Ever since the dominoes began to fall at the conclusion of the Phoenix Suns’ direct-to-video regular season, the Valley’s basketball community has been awash in buzzwords. Grit. Toughness. Joy. Identity.
Alignment.
Well, the team the Suns share arena space with — the Phoenix Mercury — beat them to the punch.
At 12-6 on the season, the Mercury sit in third place in the league. This is occurring in what rightfully should have been a transition season. Face of the franchise Diana Taurasi called it a career in February. Brittney Griner departed as a free agent.