Sunny Skies Ahead
Sky Headed to WNBA Finals after Eclipsing the Sun in Semifinals
By J. Coyden Palmer
The Chicago Sky celebrate their win over the Sun in the WNBA playoffs Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena. The 79-69 victory means the Sky will head to the WNBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history. Photo courtesy of WNBA
For just the second time in the team’s 16-year history, the Chicago Sky are headed to the WNBA finals after defeating the Connecticut Sun 79-69 on Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena. After winning consecutive games in two single-elimination playoff rounds, the Sky secured a spot in the upcoming 2021 WNBA Finals by knocking off the top-seeded Sun.
The last time the Sky appeared in the WNBA Finals was in 2014. With the victory over the Sun, the team's fifth playoff win this season is also the most in team history, a record currently held by Sky General Manager & Head Coach James Wade. The Sky will face either the Phoenix Mercury or Las Vegas Aces on Sunday in the first game of the WNBA Finals.
The trio of Courtney Vandersloot, Kahleah Copper and Candace Parker led the Sky in scoring with 19, 18 and 17 respectively. Vandersloot also finished with four assists and three rebounds.
The Sky were in control the entire game. The Sky got their biggest lead of the game at 18 after an 11-0 run in the third quarter, capped off by a three-point bucket by Parker. But the Sun responded with an 11-0 run of their own to close out the third and trim the lead to seven. Azura’ Stevens broke the scoreless streak for the Sky with a three-point bucket (11 points) just minutes into the fourth quarter. The Sky had a double-digit lead at the half and were never threatened in the second half.
“Sometimes wanting it so bad at times gets you out of character in these big games,” Connecticut head coach Curt Miller said. “I thought our want-to fire to win was so high that at times we were out of character tonight.”
The Sun were playing without a key member of their team. Briann January did not play due to ankle and knee injuries she suffered in Game 3. Injuries are something the Sky know all about. At one point they had a seven-game losing steak this season and injuries early in the season threatened to derail a promising season. There was also more pressure on Parker as she returned to her hometown in hopes of bringing the city its first WNBA title. The team is now in a position to do just that.
“Adversity always builds character, especially if you handle it the right way,” said Sky Coach/GM James Wade. “I want to do what’s best for our team, whether that is making a quick trade or just having the right people around. Candace is a big reason why we are here. She took the load on her shoulders and her leadership is a big part of why we are in the position we are in. Candace is the biggest free agency signing in women’s basketball history. That was special for our organization.”
Wade said he will appreciate what the team has accomplished when the season is over. Right now he is looking forward to his next opponent. The Mercury and Aces will play on Friday in a winner-take-all Game 5, with the winner hosting the Sky on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST. The game will air on ESPN.