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This is not your typical sixth seed.
The Chicago Sky continued to prove their regular season was a fluke with a dominant performance in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, claiming a 91-77 victory over No.5 seed Phoenix Mercury at the Footprint Center. from downtown Phoenix on Sunday.
Best of Five Series Game 2 is Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET in Phoenix on ESPN.
Kahleah Copper finished with his second career double-double, scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds. Copper is the 10th player to record this feat on her final debut.
“His speed, his athleticism and his tenacity. These are three things that make her a difficult game, but also her talent, ”Sky coach James Wade said of Copper. “She is a high level player. Now I think as the finale goes on people are going to start paying attention to her. I think people will notice what we know.
Courtney Vandersloot also managed a double-double for Sky with 12 points and 11 assists. She had no turnovers, the first player in the Finals to have at least 10 points and pass with five rebounds and no turnovers, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Allie Quigley added 18 points, while Candace Parker had 16 points and eight rebounds.
Sky’s balanced attack saw six players score in double digits, tying a final record, according to Across The Timeline. Four teams previously had six players with double-digit scores in a playoffs, including the two-time Mercury and both in championship races (2007 and 2009).
Stefanie Dolson added 14 points off the bench and Azura Stevens topped the starters in double digits with 10 points.
Sky have assisted on 24 of their 36 baskets, one of the best assist teams in the league. They overtook the Mercury 34-29.
The rested sky adjusts to cool Mercury
After completing their four-game semifinal streak on Wednesday against the number one seed Connecticut Sun, the Sky used the rest to their advantage and traveled to the Pacific time zone to acclimatize while the Mercury was forced to win or leave. 5th home game in their semi-final series against the Las Vegas Aces.
Chicago went 16-16 in the regular season, the third team to advance to the final with a record of .500 or worse. The Sky, along with the Mercury, are the first teams outside of the top three seeds in the Finals since the playoff format changed in 2016.
The Mercury continued their streak of hot starts in the first quarter, jumping five points ahead of one behind Skylar Diggins-Smith’s eight points during the quarter. She finished with 15 points.
But fatigue started to set in and the Sky made adjustments. They outscored the Mercury 26-10 in the second quarter. Chicago finished the first half 17-2, taking their first lead of the game in the streak.
“We thought we started the game really well. Focus, with a lot of energy, then they just took it to a different level. It had nothing to do with our fatigue, ”said Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi. “If you followed them last month, they were just playing at a different level. That’s what they did today for 40 minutes. And we didn’t. That was all for today.
From there, the Sky punished the Mercury’s tired legs and lack of bench depth. The Mercury played in Game 5 of their semi-final series against the Aces on Friday and needed every second of their closing game to advance to the final, then took the short flight home on Friday night.
Fatigue was perhaps the biggest one for Taurasi, who welcomed her second child with wife Penny Taylor early on Saturday morning. She started the game with intensity, but ran into foul issues and struggled with turnovers. Taurasi had 17 points and six turnovers.
“I was pretty pathetic with basketball today. To play basketball so much, it was quite pathetic and it’s up to me to play, ”Taurasi said. “We can’t turn the ball around like that, especially not in the final. It’s just that I’m a bad basketball player. We’re going to adjust some things and hopefully we’ll be in a better position to get out of those pitfalls on the pitch. “
The Mercury rotation was short again with Kia Nurse (ACL tear) and Sophie Cunningham (calf strain). Cunningham could be available for Game 2, coach Sandy Brondello said ahead of Game 1 on Sunday.
“I don’t want to apologize, but we were tired. I understand that, ”Brondello said after the game. “In the second quarter we only lost by three in the second half, but if you are not physically tired, then when you are mentally tired the execution was not really where we were. We needed both sides of the pitch. The most important thing for us is to cool off the next few days. It’s good that we don’t play until Wednesday. We can regroup, watch the video and play a better game on Wednesday.
Brondello said the Mercury will take time off Monday and perform lighter training on Tuesday.
Phoenix was able to regain its lineup after a dismal 3-point shooting night on Friday in the semi-finals. The Mercury shot 66% from long distance in the first quarter and finished 46.7%.
Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists.
“They have Diana, they have BG, they have Skylar and they have the rest of these players. We just have to make sure we’re not happy that we won the first game, ”said Wade. “We want to come with the same rigor and the same aggressiveness that we came with this game and try to do our best. It’s the only thing we can do.
Diana Taurasi wins GOAT title by fan vote
As part of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary season, the league announced its top 25 players and asked fans to vote GOAT from that list.
Taurasi got the most votes of the 25 players on the list, followed by Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Candace Parker and Cynthia Cooper, announced the league ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
“Kudos to Diana Taurasi for being voted the best WNBA player of all time by fans who have followed her illustrious career and seen her rise above the rest,” said the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, in a press release. “This well-deserved recognition reflects her continued excellence on the court and her leadership role in advancing the WNBA and women’s basketball and as a role model for young athletes around the world. The opportunity to honor Dee is another special time to celebrate our historic 25th season. “
Taurasi is in his 17th season, all with the Mercury, and leads the WNBA in points, has goals and scored 3 points. She was named in a league record of 14 All-WNBA teams and 10 All-Star Games, second in WNBA history.
Taurasi and the Mercury compete for the fourth championship in franchise history. She won two WNBA Finals MVPs and was Regular Season MVP in 2009 and Rookie of the Year in 2005.
A number of W25 roster players were honored between the first and second quarters of Game 1, receiving varsity jackets with the WNBA logos and their names engraved on the back.
WNBA to pay for Game 3 charter flight
Travel issues have plagued the league this season, as teams continue to fly commercially and face delays, lost baggage and the division of a team on multiple flights.
Ahead of Game 1 on Sunday, Engelbert announced that the league will pay for the Mercury and Sky to take charter flights to Chicago when the series moves there for Game 3 and Game 4, if necessary.
“Finally, because I know you’re going to be asking questions about this, with Game 2 scheduled to take place here in the Pacific time zone on Wednesday and Game 3 scheduled for Friday in the central time zone, we will organize and cover the cost of a charter flight for both teams to Chicago between Games 2 and 3, ”Engelbert told reporters. “As you know, we did in 2019 from west to east with no days off in between. We have the same pattern this year in the final, so it’s something that I know is important. for our players and for the health and safety of players.
Game 2 of the Best-of-Five Finals Series is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET Wednesday in Phoenix, while Game 3 is 9 p.m. ET Friday in Chicago. Game 4, if needed, would start at 3 p.m. ET next Sunday.
After the Connecticut Sun and Sky pointed out travel accommodation costs when their semi-final series changed locations, New York Liberty owner Joseph Tsai said he was working with Engelbert to find a sponsor charter for the whole league.
The collective agreement currently does not allow individual teams to book charter flights, as not all teams (read: team owners) will pay for those flights.
The Sky flew to Las Vegas ahead of Game 5 of the Aces-Mercury Semi-Final Series on Friday to position themselves near either of the Finals locations. From there they took a quick flight to Phoenix for Games 1-2.
2021 WNBA Finals Schedule
Game 1: Sky 91, Mercury 77 (Chicago leads, 1-0)
Game 2: Sky at Mercury, 9 p.m. ET Wednesday (ESPN)
Game 3: Mercury at Sky, 9 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN2)
Game 4: Mercury at Sky, 3 p.m. ET October 17 (ESPN) (if needed)
Game 5: Sky at Mercury, 9 p.m. ET on October 19 (ESPN2) (if needed)
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