The building block for the Phoenix Mercury at the beginning of the season has become the backbone for head coach Nate Tibbetts in the 2025 WNBA playoffs .

Defense.

In the second half of Game 1, there was more defensive pressure on New York's high-octane offense. Although the Mercury lost to the Liberty , they showed no concerns heading into Game 2.

Safe to say that any concerns were wiped, or in this case, stolen or blocked away. New York had 15 turnovers that resulted in 28 Phoenix points.

Although the latter had a good shooting day from the field, Tibbetts reiterated via Desert Wave Media Co. that the Mercury's foundation was on full display .

“Just our defensive intensity,” Tibbetts said, is what led to the Mercury’s second-quarter run. “We did another good job today of jus

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