Phoenix Mercury

Cherelle T. Griner, the wife of WNBA player Brittney Griner, posted a statement Sunday on Instagram about her spouse's detainment by Russian authorities.

She thanked people for their support but asked for continued privacy while they worked to secure the Phoenix Mercury star's safe release:

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife's safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.

Michael Crowley and Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times reported Saturday that Griner was detained on drug charges in February after authorities said they found vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Russia and United States authorities confirmed Griner's detainment. It's unclear why the information only came to light after she already spent a period of time in custody.

"As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern," Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, wrote in a statement to the New York Times.

The Federal Customs Service of Russia opened an investigation to determine whether Griner should be charged with a "large-scale transportation of drugs," a count that could carry up to 10 years in prison if she's found guilty, according to the Times.

It's a situation that comes amid rising worldwide tensions because of Russia's ongoing military invasion of Ukraine, which has led to sanctions from the U.S. and its allies.

Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time league scoring champion, has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League since 2014 in addition to her time with the Mercury. It's a common move for women's players because of the better pay overseas.

The 31-year-old Texas native captured one WNBA championship, three Russian League titles, four Euro League titles and one NCAA championship at Baylor during her decorated career.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was reportedly detained by the Russian Federal Customs Service at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were allegedly found in her luggage.

According to Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times on Saturday, the customs service did not divulge the name of the person detained, saying only that they had won two Olympic gold medals for the United States basketball team.

According to Interfax (h/t the New York Post), the player was detained at the airport in February.  

Russian news agency TASS later reported that a law enforcement source said Griner was the player who had been taken into custody.

Per Abrams, a statement released by the customs service said it plans to launch an investigation regarding the "large-scale transportation of drugs," which could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if Griner is convicted.

ESPN's Alexa Philippou tweeted a statement released by Griner's WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury:

"We are aware of and are closely monitoring the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia. We remain in constant contact with her family, her representation, the WNBA and NBA. We love and support Brittney and at this time our main concern is her safety, physical and mental health, and her safe return home."

USA Basketball also released a statement on Griner:

USA Basketball is aware of and closely monitoring the legal situation facing Brittney Griner in Russia. Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and wellbeing are our primary concerns.

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) March 5, 2022

News of Griner's detainment comes amid tensions between Russia and the United States, as well as several other countries, due to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Abram noted that American officials believe Russia has been unjustifiably detaining and sentencing Americans on padded charges in recent years, with Griner's profile potentially making her leverage for a prisoner exchange.

The 31-year-old Griner has starred for the Mercury since entering the WNBA in 2013. She is a seven-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and one-time WNBA champion.

Griner also starred collegiately at Baylor, winning a national championship, as well as the Associated Press Player of the Year award and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player award in 2012.

In addition to playing in the WNBA, Griner has played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014. Many WNBA players play overseas in addition to their WNBA responsibilities in order to maximize earnings.

Last month, agents for several WNBA players told ESPN the players planned to leave Russia as a safety precaution after the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The 2022 WNBA season is set to begin in May, and players typically play in Russia until some time in April before returning to the United States.

Tina Charles is headed to Phoenix.

The veteran center signed a contract with the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, joining Skylar Diggins-Smith, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner on the star-laden roster.

🌵 @tinacharles31 is headed to The Valley! #WNBAFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/1kNyMBnv9c

— WNBA (@WNBA) February 4, 2022

Charles, 33, spent the 2021 season with the Washington Mystics after being medically excused in 2020 because of a preexisting condition that made her more vulnerable to serious COVID-19 infection.

The eight-time All-Star led the WNBA in scoring last year with 23.4 points per game and tied for third with 9.6 rebounds. She should combine with Griner next season to give the Mercury the league's best one-two interior punch. Phoenix made a similarly daring all-in push two years ago when it acquired Diggins-Smith to pair with Taurasi in an All-Star backcourt.

