The post Mercury’s Nate Tibbetts sees ‘great series’ vs. Liberty in 2025 WNBA playoffs appeared first on ClutchPoints.
PHOENIX– The atmosphere surrounding the Phoenix Mercury locker room and PHX Arena didn’t feel like a losing one, despite the 88-83 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.
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Rather, it was the closed chapter on who the Mercury will play in the 2025 WNBA playoffs: The New York Liberty.
After a Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm win on Tuesday, both Phoenix and New York are locked in at the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively. The Mercury will have home court advantage and host the reigning champions.
While head coach Nate Tibbetts teased they were “maybe” doing preparation against the Liberty before the game, the latter spoke outright and said they were preparing for Phoenix a few days prior
Following Tuesday’s loss, the stage is set for Sunday. It was the main thing on Tibbetts’s mind postgame.
“We’re seeing the defending champs, right?” Tibbetts said. “They’re the champs until somebody else beats them. I think our group is excited. Once you get to the playoffs, you’re gonna play good teams no matter what. We put ourselves in a position to host, which is great.
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“But we know that there’s a lot of work ahead of us, and they’re a talented team. We’ve played them pretty well this year. I think our group is confident in what we can get done and how we wanna attack them, but they’re a team that has experience and they’ve done it together. It’s gonna be a great series.”
Nate Tibbetts has the Mercury believing against New York
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Despite New York being the defending champions, they’ve dealt with a flurry of injuries towards the backend of the season. Meanwhile, Phoenix had injuries to Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally before the All-Star break.
As a result, there’s been more time to gel and mesh as a unit. Still, that’s not discrediting what the Liberty can do. They have arguably the most talented roster in the league, and one of the most dynamic schemes.
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Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart are the three-headed monster comprising the 2024 title-winning team. The talent is there. The offense and defense are both there.
However, the lack of continuity is a bit concerning, considering where it is in the season.
Despite that, it gives someone like Alyssa Thomas no reason to let her guard down. She’s been close two times to reaching the pinnacle of the WNBA and hoisting a title.
She’s played the tough teams and knows that New York is no different.
“Like any team, I mean, they’re really big. They’ve been here before. Clearly, they’re the reigning champs,” Thomas said. “For us, it’s about playing our games.
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“We gotta look back at all the video over the 4 games that we played them. Last game, they weren’t full strength. So, for us it’s just seeing what worked against them, and going out there with a great game plan.”
The Mercury and Liberty will meet in a Best-of-3 series
This first-round matchup could easily be the most entertaining and offensively driven. Both teams love to play in transition, in space, and with a barrage of 3-point shots.
Since acquiring Emma Meesseman, though, the pace has slowed down, and Jones has taken a barrage of perimeter shots. She’s effective from that range, but it’s limited her paint presence.
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The Mercury have won three out of four contests against New York. In each game, there were specific caveats, but on Sunday, all bets are on the table.
As of writing this, both teams are completely healthy, which should allow for as good a series as it could be.
Related: Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas sets new WNBA record with rapid triple-double vs. Sparks
Related: Mercury’s nightmare scenario for 2025 WNBA playoffs
