Chicago Sky approaching robust as WNBA common season winds down
Mechelle VoepelespnW.com
CloseMechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, girls’s school basketball, and different school sports activities for espnW. Voepel started protecting girls’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
After a weekend with the now-familiar twists and turns of this WNBA season, the playoff image with two weeks to go stays up within the air — which, appropriately sufficient, is understanding for the Sky.
Chicago had two enormous victories — over first-place Washington on Friday and at Phoenix (with Diana Taurasi again) on Sunday — to place the Sky in rivalry for a bye into the second spherical. And possibly even for the double-bye into the semifinals.
Fairly good things for a crew that missed the playoffs the previous two seasons, going a mixed 25-43, and has a brand new coach this 12 months. James Wade took the job saying he thought Chicago could possibly be a contender. He was proper.
When the mud had cleared Sunday night time, the Mystics had been on prime of the WNBA at 21-Eight, adopted by Connecticut (20-9), Los Angeles (18-10), Las Vegas (19-11), Chicago (18-11), Seattle (15-14), Minnesota (15-15) and Phoenix (13-15).
TeamRecordGB1. Washington21-Eight–2. Connecticut20-913. Los Angeles18-102.54. Las Vegas19-112.55. Chicago18-1136. Seattle15-1467. Minnesota15-156.58. Phoenix13-157.5
The weekend briefly went like this: the Mystics and the Solar had been tied atop the league as of Friday night time after Washington’s loss to the Sky, and Connecticut’s victory over Las Vegas. There have been no video games Saturday – deep breath – after which a full slate Sunday by which each crew performed and issues obtained jumbled once more.
Washington pulverized New York, whereas Connecticut needed to fly cross-country and fell at Los Angeles, which for the primary time all season is now at full power and looking out harmful. Las Vegas misplaced to a Minnesota crew that has climbed to .500 and will be ok with that with all of the adjustments the Lynx have needed to take care of.
Seattle clinched a playoff spot earlier than taking the court docket (due to the Liberty’s loss), which is not any small deal contemplating the Storm have performed this season with out Breanna Stewart and Sue Chook, and had been additionally with out Jewell Loyd for a stretch. However then the Storm stumbled Sunday towards Indiana (10-19), which hasn’t fairly been eradicated from playoff rivalry but.
Atlanta (7-22), the league’s last-place crew, confirmed it nonetheless has some chunk, too. It has been a nightmare season for the Dream with out injured Angel McCoughtry, who created some intrigue final week with an Instagram submit that stated she deliberate to look within the crew’s remaining regular-season recreation on Sept. Eight. The submit was worded in such a manner that instructed possibly that is likely to be it for her and the Dream. McCoughtry later modified the wording, and coach Nicki Collen stated that McCoughtry hasn’t been cleared to play but anyway. So keep tuned on that one.
Nonetheless the Dream, after shedding 12 in a row, received twice this weekend on the street: Friday at New York and Sunday at Dallas. This summer season has been a giant drop for a crew that was one recreation from the WNBA Finals final 12 months, however Atlanta hasn’t given up regardless of being eradicated from the playoffs already. Even in the course of the Dream’s shedding streak, they had been enjoying shut video games. Two of them lastly went Atlanta’s manner towards two different groups anticipated to be within the draft lottery.
The Sky, in the meantime, have had 4 lottery picks over the past three drafts. Alaina Coates (No. 2 in 2017) did not work out — she’s now in Atlanta — however Diamond DeShields and Gabby Williams (Nos. Three-Four in 2018) and Katie Lou Samuelson (No. Four 2019) are a part of the Sky’s younger core. DeShields has been the star, main the Sky in scoring (15.7 PPG) and sometimes making no less than one play a recreation that elicits gasps.
Williams is extra of a job participant, however one who helps defensively and brings power each time she’s on court docket. Samuelson has been restricted to 15 video games due to damage, however there’s nonetheless time for her to catch a bit of hearth and assist the Sky from behind the arc.
Stefanie Dolson (9.Four PPG), Cheyenne Parker (Eight.2) and Astou Ndour (5.2, however she has scored in double figures 4 of the final 5 video games) patrol the within. It is a disgrace that Jantel Lavender — who came visiting in a preseason commerce with Los Angeles and was averaging 10.zero factors and 6.9 rebounds — is out for the season with a foot damage suffered Aug. 9.
However Ndour has risen to the problem of filling in for Lavender. There is a gritty, received’t-back-down high quality to the Sky’s posts, who will not be marquee gamers however are getting the job achieved. Similar goes for reserve wing Kahleah Copper (6.6 PPG).
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Then in fact, there’s the guts of the Sky: the married-couple backcourt of Allie Quigley (14.zero PPG) and Courtney Vandersloot (11.Three PPG, league-best 9.zero APG). It is Quigley’s seventh 12 months with the Sky and Vandersloot’s ninth, and so they symbolize the spine of the franchise.
In Sunday’s 94-86 victory towards the Mercury, Taurasi — enjoying simply her second recreation this season — completed with 12 factors however went 2-of-13 from the sphere. For Chicago, Quigley led the best way with 24 factors, with DeShields chipping in 18, Parker getting her third double-double (14 factors, 12 rebounds) this season and first since June, and Vandersloot having a basic Sloot line: 9 factors, 9 rebounds, 13 assists, zero turnovers.
The Sky’s 85-78 victory Friday over Washington ended the Mystics’ six-game successful streak and in addition helped Chicago recover from a psychological hurdle. It was the primary time since Elena Delle Donne left Chicago for Washington going into the 2017 season that the Sky had overwhelmed the Mystics. Delle Donne insisted on a commerce, as had a earlier high-profile No. 2 choose for the Sky, Sylvia Fowles, in 2015.
The Sky and their followers have needed to take care of being a crew that superstars wished to depart, however possibly that has additionally been a bonding agent for them.
On the All-Star break, the Sky had been at a crossroads. Since early June, they’d had a stretch the place they received 4 in a row, then misplaced 5 of six, then received 5 of six.
DeShields, Quigley and Vandersloot had been All-Stars, however the whole Chicago crew got here to Las Vegas to assist them. It confirmed the group’s unity, and when requested about how the Sky would assault the second half of the season, Quigley stated, “I believe all of us really feel the identical: We’ve got an enormous alternative.”
Since then, Chicago is 7-Three with no dangerous losses; these had been to fellow playoff groups Connecticut, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. There’s nonetheless loads to navigate over these remaining two weeks, beginning with a visit to Minnesota on Tuesday and ending at Washington on Sept. Eight. However the Sky have an opportunity to place themselves nicely. And this previous weekend was a giant key to that.