The Bantam Menace

It’s easy, especially in a league historically dominated by megalopoli like the WNBA, to write off small-market teams like the Minnesota Lynx, but the Phoenix Mercury won’t. The surprising Lynx, who’ve never finished higher than third in the West, whipped the Merc last time out and owned the best record...

By Clay McNear

July 16, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

It’s easy, especially in a league historically dominated by megalopoli like the WNBA, to write off small-market teams like the Minnesota Lynx, but the Phoenix Mercury won’t. The surprising Lynx, who’ve never finished higher than third in the West, whipped the Merc last time out and owned the best record in the league at the time of writing, with four players averaging in double figures. Though sharpshooter Seimone Augustus has been injured on and off, stellar play by rookie guard Candice Wiggins has kept Minnesota on the winning track.
Wed., July 22, 7 p.m., 2009

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.