The Mercury are coming off a WNBA Finals appearance and likely view Charles as the final piece to the puzzle. The franchise has not won a championship since the 2014 season but will arguably walk into 2022 as the favorite. 

The WNBA's New York Liberty are reportedly "expected" to name Sandy Brondello the team's new head coach, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. 

Brondello was one of three finalists —along with Spurs assistant Becky Hammon and Sparks assistant Latricia Trammell. Hammon is now the Aces head coach. Trammell, who has led a top 3 defense in all three seasons with the Sparks, should be soon.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 1, 2022

Brondello, 53, played in the WNBA between 1998-03 for the Detroit Shock, Miami Sol and Seattle Storm, averaging 11.4 points and 2.3 assists per game. 

She pivoted to coaching in 2005, serving as an assistant on the San Antonio Silver Stars until 2009, when she was promoted to head coach for the 2010 season. She was fired after one season on the job, leading the team to a 14-20 record,

Brondello then served as an assistant for the Los Angeles Spark between 2011-13 before being appointed the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury in 2014. 

She remained in that post until this past season, leading the team to a 150-108 record during her tenure and eight straight playoff appearances. The Mercury won the title in 2014 and lost in the finals this year to the Chicago Sky. 

The Mercury and Brondello agreed to "mutually" part ways in December after her contract expired:

On behalf of the entire X-Factor, thank you, Sandy. pic.twitter.com/N8elIOG07h

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) December 6, 2021

"To be quite honest, I've been here for eight years, and management decided it was good to have a new voice so if you call that mutual, that's what it was," she told ESPN's Ball and the Real World podcast.

Brondello, who also coaches Australia's national team, hinted that she had an interest in the Liberty gig. 

"I'd like to stay coaching in the WNBA,"  she said. "I love the challenge of bringing a team together in the best league in the world with the best players in the world. The only team that's available is New York, that would be a great situation if they deemed me to be the next coach. We'll see, if not I can focus on the Opals next year and look the following year if any jobs become available. I like challenging myself, so we'll see."

8/ Brondello will have more depth to work w and maximize than she's had in years. That depth is still quite young. A question that remains is how does she continue to commit to player development. Players like Richards, Willoughby, Shook et. al. still need attention on that end.

— Jackie Powell (she/her) (@ClassicJpow) January 1, 2022

Sandy Brondello to the New York Liberty is a perfect fit in my opinion with the direction of the franchise, the young and evolving roster, and her league experience.

— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) December 31, 2021

She'll be leading an exciting Liberty squad headlined by the talented trio of Sabrina Ionescu, Michaela Onyenwere and Betnijah Laney. The Liberty went 12-20 last season under Walt Hopkins and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix. 

Sandy Brondello is moving on from the Phoenix Mercury after eight seasons.

The team announced Monday that Brondello, whose contract expired following the 2021 WNBA season, won't be back on the sideline next year:

On behalf of the entire X-Factor, thank you, Sandy. pic.twitter.com/N8elIOG07h

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) December 6, 2021

The 53-year-old compiled a 150-108 record in Phoenix. She guided the Mercury to a title in 2014 and a runner-up finish in 2021 in eight straight playoff appearances.

The timing of her departure is likely to raise questions.

Earlier in the day, the New York Liberty announced they let head coach Walt Hopkins go after two seasons. That move seemingly signaled a desire to take a big step forward in 2022, and hiring a proven coach such as Brondello would align with that goal.

There are also implications for the Mercury's future.

Phoenix is firmly in win-now mode with a roster centered around Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith, and all three are under contract for 2022. At the very least, the Mercury are poised to make at least one more run at a title.

However, Brondello might have felt the time was right to cash out.

Following the 2017 season, Bill Laimbeer left the New York Liberty after they wrapped up a third straight playoff appearance. The Liberty proceeded to win seven games in 2018.

