The Phoenix Mercury are a really good team. They made the right decision firing their coach last season and now everything is clicking for them. They have their sights set on a championship BUT I think it makes sense to fade them on Tuesday. They are coming off a playoff atmosphere type victory against defending champion and likely Western Conference Final opponent Minnesota. Diana Taurasi hit a last second shot to give Phoenix the win. They can wrap up the number one seed in the Western Conference with a win against New York but it won't be easy considering how desperate the Liberty will be.
New York trails Indiana by a half game for the final playoff spot in the east with 4 games to play. Tuesday's game against Phoenix will essentially be a playoff game for New York. Plus New York is coming off a loss in which they did not match the energy of their opponent. They realize this and will likely play with maximum effort on Tuesday. Check out this quote from New York's best player Tina Charles following their loss last game:
Another reason I like New York is their physicality. Check out this (hilarious) quote from Diana Taurasi from the last time Phoenix played New York:
I don't think Phoenix is going to want to get into a slug fest with New York and risk injury when they are so close to a championship run.
Phoenix is clearly the better team but on Tuesday it makes sense to grab the points with the dog.
OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION: NEW YORK LIBERTY +6.5