Mercury and Lynx celebrate “one of the GOATs” in possible Taurasi final

MINNEAPOLIS – On Wednesday at 10:42 p.m., one of the greatest players in basketball history left the court – perhaps for the last time.

Diana Taurasi picked up her sixth foul with two minutes, 34 seconds left in the Phoenix Mercury’s 101-88 loss to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. In what could have been her last game, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer walked off the court as players from both teams and the Minnesota crowd applauded her.

Taurasi, who finished with 10 points on Wednesday, has not made any official statements about her future, but the mood after the game seemed to herald the finality of a 20-year winning streak that few athletes in basketball history have achieved.

After suffering losses in both games in Minneapolis, Taurasi did not participate in any of the post-game press conferences, but those who saw her, played with her and competed against her told the story of her unparalleled legacy.

“We’ll see what she’s going to do,” said Nate Tibbetts, the Mercury’s new head coach. “That’s always been her approach, but personally, as a new coach in a new league, I just want to thank her … for the way she welcomed me and helped me through this season. What an opportunity for me to coach the greatest of all time and I’m super grateful for that.”

The Mercury never seemed to get going this season, their third consecutive season with a sub-.500 record. They struggled after the All-Star break, stumbling in the first round against the Lynx, the WNBA’s best team in recent months and a franchise that had beaten the Mercury five times in its last six playoff games. Lynx star Napheesa Collier stepped up her game in this series, scoring a total of 80 points in consecutive games, setting a WNBA playoff record, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information.

In Game 1 on Sunday, the Mercury overcame a double-digit deficit and briefly took the lead in the final minutes before the Lynx caught up. In Game 2, the Mercury had a two-point lead early in the third quarter but couldn’t hold on to it.

But Taurasi left Minneapolis in the final game of the season and perhaps of her career as a fighter. Early in the fourth quarter, she ranted after a foul was called against Lynx forward Myisha Hines-Allen. Both players received technical fouls as several of Taurasi’s teammates held her back while she continued to talk.

That spirit helped her win six Olympic gold medals, three WNBA championships and three NCAA championships with UConn. Taurasi was the 2009 Most Valuable Player and was selected to the WNBA first team 10 times. There were also several periods in her career when Taurasi had the aspiration of being the best player in the world.

Taurasi began her professional career in 2004, four years before the first iPhone was released, and stayed until cars could drive themselves. But at 42, she’s still talented, as she proved by scoring 21 points in Game 1, making her the first player in WNBA history to score 20-plus points in a playoff game after age 40.

“I’ve never seen someone do the exact same thing day in and day out and make it better so she can stay on that court,” Mercury center Brittney Griner said. “I’ve always said that I owe a lot of my game to (Taurasi) because I’m good at reading it and seeing how things unfold on the court. But I’m also lucky to be able to take life lessons from (Taurasi).”

Natasha Cloud added: “(Taurasi) is one of the GOATs of this game. She will forever go down in history as one of the greatest to ever touch the ball.”

As good as Taurasi has been in her career, no other player in the league has been able to match Collier’s performance in two playoff games. She became the first WNBA player in league history to score 35 or more points in consecutive playoff games. And just over 72 hours after setting a career-high 38 points in Game 1, Collier topped that performance with 42 points in Game 2.

“It’s not like I sit back and think, ‘OK, I have to score this many points to break a record,'” Collier said. “I’m just playing for my team. I’m trying to win a game. I’m trying to take advantage of what the defense gives me. It’s not even like I go out there with a goal in mind. I’m just trying to win the game.”

On Sunday, Collier said she had planned to retire Taurasi. She did so not out of anger toward another former UConn star, but on purpose. Collier had also said that after finishing second to A’ja Wilson in the MVP race this year, she would step in for Wilson next season.

She may have started her election campaign earlier.

“I had a moment in the first half when I looked up and saw on the scoreboard in the arena that she had 22 (points) in the first half,” Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “And I thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good.’ I didn’t realize she was that good.”

Wednesday night may have been Taurasi’s last game, but her teammates tried to write a different ending. Griner scored 24 points and two blocks and Cloud posted a double-double (16 points, 10 assists) for a Mercury team that hit 52 percent of its shots from the field.

However, the Lynx play at a different level that Taurasi has already reached several times in her career.

Despite being eliminated, Taurasi stood up during timeouts, pumped her fists and tried to motivate a team that had fallen behind by double digits late in the game.

But there was no time for another run, and as the final siren sounded through the Target Center, the fans cheered and both teams shook hands and hugged in the typical post-game courtesy gesture.

At 10:49 p.m., Taurasi entered the tunnel to the dressing room, but first extended her hand to a young fan.

Then she was gone.

“I mean, 20 years is incredible,” Reeve said. “It’s really incredible. Just think about 20 years at a high level. And I’ve said it repeatedly: (she is) one of the best competitors of all time in any sport.”