Natasha Cloud will be a key for the Phoenix Mercury in their playoff matchup

Natasha Cloud reveals Phoenix Mercury's keys to beating Minnesota Lynx in the playoffs (Exclusive)

Modified Sep 24, 2024 10:33 GMT

As she reflected on her past year, Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud expressed appreciation for the various elements that made her first season here so special.

Cloud has become empowered to become a leader. She has taken pride in excelling as a two-way player despite fitting in with a new group that has experienced key injuries to their core roster. And she has developed further appreciation for Diana Taurasi’s disciplined work habits that enable her to remain an elite player in her 20th WNBA season.

Two other developments could make Cloud’s time in Phoenix even more rewarding. First, the seventh-seeded Mercury face a heavy-task with facing the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-three first-round playoff matchups, beginning with Game 1 in Minnesota on Sunday. Secondly, Cloud sounded bullish on whether she can land on an All-Defensive team for the third time in her career.

“I better be on that first team, and they better start talking about ‘Defensive Player of the Year,’” Cloud told Sportskeeda. “People always call it ‘cockiness’ or whatever, but it’s really not. You just have to advocate for yourself."

Cloud spoke to Sportskeeda about her defense, Taurasi’s greatness and the Mercury’s playoff potential.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been condensed and edited.

Natasha Cloud exclusive

What’s your comfort level with the team heading into the playoffs and facing the Lynx?

Natasha Cloud: "This is home for me. I feel extremely comfortable. I’ve won a championship. I have playoff experience in six of my nine years. So I feel very comfortable going into the playoffs. I think with our culture and our environment, we genuinely enjoy being around one another. We’re just trying to get back into that joy of playing with one another and for another. That has been our primary focus for the last two weeks. We’re playing some selfless basketball. So we’re excited to go in."

"Everyone is going to bring their ‘A’ game. Not just with myself, but we have experience and championships on this team. That experience can come through when the playoffs come. I know we have some dogs on this team that are going to be ready as that tipoff happens on Sunday."

What will it take to beat the Lynx in the first round?

Natasha Cloud:

"I think the Lynx are best when they’re able to assist to each other. Defensive rebounding is going to really decide the series. We have to be able to slow them down. I think 98% of the Lynx’s offense is based on passing. They’re really good at moving the ball and using one another and getting two feet into the paint and making teams pay for overhelping and overcommitting to the ball. So it’s about taking pride in our own personal matchups, guarding our yard and making them take contested shots and then rebounding the ball. Our offense is going to come. Even on nights where we’re struggling with shooting, because that’s a high possibility, if we play defense and rebound the ball, we’re going to put ourselves in good situations.”

You’ve always excelled as a scorer and passer. But given you joined a new group that had different injuries, what has been the key while still excelling pretty consistently as a playmaker and scorer?

Natasha Cloud: "I’ve done that over my nine-year career, so that’s nothing new. I’m a two-way player. I don’t think it’s talked about enough in this league about being an all-around and complete two-way player. Whether people are in or people are out, my job is to help others. My job is to find the primary defender on the other side of the ball. So my main thing for us has been about being consistent this year. Sometimes, your offense is going to be there. Some nights, you’re not going to be able to put the ball in the hole. But you still have to remain consistent."

"That’s why I wanted to make this move to Phoenix. That was to challenge myself as a leader into everything that I knew that I was, but that wasn’t necessarily appreciated in the past of my career. I just wanted to bring that here. That’s what I’m going to continue to do – just be consistent on both ends of the floor."

Coach [Nate] Thibbets said that you helped set the tone in San Diego during training camp and that your energy is contagious. In what ways have you tried to do that?

Natasha Cloud: "I think, first and foremost, defensively. A lot of times, if I can get up and be the ‘dog defender’ that I am, then I can lead by example for my teammates. There’s also the relationships and the environment that we talk about, and that allows me to be the following leader that I sometimes need to be. Because of those relationships, I’m able to command more from my teammates on the court. It’s about being consistent, leading by example and playing really hard. I think sometimes people forget that if you just really play the game hard that you’ll be doing your job. So I just try to come in every single night understanding that I get to play in God’s honor and glory. I’m essentially a vessel. Whatever comes along the way, I want to make sure that I leave everything on the court."

Given that, what’s your outlook that you’ll make your third All-Defensive team?

Natasha Cloud: "I better be on that first team, and they better start talking about ‘Defensive Player of the Year.’ People always call it ‘cockiness’ or whatever, but it’s really not. You just have to advocate for yourself. What tends to happen in our league is that if you are in media only for the East Coast teams, you are only going to pay attention to the East Coast games. So you don’t really get to appreciate our whole league, and what it has to offer and who’s really competing every single night, especially on the defensive end. But I guard one through five. I don’t know of any other player that can do that in this league. That’s not a knock on anyone. It’s just that I hang my hat on that end."

What parts of your defense do you think don’t receive enough credit?

Natasha Cloud: "Absolutely with being an under-sized guard. I’m 5’10 (laughs), and I’m guarding people that are 6-foot-5. So it’s my ability to be versatile and to be moved to whoever has the hot hand. That has always been an advantage with the teams that I’ve been on. I take pride in that. As a young player, too, I knew that I wasn’t necessarily going to be the most effective person on the offensive end, even while I’m scoring. But I always knew that my defense would keep me on the floor. So I take that seriously."

What’s it been like from going from someone that had to guard Diana to now being her teammate?

Natasha Cloud: "I say, ‘Thank you Jesus!’ (laughs). I used to leave games with bruises going against her. She’s just one of the greatest of all time. She has every arsenal in her bag as an offensive player. She’s a tough-assed competitor. She was a nightmare as a defender to go up against her. Now I get to see that nightmare from the other side."

What do you notice about Diana’s day-to-day that has contributed to her still playing at a high level?

Natasha Cloud: "I think her professionalism and her approach to the game. D is the first one in the gym, and is typically the last one out of the gym. The time she puts in to get her body ready to be on the court every single day, people don’t get to see her showing up and being the first one just to get her body warm for an hour-and-a-half practice or a 40-minute game. To be able to do that for 20 seasons and still remain consistent the majority of the season, I don’t think people appreciate that enough. To bring that same competitive dog, that mindset and that leadership every single day in the leadership, her professionalism and approach to the game is really what makes her different."

How does your journey with the Mystics shape you this season, both with your success there and then how things played out with your departure this offseason?

Natasha Cloud: "When I came into this league as a second-round pick from a mid-major, a lot of people didn’t expect me to be here and didn’t think that I deserved to be here. Nine years later, and I’ve had to learn what it means to be a young player and an immature player that had to learn what it means to be a professional. Once I got there, I think I was a misunderstood player that was trying to be put into a box those first three years. I’ve outgrown that. I’m proud of my growth."

"Everything that happened along the way, whether it was the good, the bad or the ugly that came with this free agency, everything was intended to help shape me for my purpose for where I am today. I am extremely blessed and thankful to be where my feet are at today in Phoenix. We’re talking about bringing this dynasty back and get us back in the playoffs. We’ve done that, but now our work nearly starts. A new season starts. So I’m excited for that."