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NEW YORK -- Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello hasnt always loved the WNBAs new knockout playoff format. But its safe to say she has come around on it.The Mercury, inconsistent for much of the regular season, beat New York 101-94 in an elimination game Saturday to advance to the WNBA semifinals against Minnesota.?That isnt bad for a team that finished the regular season two games below .500.I was a little critical of the knockout games, but I kind of like it right now, Brondello said.Veteran Diana Taurasi led the way for Phoenix, just as she did Wednesday in the Mercurys first-round, elimination-game win over Indiana.Taurasi had a game-high 30 points on 9-for-17 shooting to lift Phoenix. But it wasnt just the point total; it was when Taurasi scored that mattered most Saturday.With Phoenix up two and 6:40 to play, Taurasi scored five straight points to spur an 8-2 run. Five minutes later, the Mercury led by just four. But Taurasi put the game away by hitting a contested 3-pointer.That prompted this statement from Brondello: Diana Taurasi, shes the GOAT [greatest of all time]. Its always great to have her on your team.Is it ever. Saturday was just the latest example of Taurasi lifting her team in an elimination game.She scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half of the Mercurys win over the Indiana Fever on Wednesday. That gave her a 12-3 career record in WNBA elimination games. Saturday was win No. 13.I just think its the mindset that the teams Ive been on have had, Taurasi said. These moments, weve never shied away from.Taurasi, understandably, doesnt want to talk about her own exploits. But her performance in win-or-go-home scenarios has been remarkable. According to WNBA.com, Taurasi averages 23 points on better than 48 percent shooting in such situations. If you include her Olympic and NCAA career, Taurasi has a 43-3 record in elimination games.Thats why I say shes the best player in the world, Brondelo said. Shes such an unselfish player, but her determination to win in those big moments exceeds anyone else Ive ever seen.Taurasi didnt do it all by herself on Saturday, of course. Brittney Griner was fantastic, scoring 22 points with 10 rebounds and five assists, and Penny Taylor added 22 points. It was the kind of game that many expected from Phoenix over the course of the season.But the Mercury struggled with consistency and clinched the eighth and final WNBA playoff seed with a disappointing 16-18 regular-season record.We had some good individual performances, Brondello said, but we were just inconsistent in putting it together for one night.The Mercury have now put it together for two nights when it mattered most. But for the Liberty, it was a sudden end to another successful regular season.New York finished with the third-best record in the WNBA, but thanks to the leagues new playoff format, which awards the top two seeds byes into the best-of-five semifinals, the Liberty played in an elimination game rather than a full series.They worked all year long to give themselves an opportunity, and tonight it just didnt get done, Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said.Tina Charles finished with 19 points and nine rebounds on Saturday, looking every bit the MVP candidate who carried New York for most of the season. But the Liberty failed to execute late in the fourth quarter, and Taurasi seemed to thrive.Diana was Diana, Charles said.On Saturday, that meant Taurasi was at her best when her team needed her most. Those who have watched her long enough shouldnt be surprised. Cheick Diallo Suns Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. https://www.thesunslockerroom.com/Ricky-Rubio-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Mikal Bridges Suns Jersey .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Grant Hill Suns Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Not long after they were drafted this spring by the Green Bay Packers, Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry got a call from the fiery leader of the defensive line.Mike Daniels was on the phone, and he needed them to get ready quickly.The Packers will be down a veteran up front early in the season because of the four-game suspension of Mike Pennell, so Clark and Lowry must be ready to play right away. That means there is no time to waste in training camp for the rookies.Im not going to lie to you, Daniels said. We need them ready like yesterday.After Daniels and Letroy Guion, the Packers will be short on experience up front to start the season.Veteran B.J. Raji is on a one-year hiatus from football. Pennel emerged as a competent backup in 2015, but the third-year player will miss the first four games for violating the NFLs substance-abuse policy. Datone Jones has been moved to a hybrid pass-rushing role in which hell line up more like an outside linebacker.Clark, the Packers first-round pick out of UCLA, could emerge as a starter right away. Lowry, a fourth-round pick from Northwestern, could see significant snaps as a backup.Coach Mike McCarthy doesnt seem concerned, at least this early in camp. He said he has been satisfied with the progress of his rookies so far since the offseason program. There are five preseason games and to get the young guys in shape.Its part of the annual shuffling in Green Bay anyway, which surrounds a talented veteran core with a healthy complement of younger players.Two years ago, the youth was concentrated in the receiving corps; last year, it was cornerback.This training camp, the defensive line is front and center.Lets face it, this games about big men and the big men have to control the balance of what (happens) on the field and frankly in the locker room, too, McCarthy said. So the consistency of our youngg D-linemen will be critical to how that group grows.dddddddddddd.In Daniels, McCarthy has an ideal mentor for the rookies. A fourth-round pick in 2012, Daniels has turned into a stabilizing and energetic presence up front.The Packers held their first practice with pads on Thursday. It had barely started when a brief scuffle broke out during a drill. Not surprisingly, Daniels was right in the middle, mixing things up with an offensive lineman.Hes naturally aggressive like that, four-time Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton said. Hes got that leadership quality too where he wants to get other people going. Get other people fired up, too.For Daniels, the tutoring of Clark and Lowry started months ago, in phone calls to the rookies a day or two after they were each drafted in late April.Theyre not putting any kind of pressure on me. Theyre just making sure, like, `Man, you need to be solid by Game 1 and we want you to be good, Clark said. Im taking all of that in. Im excited for it. I love it.Game notes House Speaker Paul Ryan, a lifelong Packers fan, attended practice with his family. The Wisconsin Republican talked football with team president Mark Murphy; met his favorite player, quarterback Aaron Rodgers; and addressed the team at midfield. Look, Im used to giving a lot of speeches, I was actually pretty nervous talking to these guys, Ryan said. As just a lifelong Packer fan, it was just a pretty cool experience, just to meet the team. ... The Packers signed WR Harvey Binford on Thursday. Binford played for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League in 2015-16. ... The team is off on Friday and returns to practice on Saturday.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '