Editing Phoenix Mercury (section)

===Mercury in retrograde (1999–2003)===
In 1999, the Mercury missed the playoffs, posting a 15–17 record. In 2000, the Mercury finished 20–12, but got swept by the [[Los Angeles Sparks]]. The team descended into turmoil after the season, as coach Miller left and the original core group of players broke up, via retirement or trades, and the team stopped being a playoff contender.

From 2001 to 2004, the Mercury were at the bottom of the WNBA. Fielding miserable teams, the Mercury were never competitive. The Mercury went through coach after coach, and nothing worked. During the lean years, the franchise remained in the news as [[Forward (basketball)|forward]] [[Lisa Harrison]] would become a sex symbol. [[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy Magazine]] offered her money to pose in their magazine. She would decline the offer.<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=WNBA Player to Decide on Playboy|url=https://apnews.com/article/36cecf3080a31e5545c59c633cfa5beb|access-date=2021-03-25|website=The Associated Press|language=en}}</ref>