Three questions with Diana Taurasi: Staying mentally sharp for one of her best seasons yet

She's 36 years old, a new mom, and she shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Last Saturday, Taurasi — whose family is from Argentina — was in mourning following Argentina's exit from the World Cup. However, before the Mercury beat the Washington Mystics, she still took time to talk with Yardbarker about the Mercury's goals for the season, her individual success and how she keeps her mental edge. Oh, and Messi was mentioned, too. 

The Mercury are off to one of the best starts in the league. Have any of your teammates surprised you with their play this season, and do you feel like this is the year that the Mercury take down the Minnesota Lynx or Los Angeles Sparks in the playoffs and get back to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2014? 

I could easily say [DeWanna Bonner or Brittney Griner] because they’ve been playing so well, but I expect that from them at this point. They’ve won championships, they know what it takes to be the best in this league. No one has really surprised me. 

I mean, we really haven’t done anything so far. It’s still a young season, I still think we have a lot of improvement to do, from day to day, from game to game. To even think about that far down the road would be immature in our minds. Throughout a game, to be locked in for 40 minutes is the biggest challenge in this league. I think we’ve been doing a good job of it, but I think we can get better at it. And I think when you stay mentally sharp throughout a game, it shows in your play. 

This season, you're making over 95 percent of your free throws, which is by far the best percentage of your career. Did you make any changes to your routine or shot during the offseason? 

Not really, they’re just going in this year. You know, I think mentally I’m in the best shape of my career. I just think, not going overseas for an eight-month load, which I’ve been doing for the past 13, 14 years, you forget what a mental strain that is, to come to the gym when you’re not feeling well, when you’re not 100 percent. I think this year I’m just a bit fresher, more keyed in on getting things done. 

You're well known for your intensity on the court. Do you have any go-to music you listen to pregame in order to get in the right mental space for competition — and, given that I know it was a tough day for you, with Argentina's loss, did you need to change things up at all?  

I'm heartbroken today. I’m a wreck, I’m a stress ball, the game was so rough to watch. But the beauty of it is there’s another one in four years. [Messi will] be ready to go. I will just say, with a lot of hope, he’ll be there for the next one.

You know, every game day is a little different, depending on my mood. Some days it’s Tupac, some days it’s Guns 'n Roses, some days it’s Rage Against the Machine. Today was Florence and the Machine, so today was a chill day for me. (Laughs.) 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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