No. 5 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 8 Washington Mystics
It took until the last day of the regular season to determine this match up. Let’s dive in to the WNBA 2020 Playoffs Prediction: Mercury vs. Mystics Single-Elimination Game.
Phoenix Mercury
Mercury has battled down to each of their players the whole season long, to say the least. For their last 10 games, they are only playing with a maximum of seven to eight players a night. Which is such a hard task to deal with it, especially with almost back-to-back games every other day. In what started as a potential top team in the league with such a roster, Mercury had to overcome the absence of 6’9 Brittney Griner due to personal reasons and their breakout PG, Bria Hartley due to a torn ACL. Phoenix rattled off six consecutive victories, finishing the schedule on a 7-2 run, to come back from below .500 and reach the playoffs.
Washington Mystics
The defending champion, Washington Mystics, punched their ticket to the 2020 postseason after defeating the Atlanta Dream, 85-78, last Sunday. Washington had a roller coaster of a season. With an impressive 2-0 start, they eventually lost their next seven games before experiencing another win. They shared a fair square of injuries from the roster including one from their leading scorers, Aerial Powers. As a result of an up and down season, Washington had to win its last four games to be able to advance to the postseason. With the heart of a championship, Mystics did it and now they will be facing the Phoenix Mercury.
Players to watch
Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith
The highest-scoring duo in the league with a combined average of 36.4 points. In the Mercury last seven of eight games, the duo was averaging almost 45 points. It cannot be denied that when these two leaders of the Mercury get those numbers, it will bring success to their Phoenix team. However, it would also be important for role players such as Brianna Turner to turn up the game especially in a single-elimination game.
Brianna Turner has been impressive so far in her 2020 campaign. Filling up such big shoes with the loss of Griner, she had to man the fort for her team. She is leading the blocks category with 43 blocks this season. Her defense will be key for Taurasi and Diggins-Smith to wreak havoc.
Not to set aside, the legendary shooting guard Taurasi is 13-1 in win-or-go-home games, and the only loss was to the eventual champion Seattle Storm in 2018. Not to be superstitious but with that odd and also having Diggins-Smith by her side? Mystics probably would need more luck on their side.
Myisha Hines-Allen and Emma Meesseman
The breakout star in the wubble Myisha Hines-Allen has shattered all expectations from this season. With barely six minutes a game from last year, she is now the focal point of the Washington offense. In their must-win game against Atlanta, Hines-Allen dropped 30 points in order to push her team to the finish line. How far the Mystics will fight will rely on how far Hines-Allen will take them.
Emma Meesseman, or what the Mystics fans like to call her Playoffs Emma, is surely the one to get this team to the length of the game. The reigning Finals MVP has a lot to give to the Mystics, not just with her all-around scoring but her facilitating abilities. She might not call her number so often but she is smart enough to know when to take her shot and when to pass the ball.
Prediction
With the Phoenix beating Washington in the two games of the regular season, it would not come as a surprise if the Mercury will again beat Washington. Not to set aside the incredible run the Mystics have shown in the last two weeks of the regulation season. But the intensity of such a veteran-laden team of the Mercury could prove its superiority in games with a big stake. Washington had exceeded a lot of expectations this season however, they might need more than just Hines-Allen and Meesseman to defeat the Taurasi-Diggins-Smith led Mercury. That was my WNBA 2020 Playoffs Prediction: Mercury vs. Mystics Single-Elimination Game.
Pick: Phoenix Mercury
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