The Phoenix Mercury have re-signed star players Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor to multi-year deals. The duo joined the team in 2004 and have remained in Phoenix since that time, making them the longest-tenured players in Mercury team history.
The news comes just three days before the start of the 2011 postseason. Phoenix, seeded third in the West after a 19-15 season, will take on the defending champion Seattle Storm in what should be a fun series. The Merucry lost three of their four match-ups against the second-seeded Storm this season.
Here's a look at the Mercury's playoff schedule:
- Thursday, Sept. 15th: Seattle (away), 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time on ESPN 2
- Saturday, Sept. 17th: Seattle (home), 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time on NBA TV
- Monday, Sept. 19th (if necessary): Seattle (away), 7:00 p.m. on ESPN 2
The Mercury and Storm will play every other day starting on Thursday during their best-of-three series. Phoenix ended their 2011 regular season on a two-game losing streak, including an 85-70 loss on Sept. 9th to the Storm- and will be looking to recapture some momentum in the playoffs.
Fortunately for Mercury fans, the Taurasi and Taylor-led teams of the past seven years have lost only one playoff series. That loss, however, came last year in the Conference Finals to the Storm. Taurasi and Taylor-led teams have also claimed two championships for the Mercury since their arrival in the Valley, and the veterans will get a chance to add a third title to their collection over the next few weeks. First, though, they must avenge last year's loss to the Storm and move on to the Conference Finals.