AFTER MUCH DISAPPOINTMENT AND BECAUSE OF UNFINISHED INJURY, Phoenix Mercury Head Coach decided to fire her.
Tuesday night’s 83-69 loss to the Seattle Storm saw the explosive tandem of Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner have a rare off night as they combined for only two points on 1-of-11 shooting.
The club said that Griner left the game with 6:02 left in the first half due to what seemed to be a hip injury. In nine minutes, she scored two points on 1-for-5 shooting to end the evening. Early in the second half, the 6-foot-9 center came back to the bench, but the team decided to sit her for the rest of the game.
Following the defeat, Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygard stated that she was not present for the play where Griner was hurt and that she had not conducted a postgame evaluation.
Griner, who serves as the center of the offense, has averaged 22.7 points and 7.1 rebounds so far this year. Her presence was much missed on the defensive end, as the Storm scored thirty points in the paint.
On June 13, 2023, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, center Brittney Griner (42) cries out to her teammates as the Phoenix Mercury take on the Seattle Storm.
But Nygard believes injuries cannot be an excuse with a Phoenix team that has started the season 2–6, and he understands that compassion is a last resort in this league.
Nygard remarked, “Nobody cares.” “We need to adapt; our players are excellent WNBA players, and they need to step up when called upon.” They are far more competent.
Following last weekend’s incident at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where a YouTube celebrity harassed Griner on route to Sunday’s Indiana Fever game, Griner sustained an injury.
Taurasi, Griner’s running partner, also had trouble producing off the floor. The superstar shot 0 of 6 from the field to end the game without scoring. Taurasi’s six shot attempts are a season low, and it was just the fifth time the guard had failed to score for Phoenix in a game.
Foul trouble was another factor in the rough-night equation. Taurasi committed two fouls early on in the game, which was very problematic for him. Speaking out for her teammate, Sophie Cunningham did not hold back while expressing her unhappiness and stating that she would accept the penalties for criticizing the officials at this time.
“That’s awkward,” Cunningham remarked. “They’re basically concerned about the wrong things with the first and second calls. Pay attention to what you do and make fair calls. She has, in my opinion, invested enough time, blood, sweat, and tears, so you should at least show her some decency.
“If I were a referee right now, I would be pretty embarrassed.”
Nygard quickly supported her star, feeling the same way.
It’s just hard at the moment, Nygard remarked. It’s difficult for her. I concur that Taurasi becomes irritated.
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