The Mercury shouldn't have a similar collapse next year, but they may have already hit their ceiling under Brondello. If Breanna Stewart had been healthy for the Seattle Storm, then Phoenix could easily have suffered a second-round postseason exit for the second straight year.

The franchise is relying on an aging Big Three (Taurasi turned 39 in June, while Griner and Diggins-Smith are both 31.) and building around those three stars makes it difficult to fill out the rest of the roster when they account for so much of the salary cap.

In November, Bleacher Report's Jackie Powell outlined how the Mercury need to identify some targets on the wing this offseason, a weakness that was exacerbated when Kia Nurse suffered a torn ACL in October.

As much as Brondello could've questioned the Mercury's potential, a coaching change is the easiest way to reshuffle the deck should general manager Jim Pitman have doubts about what he can achieve through trades or free agency this coming spring.

But if the front office began losing faith in Brondello, one would've expected her departure to come much closer to the end of the 2021 season. There's nothing that has transpired since then to change anything for the Mercury.

Now, Pitman is tasked with finding a successor who can deliver immediate returns and maximize Phoenix's championship window.

The Chicago Sky aren't done beating down the Phoenix Mercury just yet.

The Sky trolled Diana Taurasi during Tuesday's championship parade by bringing and displaying the door that the Mercury star allegedly broke at Wintrust Arena.

https://twitter.com/maggiehendricks/status/1450490076413284356

The Mercury declined to participate in a media session following their Game 4 loss to Chicago, and Taurasi gave only a tongue-in-cheek response to reports she broke a door in the locker room when asked by media this week.

"There were a lot of doors in there," Taurasi said, per Meredith Cash of Business Insider.

While there's no way of knowing whether Taurasi actually took down the door, it's pretty clear the Sky players view the broken door as a symbol of their triumph. 

Candace Parker capped off the perfect homecoming.

The Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 in Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals to win their first championship Sunday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Candace Parker decided to go home this season to play for her hometown team and put on for her city.

In just one season, she brought the city of Chicago a championship.

An absolute legend. https://t.co/SSox1Tr1QT

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 17, 2021

Parker tied the game at 72 points apiece after hitting a three-pointer with 1:57 on the clock. A pair of buckets from Stefanie Dolson put the Sky ahead by four points inside the final minute.

CANDACE CLUTCH PARKER 🥶

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Dv6dqpI1nV

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 17, 2021

Courtney Vandersloot put on the finishing touches with a turnaround inside.

In explaining why she signed with the Sky, the longtime Los Angeles Sparks star said the allure of returning to the Chicagoland area was obvious and that "winning a championship back home would mean so much." Now, Parker has definitively etched her name into Chicago sports history.

---

Notable Performers

Brittney Griner, C, Mercury: 28 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block

Skylar Diggins-Smith, SG, Mercury: 16 points, two rebounds, eight assists, one block

Allie Quigley, SG, Sky: 26 points, five assists

Candace Parker, PF, Sky: 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four steals, one block

---

Sky Seal the Deal with Late Charge

One way to counteract Brittney Griner is to stretch the floor on offense and force her to exert a lot of energy on defense. The Sky didn't have that weapon in their repertoire in Game 4. As a team, they shot 7-of-25 from beyond the arc.

Despite its poor shooting, Chicago continued to hang around, and Allie Quigley was a big reason why.

A floater by Diggins-Smith took at the end of the third quarter took the air out of the home crowd a bit. A pair of threes from Quigley early in the fourth brought the home crowd back to life.

Quigley just basically told Holly she was about to go shoot 3s and make them 😂

— Marina Mabrey (@mmabrey1) October 17, 2021

Quigley like a cheat code

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) October 17, 2021

The Sky continued knocking on the door, and it was fitting that Parker hit what was probably the biggest shot of the game. Parker's experience was critical for them in the late stages because her teammates could feed off her composure and even-keeled mentality.

That was how Chicago outscored the Mercury 26-11 in the fourth quarter.

