How The Mercury Received Recognition During A Difficult Season

The 2002 season was a bad year for the Phoenix Mercury, as they finished the season with a record of 11-21. Cynthia Cooper, who became the team's head coach after Cheryl Miller , started the 2002 season, but she resigned after the first 10 games. Linda Sharp took over, and she coached for the rest of the season. Phoenix started the season with a loss, as the Houston Comets beat the Mercury 61-56. The Mercury bounced back from that, as they won their next four games. They beat the Utah Starzz, the Washington Mystics, the Charlotte Sting and the Detroit Shock before they lost to the Seattle Storm. The Mercury went on a six-game losing streak later on, and after snapping that streak, they went on another. Phoenix had trouble getting into a rhythm, and the franchise missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. It was a bad year, and despite that, they had a player in an award race. The Mercury were not involved in the Most Valuable Player (MVP), and that year's winner played for the Comets. Sheryl Swoopes w