No more single-elimination. For the time being, it’s not quite win-or-go-home. The best-of-five semifinals have arrived and we’re down to the final four teams playing for a spot in the 2021 WNBA Finals. It’s time to pose the next round of burning questions and the deeper we go into the playoffs, the hotter they get.

6 Chicago vs. 1 Connecticut

Season series – Chicago won the series 2-1.

How much will Alyssa Thomas contribute for the Sun?
After missing nearly all of the season with an Achilles tear, the Sun got Thomas back for the final two games of the regular season and she made an impact, averaging 5.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in a little over 17 minutes on the floor. Thomas makes Connecticut deeper, more experienced and more confident. As if the Sun needed all of that help. Thomas has an opportunity to be an X-factor in this series, a player who could tip the scales at either end of the floor in the Sun’s favor at just the right time.

Can the Sun keep Chicago out of transition?
Chicago scored 22 fast-break points against a Minnesota team that made it a goal to keep the Sky from scoring fast-break points. In other words, it’s hard to stop Chicago from doing what it does best. But the Sun have the defensive chops, and the length with Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones, and DeWanna Bonner to get it done.

Can the Sky stay consistently good?
After a .500 season full of downs and ups, the Sky looks like a team hitting their peak, with five players scoring in double figures on Sunday against the Lynx in a win that sent them to the semis for the first time since 2016. With Connecticut playing better than any team in the league in the second half of the season – winning 14 in a row coming into Game 1 – the Sky will need to continue to be at their best to have a chance of winning this series.

Can defense win a championship for Connecticut?
With four players on the WNBA’s all-defensive team (a first in WNBA history), a league-leading defensive rating of 91.7 and holding opponents to a league-best 70 points a game during the regular season, the short answer for the Sun would appear to be yes. The Sun’s dominance on the defensive boards minimizes second-chance points and they have only allowed 29.0 points in the paint per game, which also led the league.

What is the key matchup in this series?
Despite the powerhouse players in the post (Jonquel Jones and Candace Parker), the perimeter is where the ticket to a championship series will be punched. Chicago’s power trio of Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Kahleah Copper will go against two of the league’s best perimeter defenders in Jasmine Thomas and Briann January. Something is going to have to give.

(5) Phoenix vs. (2) Las Vegas

Season series – Las Vegas won the series 2-1

Will Diana be able to play?
Taurasi was able to hobble through a single-elimination game on her bad ankle, but at what cost? She scored 14 points in the game, including six huge points in overtime, but she limped and grimaced throughout the game and she is currently listed as “questionable” for Game 1. Does she have to score to help Phoenix? Not necessarily. She provides a boost just by being in the lineup, she’s a great passer and she didn’t play in any of the games vs. the Aces this season. But she won’t help them on defense against the likes of Chelsea Gray or Kelsey Plum and it remains to be seen whether that ankle is up for another game on just 48 hours rest.

Will championship experience matter?
Phoenix is the only team left among the final four that has won a WNBA title and this is the Mercury’s 13th trip to the semis, more than any team in league history. But only Taurasi and Brittney Griner (and coach Sandy Brondello) were on the Mercury’s last title team back in 2014. It doesn’t hurt to know how to win a title, but Las Vegas has the experience of losing one – getting swept a year ago against Seattle – and the motivation of that experience might just match Phoenix’s title pedigree.

Will fatigue be a factor?
Phoenix will be playing its third game in six days. Las Vegas has not played since September 19. The Mercury will need to go deeper into their bench during the Vegas series, and Bria Hartley will likely get more minutes than she did during the single-elimination.

How many Aces in one hand?
If you are the Mercury defense, who exactly do you focus on? Seven Las Vegas players have averaged double-figures this season, for the first time in league history. The Aces put up a league-high 89.3 points a game. If you can’t hold them down you will have to keep up, and that isn’t an easy task.

What is the key matchup in this series?
This series will probably be won inside the paint. Brittney Griner vs. Liz Cambage. Brianna Turner vs. A’ja Wilson. Marquee names, incredible talents and the difference between a trip to the Finals and a trip home.

Longtime WNBA reporter Michelle Smith writes a weekly column on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.