WNBA Finals 2016 will conclude with a highly anticipated Game 5 on Thursday (8PM ET, ESPN 2). Before the final game of the season, here are what those covering the series are saying.

“Two days after taking a staggering punch from the Sparks, the Lynx answered with a big blow of their own to send the series to a deciding Game 5.” – Rachel Blount, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Stars filed into Staples Center to watch Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. Cedric the Entertainer, Magic Johnson and the Mamba [Kobe Bryant] himself sat courtside Sunday, hoping to see the Sparks clinch the WNBA championship for the first time since 2002. The proverbial stars, however, did not align for the Sparks.” – Katie Barnes, espnW

“In the middle of a chaotic ending … was a calm, collected Maya Moore. As Game 4 wound down, Moore’s face looked the same as it did when she calmly warmed up two hours prior. It didn’t matter how many defenders flew at her. It didn’t matter what the scoreboard or shot clock read. It didn’t matter that with the Sparks inching closer, and the Lynx season on the line, that the weight of her team’s WNBA Finals chances rested in her hands.” – Jesse Dougherty, Los Angeles Times

“This was really the only way that this WNBA Finals – the duel between the two best teams in the league – could have ended. Both teams will have three full days of rest before facing each other in Minnesota for Game 5 on Thursday. The lead-up to this point has been as good as it gets.” – Alysha Tsuji, USA Today