons. She won a WNBA Championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005.

The 39-year-old Indiana Fever forward has quite the basketball resume. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and won a WNBA Champtionship back  in 2005 with the Sacramento Monarchs.

Griffith also holds the second spot for rebounding in league history with 2,444 boards. As the second overall pick in the 1999 WNBA draft, she averaged seven rebounds and 10.3 ppg.

As the WNBA moves further into the second decade of its existence, we are going to see more and more outstanding athletes retire from a league they helped create. (Lisa Leslie plans on calling it quits at the end of this season). And at the same time, more talented and incredible athletes are entering the league in order to help keep it afloat.

It’s s bitter sweet situation, no matter how you look at it.

Image: Zuma Press

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Yolanda Griffith Decides To Retire

Anne Donovan has a proven track record as an WNBA coach.

“We’ve been a very up-and-down team,” Donovan said, according to ESPN.com. “Not just from game to game, but from quarter to quarter, minute to minute. We all know we have to be more consistent with that.”

After making a pretty good run in the playoffs last season, the Liberty are now 7½ games behind first-place Indiana and two behind Atlanta and Chicago for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.

If anyone can help get the Liberty back to playoff contention, it’s Donovan. She led the U.S. women to a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics last year, and has a winning record of 138-128 as a WNBA coach with Indiana, Charlotte and Seattle.

Donovan was also  inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1995, and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. She was the first female coach in the WNBA to win 100 games, setting that standard back in 2005.

Basically put, this is a woman who knows how to coach.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

Donovan Takes Over For The Liberty