It's been 22 years since championship basketball has been played in Chicago. The city hasn't seen basketball glory since the greatest to ever play the game was in the Windy City. Here we are in 2021 and all of that is going to change. Championship basketball is returning to the Windy City. In just three days the Chicago Sky will be playing for the WNBA Championship.
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After entering the playoffs as the #6 seed the Sky have beaten out everyone else and will represent the city in the Championship. The Sky did so in an exciting fashion by winning both of their single-elimination games and then taking it to the #1 seed 3-1. The Sky has looked virtually unstoppable in the playoffs and they are hoping to bring a championship to Chicago.
This one is personal for Candace Parker
Ahead of this WNBA, it was announced that forward Candace Parker would be signing with her hometown Chicago Sky. After playing 13 seasons in Los Angeles Parker decided it was time to return home and hopefully bring a championship to Chicago. Here we are 146 days since the WNBA season tipped off and the Sky is only 3 wins away from making that a reality. Candace Parker has been putting on a show during the playoffs and in a crucial game 4 she delivered.
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Parker had a near triple-double in the team's lopsided game 4 victory. While the game was decided by 10 it felt like the Sky was in control the entire game and Connecticut was simply outmatched. In these playoffs, Parker is averaging 13.3 PPG, 47 %FG, 8.3 RPG, & 5.0 APG. She is impacting the game on every side of the ball and is clearly on a mission to bring a championship to the city. While Parker is the focal point of this team she certainly isn't doing it alone. She's surrounded by plenty of talent and they are making opposing teams pay.
Can anyone stop this high-powered team?
When you look at this roster it's hard to figure out how to cover everyone on the team. Parker is the household name but if you look at this team they are jam-packed with stars. The leading scorer on the team is none other than guard Kahleah Copper who's averaging 18.2 PPG on 53.2% shooting. Behind Copper is guard Courtney Vandersloot who is averaging 14.0 PPG and 8.7 APG. This team has five players who are averaging 10+ PPG and their depth is hard to match.
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This team came in as the #6 seed but that was mainly due to injuries to begin the year. The season started rough but they have since bounced back. It seems like this team is catching fire at the right time. There are so many players on this team who may not be filling up the stat sheet but are huge impact players. Players like guard Diamond DeShields and center Stefanie Dolson come to mind in these playoffs. The biggest pieces that have continued to step up are guard Allie Quigley and forward Azura Stevens. Combined they are adding 24.1 PPG and have been pivotal to this team's success. The work isn't over yet as the team still needs to win the best of 5 championship series. Who they will be playing is still up in the air.
Friday night will be important
The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury are deadlocked at 2-2 in their best of 5 series. Friday night the teams will meet in Las Vegas for a winner take all matchup. The Sky will certainly be watching as they prepare for their matchup to start on Sunday. Either way, it's going to be a good matchup for the Sky as both of those teams have some serious firepower. The team certainly isn't worried either way as they have beaten the #7, #3, & #1 seeds in this year's playoffs. With the way this Sky team is clicking it's going to be hard for anyone to stop the Sky.
Candace Parker and the rest of the team are trying to bring winning basketball back to the city of Chicago. With only 3 wins left for this team to take the WNBA Title, it's going to be hard for whichever team faces off with Chicago. This team looks ready for the next one and isn't letting up. The entire city of Chicago and the Bulls are certainly backing this team as they head into the finals.
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Chicago has desperately needed good basketball to return and this team is trying to deliver just that. As we are heading into this Bulls season the Sky wants to set the expectations in Chicago. It's time to compete for championships and quit being a bottom-of-the-barrel team. The championship series begins on Sunday and you better believe the Chicago Sky will be ready to pick up exactly where they left off.