For years, the Sky were a franchise that saw their best players leave, most notably Sylvia Fowles and Elena Delle Donne. The organization wasn't a draw for marquee free agents.

Parker turned that narrative around last offseason, and the Sky's championship could be a transformative moment.

---

Griner Shows out in Losing Effort

The Mercury getting blown out in Game 3 coincided with a somewhat muted performance from Griner. The seven-time All-Star had 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting and two rebounds in 30 minutes on the floor.

Chicago did its best to limit Griner's impact Sunday, in particular forcing her to receive the ball farther away from the basket than she's used to operating. This sequence in the second quarter illustrated how well that plan worked.

BG is just too much. 💪#4TheValley pic.twitter.com/nwYXi4jKne

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) October 17, 2021

If her teammates were able to find her in one-on-one situations, the 6'9" center was basically an automatic bucket.

Brittney Griner has to touch the ball every.single.possession.

— Isabelle Harrison (@OMG_itsizzyb) October 17, 2021

Mercury 44, Sky 37 at the half. Phoenix has controlled the tempo throughout led by the inside scoring of Brittney Griner. Sky need to deny her post touches and majorly up the pace or this series is going back to Phoenix.

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) October 17, 2021

Griner has built a Hall of Fame-worthy resume, and her talent has rarely been in doubt. But the absence of a WNBA MVP in her trophy cabinet is emblematic of the perception she hasn't utilized her gifts over a full season. Games like this serve as a reminder of how she can be one of the most dominant players in the league.

Griner couldn't do it all on her own and got some vital support from the rest of Phoenix's Big Three. Skylar Diggins-Smith in particular had arguably her best game of the Finals.

Skylar Diggins-Smith showing NO hesitation before canning this three 👌 pic.twitter.com/d2LfRZWot5

— ESPN (@espn) October 17, 2021

The 5'9" playmaker appeared to have found some extra motivation from a Sky fan seated courtside.

A guy by Chance is quickly becoming Wintrust Arena’s (worse version of) Spike Lee. Having serious words with Diggins-Smith and then gave her middle finger as she went to her bench.

— Shannon Ryan (@SRyanAthletic) October 17, 2021

Still, one image may stick in Diggins-Smith's mind and it's the open layup she missed at the 2:59 mark of the fourth quarter. The Mercury were reeling, and that sequence summed up how they couldn't deliver a knockout blow to the Sky.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul is a big fan of Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi. 

In an interview with USA Today's Chris Bumbaca, Paul was asked about the WNBA Finals matchup between the Mercury and Chicago Sky as he and some of his Suns teammates were in attendance for Game 2, a 91-86 win for Phoenix. 

The 36-year-old lauded many of the women but took the opportunity to reminisce on the time he spent shooting with Taurasi when he returned to Phoenix for the NBA season. 

"For me, it's my 17th year in the NBA, it's my first time I'm on a team that has a sister team, like a 'W' team. It's been the coolest thing ever," Paul said. "When I got back here for the season, I went to the gym to get some shots up. I was shooting on one court and DT (Diana Taurasi) was shooting on the other court. … One of those things I'll never forget."

DT 🤝 The Fellas

Phoenix takes Game 2 to tie up the series with Chicago‼️#WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/xecxYmEY6Q

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 14, 2021

Taurasi has spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury, who drafted her first overall in 2004. Paul, meanwhile, is entering his second season with the Suns, and he agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal with the franchise in August after declining his $44.2 million player option for the 2021-22 season. 

The Sky lead the Mercury 2-1, with Game 4 of the WNBA Finals set for Sunday afternoon. 

The Chicago Sky are one win away from their first-ever championship after defeating the visiting Phoenix Mercury 86-50 in Game 3 of the best-of-five WNBA Finals on Friday at Wintrust Arena.

Kahleah Copper was the catalyst for Chicago's effort, dropping 20 of her game-high 22 points in the first half en route the emphatic victory. She nearly outscored the Mercury by herself with the Sky beating Phoenix 46-24 at halftime.

