Mercury's Taurasi Praises the Shock

Originally Published: May 25, 2010 10:22 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Mobile Journalist

TULSA, Oklahoma – During the game, Phoenix Mercury sharp-shooter Diana Taurasi let her game do the talking. The sixth-year pro torched the Tulsa Shock for 35 points in a 110-96 road win.

After the game, she did more talking – about the Shock’s bright future.

“There was a lot of ‘hell’ out there,” Taurasi joked about Shock head coach Nolan Richardson’s iconic style of play. “They’re young and talented and athletic, and they didn’t give up. They played hard for 40 minutes and they’re going to have a bright future.”

Taurasi helped lead the Mercury to its first WNBA title last season. She also captained the team to the 2007 league finals against the Detroit Shock, the same franchise that now resides in Tulsa.

“She put on a show. To me, she put on an exhibition on how to shoot the basketball from 30-feet out,” Richardson said after the game. “She was in her zone tonight. That’s what they call in the zone.”

The Mercury needed that kind of effort to put away a team that would not back down.

“After that game against Minnesota (Sunday night), who’s a very talented team, we knew we were going to have our hands full (against Tulsa). When they made that run in the first half, we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game.”

After trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, the Shock tied the game at 46 thanks to a 21-5 run before halftime. The strong effort impressed Taurasi.
“They showed a lot of heart and fight,” she said. “They seem really solid right now.”

The Shock is winless in its first three home games this season. They will try to change that this Saturday against the Indiana Fever at 7:05 p.m.