In playoff-clincher, Bonner’s past, present converged — giving a glimpse of her future
Moments after the Connecticut Sun’s 85-70 win over the Phoenix Mercury, DeWanna Bonner stood bent over with her hands on her knees, taking a moment to collect herself as the TV analysts began speaking with her for a postgame interview.
Yes, she had just accomplished another impressive physical feat, dropping 25 points in 36 minutes to help the Sun clinch a playoff spot. But there were also a million thoughts and emotions racing through Bonner’s mind, ones that she had anticipated since the schedule was released and she identified when the Sun, her new team, and the Mercury, where she spent the first 10 years of her career, would face off.
“That’s 10 years of friendship right there, 10 years of love,” Bonner said in the interview. “When I made that change to go to Connecticut, it was really hard. It’s funny that we clinched off that game.
“Just thankful for my team, my coaches. That was just really emotional for me.”
Bonner hugged Mercury coach Sandy Brondello on the Mercury sideline before the game and afterwards embraced one of her closest friends, Diana Taurasi, with whom she won two WNBA titles. But Monday ultimately wasn’t about
Bonner’s past: It was about her present and her future with this upward-trending Connecticut team. Because not only did the Sun secure a spot in the postseason, but they also put together arguably their most complete game of the season against the hottest team in the bubble, and they did so without their starting guards for most of the game.
“A lot of people were counting us out at the beginning [of the season] whenwe went 0-5 and didn’t think we were going to make the playoffs at one point,” Bonner said. “So when I said ‘stay with us,’ that’s what I meant. Nowwe’re in there, so this is the fun part. This is the fun part of basketball.”
The Sun have stood firm in believing that as long as they make the playoffs, anything could happen. Now they’ll get a chance to see what they’re capable of doing.
The Sun weren’t panicking after their 0-5 start, but in a 22-game season they knew something had to change, and it needed to happen fast. While developing better on- and off-court chemistry and getting their full roster back helped enormously, so did a message Bonner sent to her teammates.
“She challenged everybody, even herself, and really challenged the bench to come in and make an impact,” rookie Kaila Charles said. “We need everybody. If wewant to win and go far in the playoffs, we’re going to need everybody to contribute.”
Bonner put up ridiculous numbers during that winless streak but wasn’t feeling great about her individual effort. She watched extra film on her own and with her father and realized her approach wasn’t a winning formula.
“At the beginning, I didn’t get myteammates involved,” Bonner said. “I had a conversation with my dad, actually. ‘I don’t like the way I’m playing. I don’t feel like I’m making my teammates better, making them feel confident.’ ... I think I just got
everybody involved.”
The Sun offense still largely runs through Bonner and Alyssa Thomas, but other players have answered the call.
The Sun tend to be at their best when Jasmine Thomas is aggressive (Thomas played less than two minutes Monday after rolling her left ankle).
Brionna Jones has been a consistent force down low, while Kaila Charles has had some big nights. Against the Mercury Briann January and Natisha Hiedeman contributed eight points apiece, including four threes
to pull away in the fourth quarter.
Bonner’s challenge to the team to improve defensively has largely been met. The Sun boast one of the best defenses in the league, which was on full display Monday: Phoenix entered the game with the hottest offense in the bubble but shot 35% from the field (27% on 3s), scored 70 points (their second-worst mark of the season) and turned the ball over 17 times.