{"id":464465,"date":"2026-02-12T16:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/464465\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T16:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:02:08","slug":"why-2012-was-a-bad-year-for-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/464465\/","title":{"rendered":"Why 2012 Was A Bad Year For Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Phoenix Mercury<\/a> made the playoffs in 2011, as they finished the season with a record of 19-15. They faced the Seattle Storm during the playoffs, and they beat them 2-1. Then, they lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the next round. <\/p>\n

Things changed the following year, as the Mercury<\/a> missed the playoffs. That was the first time since 2008, which was after they won their first championship. <\/p>\n

\"Corey<\/p>\n

Sep. 21, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury head coach Corey Gaines reacts from the sidelines during the game against the Minnesota Lynx at US Airways Center. The Lynx defeated 89 – 66. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images \/ Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Phoenix had its worst season in 2012, as the team finished the season with a record of 7-27. The Mercury won their first game right away, as they beat the Tulsa Shock 89-87. That was the second game of the season, and Candice Dupree’s huge game put them over the top. <\/p>\n

Dupree had 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. The Mercury had two players who scored in double figures, as DeWanna Bonner had 16 points and Charde Houston had 13 points off the bench. <\/p>\n

\"Alexis<\/p>\n

Sep. 21, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Lynx guard Erin Thorn (5) handles the ball against the Phoenix Mercury guard Alexis Hornbuckle (14) in the second half at US Airways Center. The Lynx defeated 89 – 66. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images \/ Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Mercury lost the next three games before beating the Shock once again. Then, they struggled throughout the season, and they went on a 10-game losing streak. They had a hard time, and while they struggled, things would soon change. <\/p>\n

Phoenix’s struggles led to the team getting the first pick of the 2013 WNBA Draft, and that class was special. <\/p>\n

Brittney Griner was the first pick of that draft,<\/a> and she became one of the franchise’s best players. That draft also featured Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins. Delle Donne won a championship in 2019, and Diggins played for the Mercury years later. <\/p>\n

Griner had a strong rookie season, and she played a role in Phoenix’s third championship. So, Phoenix’s struggles in 2012 eventually put the team in a position to succeed. <\/p>\n

\"Phoenix<\/p>\n

Sep 23, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) and Los Angeles Sparks center Jantel Lavender (42) go for a rebound in the first half of game three of the Western Conference Semi-Finals at the Staples Center. Phoenix won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images \/ Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Mercury missed the playoffs in 2012, but they were not alone. The Phoenix Suns were in the same position, and they finished their season with a record of 25-57. They were 15th in the conference, and the Oklahoma City Thunder were first. They had a record of 60-22, and they beat the Houston Rockets in the first round before losing to the Memphis Grizzlies. <\/p>\n

It was a difficult year for Phoenix, but in the Mercury’s case, things would get better. The Suns would have to wait a little longer, but eventually things would turn around for them. <\/p>\n

Please follow us on X to read more about Phoenix’s 2012 season and what came next when you click right here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Phoenix Mercury made the playoffs in 2011, as they finished the season with a record of 19-15.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464466,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-464465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464465\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}