The post Brittney Griner’s return highlights emotional rollercoaster in Mercury’s loss to Dream appeared first on ClutchPoints.
PHOENIX — The talk of the WNBA and the Phoenix Mercury was Brittney Griner’s return to the Valley of the Sun as a member of the Atlanta Dream. During her stay with the franchise for 11 seasons, she made an incredible mark.
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Griner won the 2014 WNBA title and multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards among other accolades with the Mercury. She herself felt the spotlight on her, as it has been for the majority of her career.
Before Wednesday’s game, she spoke to roughly 15-20 reporters with cameras and microphones recording. She took the time and answered everyone’s questions with authenticity and sincerity.
When the introductions came on, a nearly three-minute video of Griner’s on- and off-court achievements played for the entire PHX Arena to see. With tears streaming down her face, she crossed her arms in an X, symbolizing the X-factor.
Even players like DeWanna Bonner and Kahleah Copper said hello to her before the game. Assistant coach Michael Joiner and Griner had a big hug.
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Not to mention, Mercury president Vince Kozar came up to Griner after her media scrum and gave her a hug for nearly ten seconds.
That’s only a symbol of the love the city, the fanbase, and the organization still have for her.
Still, Griner is a basketball player, and a damn good one too. Early in the first quarter, she finished a patented and-one for her first bucket of the game, and it was back to business.
She was in deep post position constantly, showing that the 12-year veteran has more tricks up her sleeve. Although Allisha Gray led the Dream with 28 points, it’s hard to deny Griner’s impact on the hardwood.
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How did Mercury players feel about Brittney Griner’s return?
© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
At the team’s shootaround on Wednesday, and the previous two practice availabilities, much of the same was said. Everyone was excited.
However, the excitement disappeared once the ball left the officials hands to tip it off.
Someone who understood that jubilation would be DeWanna Bonner. After the latter re-signed with the Mercury, she was the only player who remembered that Mercury 2014 championship with Griner by her side.
Furthermore, former teammate Brionna Jones joined forces with Griner and the two of them have dominated the interior for the Dream
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Later in the game, another one of their teammates, Diana Taurasi, and her wife, Penny, were courtside with Kozar. The potential storylines and distractions could’ve made any player fall to the pressure.
Not for Bonner, though.
“I don’t think I would see it as a distraction, not to me personally,” Bonner said. “Bri (Jones), I’ve been playing with her for a lot of years, and it was good to see her. But it was BG’s welcome home night, so that was huge, but it’s an honor to have the Penny (Taylor) come back and see us play.
“We always want to try to put on a good show because we wouldn’t be here without them. I don’t know if it’s a distraction, but at the same time I feel like it’s a little bit of motivation for me, and everybody. This is something they built and we’re just trying to continue it on.”
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The Mercury’s emotions ran high all-night
It wasn’t the return of familiar faces that let the emotional battery run on full power. It was also the officiating, or lack there of.
On both sides, players were being hacked and then some. It felt as if every call the officials didn’t make, they would make it up to the other team.
As a result, Bonner had enough and let her passion take over, resulting in a technical foul. Moments later, Alyssa Thomas picked one up, which led to an onslaught of boos from the crowd.
Did Taurasi’s history of technical foul antics resurface on Wednesday night?
Jokingly speaking, probably. However, two very physical teams squared off, and it left players battered and bruised. Head coach Nate Tibbetts was surprisingly a fan of the technical fouls, and cited the competitive nature behind them.
“I think it’s a competitive sport, I don’t mind technicals, to be quite honest. I think it shows that we care and sometimes, it helps your team,” Tibbetts said.
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“We just searched all night, and the technicals didn’t help us. We didn’t get stops that we need. It was a tough 40 minutes. It’s tough to coach, tough to play, tough to watch.”
How can Phoenix fan that emotional flame?
Bonner understands that balance better than everyone. Part of why her and Thomas worked so well in Connecticut was because of how well they played off one another.
Not from an X’s and O’s standpoint, but on an emotional level. “The engine” is more even-keeled, while Bonner will ride the emotional wave.
It’s a nice balance for the two. Regardless of it, the veteran knows finding the right time to show emotion is critical.
“I think we got to do a better job at that. Just control what we can control and kind of channel my energy to something different in the game,” Bonner said. “Emotions, that’s just a part of the game, but we can’t let it affect either side of the ball. Whether that’s offensive, defensive, so just figuring out how we can channel that into being something that’s beneficial to us and not hurting us in the end of the game.”
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The Mercury have a short turnaround before heading on a five-game road trip on the east coast. They’ll take on the New York Liberty on Friday, and hope to have their Big Three and the rest of the team fully healthy.
Related: Dream news: Brittney Griner speaks up on Phoenix homecoming before Mercury clash
Related: Brittney Griner’s former Mercury teammates react to Phoenix return
