Mercury home opener is rematch of big centers
For Brittney Griner, it doesn't matter if Liz Cambage is playing for the Las Vegas Aces, Dallas Wings or Australian national team.
The challenge remains the same — a clash of women's basketball goliaths akin to the old-school days of NBA dominant centers.
The buzz surrounding 6-foot-9 Griner and 6-8 Cambage going into the Phoenix Mercury home opener Friday is greater nationally because Cambage will be making her Aces' debut after essentially forcing her way out of Dallas by threatening not to play in the WNBA this summer.
Remember, though, just nine months ago the two dueled in a first-round playoff elimination game. The Mercury prevailed 101-83 although Cambage had the bigger numbers with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists. Griner's line was more than respectable 17/5/3.
Then in the 2018 World Cup goldmedal game in September 2018, Griner led the U.S. with 15 points in a 73-56 win over Australia. Cambage scored just seven on 2-of-10 shooting but did pull 14 rebounds and had five blocks for the Opals, coached by the Mercury's Sandy Brondello, and averaged a tourney high 23.8 points.
Cambage, 27, made All-WNBA first team in 2018 ahead of Griner, 28, who was second team. With reigning most valuable player Breanna Stewart out due to injury, both are MVP candidates this season although Cambage sat out the Aces' opener due to Achilles tendinitis.
Griner prefers big vs. big
"I hate playing against the little ones," Griner said Thursday. "Any time I can go against Syl (Fowles), Liz, now (Teaira) McCowan, Kalani (Brown), it's always fun for me because I don't see it that often.
"Everybody else makes it bigger than what it is. Me and Liz just like playing against each other. We've seen a lot of each other. I don't think it raises the stakes just because she's on another team. I'm happy she got out of where she was at. She kind of took her own will and got up out of there."
The much anticipated Cambage trade went down May 16 with Dallas receiving guard Moriah Jefferson, forward Isabelle Harrison and the Aces first- and second-round 2020 draft picks in return.
Pairing Cambage with 6-4 A'ja Wilson, 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year, creates one of the league's most imposing front courts and makes the Aces a title contender in just their second season in Las Vegas after moving from San Antonio.
Griner said with Wilson that Cambage "has help, she doesn't have to do eveything. They have multiple people they can go to (for scoring). I think they'll do pretty not tomorrow."
Phoenix has its own elite complement to Griner in 6-4 DeWanna Bonner and 6-5 Sancho Lyttle is returning Friday (for limited minutes) in her first game since suffering an ACL tear in her left knee on June 30, 2018.
Lyttle gives the Mercury one veteran off the bench to go with four rookies until Diana Taurasi and Camille Little are back.
The Mercury are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2016 when they opened 0-4 and had to scramble after the Rio Olympics to make the playoffs.
Up next
well, just hopefully
Some upper level tickets left
Christopher Owens' quest to sell out the upper level at Talking Stick Resort Arena for the home opener has been a qualified success.
Owens said Thursday he has sold almost 5,000 of the 7,000 tickets he purchased in part to make discounted tickets available to girls basketball teams and their families. He is selling the remaining tickets at $2 apiece.
Information on the upper level tickets is available at the Culture PHX Facebook page and via email at chris@truthbtold.net.
— The first 9,500 fans in the lower level will receive a "Believe in Women" t-shirt on the first Orange Friday giveaway.
The Mercury (0-1), coming off a 77-68 loss Saturday at Seattle, play their home opener against the Aces (1-0), an 83-70 winner over Los Angeles on Sunday.