- Chicago spreads the Wings with the way
As we explained yesterday, Chicago did not have the right to make mistakes in this first game of the 2021 playoffs. Candace Parker in the off-season precisely for this kind of moment. And the least we can say is that the latter has responded. Beyond the final stats line, it was the impact on the start of the match of the ex-Spark that struck. The player was in all the right places to put her team on the right track. A first half under control with a gap that exceeded 20 points before dropping slightly (44-29) and we thought Chicago had a reassuring victory as too rarely at this level of competition. But the Wings did not want to go on vacation without a fight either, and when they returned from the locker room the gang Vickie Johnson has completely reversed the course with in particular a Satou Sabally untenable by its mobility in attack. The Wings return and are in the game after 30 minutes (55-50). Almost everything had to be redone for Chicago, who executed in the last quarter to finally leave no hope for the Wings in the final minutes despite a gap that was still 5 points 4 minutes from the end (68-63). Faced with tough opponents, the Sky wins with the manner in the money time (81-64) and can therefore calmly pack his bags for Minnesota.
- Phoenix almost got caught
After a great first meeting, we were hoping for an even more enticing second match. Before the match, Diana Taurasi was left on the bench for an injury that had already deprived him of the last 4 regular season games. It is therefore without its leader but with all the same a lot of certainties in the game that the Mercury received the Liberty. Between a team cut for the title and one that comes to accumulate experience, the duel seemed unbalanced despite the absence of Taurasi. But it was not, without being flamboyant New York took the game by the right end by quietly executing systems and minimizing loss of balls in attack. Thus, the Liberty made the round back despite a complicated start (8-19) and was able to pass in front as soon as the shots started to come in at the start of 2th quarter time. Then followed an intense mano a mano where the two teams went in quick succession throughout the second half. With 3 minutes remaining, New York seemed to reach the feat with two possessions ahead on the scoreboard but Sophie Cunningham, on fire behind the bow all evening, allowed the Mercury to always keep its head above the water and then go ahead. With three points ahead and possession, Phoenix had all the cards in hand. Missed shot, Liberty rebound who decides not to take a time-out and Betnijah Laney plant a banderilla from afar to equalize 2 seconds from the end. 25 points and exceptional composure for the 28-year-old. On the following throw-in, Phoenix finds Shey Peddy inside who throws the ball in the air while Sami Whitcomb tears off his arm. 2 free throws and 0.4 seconds on the clock, Peddy will score one and Sabrina Ionescu cannot return the winning shot on the next possession. Cruel but encouraging defeat (83-82) for the Liberty with a view to the future, the Mercury spins in the second round.
- Seattle – Phoenix: One more duel between two legends
Sue Bird vs. Diana Taurasi, act 6. Since their entry into the league in 2002 and 2004, the two players have accumulated 7 WNBA titles and memorable moments in the playoffs. And during all these campaigns, the two legends have met 5 times. 3 series won for Diana, 2 for Sue. This time it is in a dry match that this duel will be held and in front of a surely boiling hot Seattle audience. The question is precisely whether Taurasi will be able to play, she who was listed questionable in the first round before finally having to give up and follow the game from the bench. An injury that hurts the Mercury, but not as much as the potential absence of Breanna Stewart at the Storm. The 2020 Finals MVP missed the last two regular season games and the Storm have no desire to take any chances with a tall, mobile player who has already suffered an Achilles tendon rupture.
But enough talk about absences because there will be good people on the floor whatever happens. In case of Stewart’s absence, Brittney Griner will be a heck of an anchor in Phoenix’s racquet and will likely serve as a magnet on the inside to free up wing space and take all the bounces they can get. And at the Storm, Jewell Loyd had his three best games in scoring this season when Stewart was away. Needless to say, therefore, that the latter will be particularly to watch in this meeting and on both sides of the field. Coincidentally, the two teams played each other last Friday and, without Breanna Stewart, it took an exceptional game from Loyd to overcome a diminished but tenacious Phoenix team. With a few more days of rest, it will take at least that for the Storm to come to the fore as the level of confidence of the team of Sandy Brondello seems at the highest.
- Chicago – Minnesota: Sky wants to continue its momentum
New match, new duel of legends with a confrontation between Sylvia Fowles and Candace Parker who recalls the heyday of the Sparks – Lynx rivalry. The two inside will once again fight a terrible battle to control the racket and lock in any bounce. The advantage Sylvia Fowles has is all that revolves around her: The Lynx have found the chemistry in the second half of the season and Cheryl Reeve has the luxury of having excellent bench depth that allows her to have an answer to whatever the adversary might suggest.
Author of a convincing performance in the first round, the Chicago players have been full of confidence and this time have everything to gain in this second round. The Sky arrive at this stage with a big deficit in regular season victories but a certain potential which can surprise everyone in a game. On the previous meeting all the players contributed: 17 points – 8 rebounds – 6 assists for Courtney Vandersloot, 11-15-7 for Candace Parker, 23 points for Kahleah Cooper. Everyone in the five contributed and that’s what you expect from such a team. In an Olympic year when almost no Sky player went to Tokyo, James Wade can afford to reduce the rotations of his bench in these playoffs.
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