That intermission margin tied for the largest in WNBA Finals history. It just so happened to tie the 2014 Mercury's mark against the Sky, who got revenge seven years later.

The @chicagosky have a 22-point lead at halftime, tied for the largest halftime lead in WNBA Finals history.

Chicago returns the favor, as it matches Game 1 of the 2014 Finals, in which the Mercury led the Sky 42-20 at the half. pic.twitter.com/mphCoGhCeY

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 16, 2021

Copper ultimately scored nearly one point a minute, as she played just 24 minutes on the night.

The Sky's defense also came to play, holding the Mercury to 8-of-34 shooting in the first half and 16-of-62 (25.8 percent) overall.

Chicago cruised in the second half, doubling up Phoenix's fourth-quarter point total (24-12) en route to the 36-point blowout.

Across the Timeline showcased the Sky's historically great performance with these stats:

Some records tonight...

- Largest margin of victory in WNBA Playoffs history (36)
- Tied the record for most players scoring in a WNBA Finals game (11, just the 2nd time in league history)
- Lowest FG% for a team in WNBA Finals history (3rd in Playoffs) by the Mercury: 25.8%

— Across the Timeline (@WBBTimeline) October 16, 2021

The two teams split a pair of games in Phoenix to start the series.

The Sky took Game 1 by a 91-77 score behind a 21-point, 10-rebound Copper double-double.

Phoenix responded by winning an instant classic for Game 2. Brittney Griner's game-high 29 points propelled the Mercury to a 91-86 victory.

---

Notable Peformances:

Sky G/F Kahleah Copper: 22 points

Sky G Allie Quigley: 9 points, 4 assists, 2 steals

Sky G Courtney Vandersloot: 4 points, 10 assists

Sky F/C Candace Parker: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Sky G Diamond DeShields: 11 points, 5 steals, 5 rebounds

Mercury C Brittney Griner: 16 points

Mercury G Diana Taurasi: 5 points, 2 steals

Mercury G Skylar Diggins-Smith: 7 points, 3 assists

     

Copper, Chicago Put on Clinic

The Sky put on the type of performance that coaches can show their players as a model for how to play perfect basketball.

Sure, the box score would literally imply otherwise. They committed 13 turnovers and missed half of their 60 field goals.

Still, the Sky realistically couldn't have played any better, and their efforts were even more admirable against two of the game's all-time greats in Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.

Gritty, aggressive defense led to crisp, intelligent passing and tough, clutch finishes. This bucket from Copper serves as an example, as an Allie Quigley steal led to a Candace Parker no-look dish, which set up the hoop-and-harm.

In case you forgot: KAHLEAH FREAKING COPPER 🤯

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/KoqjAtYieF

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 16, 2021

It helps Cooper to have a nightly double-double threat in Parker down low, a dime machine in Vandersloot and a sharpshooter in Quigley around her, but the 2021 WNBA All-Star is pretty great in her own right.

She was just an unstoppable force Friday, much like in Game 1 when she dropped a double-double for the road win. You can find her first-half highlight reel here:

Yeah, soo let's talk about @kahleahcopper!!

Kah is COOKIN' with 20 points to end the first half, and is 6-for-8 from the field 🤐

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/IBqJkxAXEq

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 16, 2021

With Cooper and Co. firing on all cylinders, the Sky will now look to close out the WNBA Finals. We know they'll have a loud, sellout crowd cheering their every move if Game 3 is any indication. The crowd was amped pregame and continued their enthusiasm through four quarters.

Parker spoke about how hyped everyone was pregame, and Chance the Rapper got everyone going too.

