“I hope they keep overlooking us.” In the eyes of the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury lost too much before the season to be a championship contender. Diana Taurasi retired, and Brittney Griner walked away in free agency. What was left? Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas, and the distant dreams of reaching the Finals. But when Nate Tibbetts’ team left New York in the dust, we knew there was something everyone was missing. The crux of it? This is a team that loves being underestimated.

So far against Minnesota, Tibbetts has gone on with work as usual. The Mercury are 2-1 up in the series as the Lynx are on the verge of elimination. Cheryl Reeve has tried everything; she has adjusted her team’s pace, they’ve tried to push the ball down the court, and more importantly, they’ve been incredibly physical on defense. None of it has worked out, but it has drawn Nate Tibbetts’ attention!

After Game 3, reporters asked the Mercury HC how the team dealt with physicality to snag away an easy win. His response was simple: their mindset sets them apart. “This is a team that believes in each other. Been overlooked a little bit all year. But the one thing that we are is, we are tough and we’ll fight and compete, and we did that in the fourth and made it hard for them on every possession, and that’s what good defensive teams do.” But it isn’t just the coach feeling that the team is disrespected for long.

The Phoenix Number 0, Satou Sabally said, “We started out the season, I think, ESPN, all of them, they ranked us really low… And I feel, to me, it’s a disrespect towards those two (points at Thomas and Copper). They’re gold medalists, they’re All-Stars, and to put that type of disrespect towards people who have literally been in the league for so long has won a championship, like, that just fuelled us. And we’re the underdogs. We have something to prove to ourselves more than others.” Phoenix’s drive to compete and fight against the odds is what bolsters their cases against the top teams in the W.

The Lynx’s offense centers around Napheesa Collier, but it’s not possible to win the postseason through one player. Tibbetts’ team has found a cure for Collier’s offensive showcase, but in response, Minnesota opened up the gates of physicality even further. Lynx players were poking and prodding and seeing just how much they could get away with. It’s the playoffs, after all, and the referees are always hesitant to stop the flow of a game.

However, Tibbetts made sure to take full ownership of the physical play, putting no responsibility on the WNBA officials. “We haven’t talked about the officiating all playoffs. We just play. We’re worried about us,” he said, going against the grain by not bringing up any issues with officiating. This tough DNA is directly responsible for Phoenix’s 2-1 lead over Minnesota, but how? Let’s find out!

Nate Tibbetts’ tough exterior led to Mercury’s interior dominance

It’s a pretty simple equation: control the paint, control your fate. If you can limit second-chance points, block simple scoring opportunities, and force your opponents into shots they don’t like, you’ve already won the game. And that’s exactly what Phoenix has done. Their strong interior lineup consists of Satou Sabally, Alysaa Thomas, and Natasha Mack, and they were the biggest key behind this Game 3 victory.

More than anything, paint play and rebounding were the differentiating factors between Minnesota and Phoenix. Grabbing 8 more boards than their opponents, the Mercury solidified their position on the glass while making sure that the Lynx can’t have a second chance.

And in terms of points in the paint? The Mercury had 42 as compared to the Lynx’s 28. Or, to put it in simpler terms, Phoenix was able to get two feet in the paint and finish a lot more than what Minnesota could muster up. That in and of itself puts Nate Tibbetts’ team at an advantage.

For underdogs, the Phoenix Mercury have done really well so far. No one expected them to have such an impactful postseason, and for good reason, too. They were clearly going through a transitional period, but their campaign this year to prove why David always beats Goliath, never losing focus and always staying on track, was impressive. Stay tuned for more updates about this interesting game