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Message: [QUOTE="Lynx23, post: 4080674, member: 309"] I posted after the Mercury lost to the Sky that Kia's absence in the Finals might have affected the outcome due to her defensive prowess. There was some pushback from at least one BY'er who cited "points against" totals in games leading up to the Finals as evidence that the Mercury defense was porous even when Kia was healthy and on the floor., certainly inferring that her presence or absence likely didn't make a difference. That poster is entitled to his or her opinion but, truth is, we'll never know what the outcome might have been had she been able to play. In any event, the GOAT had an opinion on the same matter: The Mercury believe Nurse would have made a difference in the latter part of the playoffs particularly helping to defend against Sky forward Kahleah Copper, who was Finals MVP. "She (Nurse) is hard-nosed, she does all the little things that makes this team go," Taurasi said before Finals Game 4. "Offensively, she's another person we can rely on to make shots. We forgot how much Kia pushed our tempo just by her running alone. That one person makes a big difference. We never took her for granted, but not having her on the floor, we feel it." [/QUOTE]