"The entire city showed up. I mean I pulled up to the game and people were lined up 2-3 hours before."@Candace_Parker on the ELECTRIC Chicago crowd 🔊

We can verify, the crowd was LIT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wzVmUbtbq8

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 16, 2021

.@chancetherapper is in the HOUSE reppin' @kahleahcopper's jersey 🔥

And is lovin' seeing the @chicagosky ball out 😎

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/AdNlCo512b

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 16, 2021

The Sky went just 16-16 this regular season, although the team went 15-8 with Parker on the court. Truthfully, the Parker-led Sky were one of the best regular-season teams in the league, and now the team is giving the rest of the WNBA serious problems with her dominating the post.

Now Parker, Copper and Co. look to close this one out. The clear edge goes to Chicago, who will benefit from the raucous crowd environment as the Sky hope for their first WNBA title.

     

Everything Goes Wrong for Phoenix

Mercury center Brittney Griner opened Game 3 with a 17-foot jumper to give Phoenix a 2-0 lead.

That's the first and only time Phoenix ever held a lead as the Sky overwhelmed the Mercury on both ends.

Phoenix had 19 turnovers and never scored more than 14 points in any single quarter. Every Phoenix player finished with a minus-10 on the court or worse. Diana Taurasi shot 1-of-10 (1-of-8 from three-point range).

If you take out Griner's 7-of-17 shooting night, Phoenix made just 20 percent (9-of-45) of its field goals. No other player outside Griner had more than two field goals. Courtney Vandersloot had just one fewer assist (10) than the entire Mercury team (11).

It was an uncharacteristically bad performance for Phoenix, who had scored fewer than 60 points just one other time during the regular and postseason.

The only good news for the Mercury is that they aren't going home. If they find a way to win Game 4, then they'll have a shot to clinch the WNBA title in a winner-take-all Game 5.

However, this was still a bitterly disappointing outing for a team that was riding a massive wave of momentum after taking down the Las Vegas Aces in a phenomenal semifinals series. It'll have to start at the defensive end for Phoenix, as the team has just not gotten it done there all series against Chicago.

If Phoenix somehow cracks the code to stop the Sky's talented, versatile offense, though, then the silver lining will appear.

   

What's Next?

Chicago will host Phoenix for Game 4 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Game 5, if necessary, will go down at Phoenix's Footprint Center on Tuesday at 9 p.m.

PHOENIX — In an arena of 13,685 people, the Phoenix Mercury lacked energy to start the game on Wednesday night. It looked like a continuation of Sunday afternoon when Phoenix played Game 1 of the WNBA Finals 40 hours after Game 5 of the semis. The Mercury had turnovers early in the first quarter. The X-Factor (Phoenix's dedicated fanbase) was growing frustrated. It couldn't bear to see its team get whupped at home once again. 

Brittney Griner wasn't going to let that happen. 

When Griner came off setting a screen for Diana Taurasi near the half-court logo, she hopped down to the paint and moved off the Chicago Sky's Azura Stevens to catch the ball at an opportune position on the block. Shey Peddy hauled a pass right to Griner a few feet off the block. 

She turned and dribbled full speed ahead toward the basket. With no one in her path, it was time. She leaps. She's airborne. She dunks. The result: X-Factor roared and stood up from their seats. It was a one-point game. 

Griner finished Game 2 with 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting along with nine boards, one assist and two blocks. Her buckets came everywhere: deeper catches on the block, wide-open long twos or even pick-and-rolls alongside Skylar Diggins-Smith. Everywhere, Griner felt comfortable. 

Griner has always had the potential to play like this, but she's shown another level of dominance this year. 

"I think we take for granted sometimes how amazing she is," teammate Diana Taurasi said.  

Griner's gear-shift is now on center stage in 2021 WNBA Finals, which are tied 1-1.

In years past, Griner wouldn't have been this aggressive on the boards, surprising because of her size. But this past season, she's averaged 9.5 rebounds a game, the best average of her career. 

But ask around, and it's the intangibles that are really the difference. 

What's the secret?

I asked Griner on Tuesday how leaving last year's Wubble early and getting therapy shortly after helped her become a better person and leader on her team. She noted that counseling allowed her to become a more equipt communicator, something she's struggled with in the past. 

"I'll let you know a little bit on BG," she said. "I'm not the best communicator sometimes. That was something that I definitely worked on in counseling and then hearing somebody else's side you know and like really hearing it, and not just trying to overpower my side. 

"So I think just being able to talk and calm down and, you know, not being in the heat of the moment, actually getting out words of essence."

Head coach Sandy Brondello has noticed a difference in Griner. When she first started coaching the 6'9" star, she didn't play even-keeled. She was either too high or too low. But now Griner plays with a certain calm. 

Her work in counseling has given her more confidence to be more of a vocal leader on the Mercury, a team known to revolve around the voice of Taurasi. 

Third-year teammate Sophie Cunningham has noticed this, too. She's seen her evolution and believes Griner has played her best basketball ever this year. 

"I've seen so much growth, she's playing the best basketball she's played in her whole life and, yeah, she communicates well on the court," she said before Game 2. "She's like, ‘Hey, look at this and this,' and she's never done that. So I think she's starting to step up and become that leader that we need her to be."

Griner credits Taurasi as a key confidant, including when she once "came back to Phoenix randomly" to have a sit-down heart-to-heart. The two have been together not only on the Mercury but also for a time overseas in Russia and on USA Basketball. She remembered a moment overseas when she and Taurasi had a profound conversation in a bathroom.  

"We just had the longest heart-to-heart," she said. "Tears from me a little bit. Her genuinely being there for me, talking to me, saying stuff, us relating back-and-forth with stories from the past. I think that was, like, one of the biggest moments that I'll always cherish."

Griner taking the time she needed away from the game and seeking help allowed her to return to training camp this season as focused as Brondello has ever seen her star. She fell back in love with the game after suffering through a time when she wasn't OK. 

These Finals are extra meaningful to Griner because they showcase her growth not only as a basketball player who has expanded her game—but also her maturity as a veteran presence in the Mercury's locker room. She's a future Hall of Famer whose career has until now been defined by her shortcomings, as my colleague Howard Megdal pointed out. 

This season in particular she's put it together in a way that stands out. On a team with not as much depth as her opponent and many of her opponents this season, she's rebounded the ball better, had almost three assists per game and focused heavily on being disruptive defensively.

"Obviously she got the help she needed, but it's about maturity too," Brondello said. "I think when you're happier off the court, you know you're comfortable where you're at, that allows you to come back, and I think she fell in love with the game a little bit, and the break allowed her to freshen up a little bit as well."

Brondello also referred to Griner as a one of the "big kids," someone who's very playful and loves spending time with children. That was on full display during the postgame presser when she answered questions with her nephew on her lap. The child made babbling noises while Griner smiled through the presser of a game she had just helped her team grind out. 

If the Mercury build off Wednesday night's momentum, Griner's Game 2 dominance in a thrilling 91-86 overtime win will be looked back upon as a key turning point. 

Griner entered Game 2 wanting to be more aggressive than she was in Sunday's Game 1 defeat. Even if her shots didn't fall, she needed to just keep going. In Game 2, she wanted to make sure she was getting deeper positioning, which clearly worked Wednesday night. 

Defensively, she also had to adapt. She wasn't positioned where her team needed her to be. She didn't fall for the trap from the Sky's versatile bigs and instead dared them to make their threes. She rarely left the paint.

When Chicago's Courtney Vandersloot and Kahleah Copper pressed into the paint, Griner's lateral movements kept them at bay. In overtime, Griner took away a look from Allie Quigley coming off a flare screen. Candace Parker was looking for her, but Griner switched to keep her body in front of the Sky's sharpest shooter. A 6'9" presence was lurking over the Sky's backcourt.  With a tied game at 86 and 1:34 left, Griner extended her right arm out wide to block Copper's shot.

The Sky wouldn't score any more than 86. Griner wouldn't accept it.