What’s Trending: June 8, 2015

Brian Kotloff

With so much #SummerHoops to take in this season, it’s hard to keep track of all of the storylines that will play out on a nightly basis this WNBA season. That’s what What’s Trending is for.

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Here, we’ll bring you the 10 things you need to know, see, listen to and/or watch in the past and coming week. It’s your one-stop shop for all things W, from which teams are on a roll to which players are coming up big to what the league’s superstars are up to off the court.

Here’s What’s Trending on June 8, 2015:

#WNBATipOff: 19th Season Is Underway

Basketball’s summer season opened with a 10-game weekend in which all 12 teams were in action. WNBA.com offered five reasons to watch each of them to preview 2015.

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#10ForOurTown: Delle Donne Dominates Opening Weekend

Last year it was Maya Moore’s turn to raise her game to the next level. This year all eyes are Elena Delle Donne.

Race to the MVP: Preseason Rankings

EDD started her third pro season with a bang, scoring 31 points on Friday and a career-high 40 on Saturday as the Sky went 1-1.

#LiveAccess: Catch the Action Around the League

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The opening weekend highlights on LiveAccess — the WNBA’s streaming video service for all games that are not nationally televised — included a Washington-Connecticut down-to-the-wire thriller, a duel between the seasoned Lynx and up-and-coming Shock and the Sun’s upset of the Dream on Sunday.

Title favorite Minnesota is off to a 2-0 start.

Subscribe to LiveAccess (free trial ends June 9)

#GloryIsOurs: Mercury Receive Championship Rings

A championship is a gift that keeps on giving.

On opening night in Phoenix, the Mercury finally received their rings — the reward for a historic 2014 run to the franchise’s third title.

Undermanned with Brittney Griner suspended and Diana Taurasi sitting out (both were in attendance), Phoenix still pulled out a 76-71 victory over the Stars.

#TogetherWeRise: Seattle Storms Out of the Gate

It’s a big season for the Storm after a big offseason, and it got off to a rousing start.

2015 WNBA GM Survey: Offseason

In head coach Brian Agler’s return to Seattle as L.A. head coach, the Storm rolled past the Sparks, 86-61. The team’s key veteran acquisition, guard Renee Montgomery, scored 19 points in 17 minutes off the bench, while No. 1 overall pick Jewell Loyd recorded the first seven points of her career.

Loyd also did her best Stephen Curry imitation in hitting the NBA MVP’s famous tunnel shot before her debut:

#Rooks: Rookies Debut Around the League

While Loyd’s first game was the most anticipated, the rookie who made the biggest splash on opening night was picked eight spots later.

Guard Brittany Boyd, a second-team AP All-American at Cal last year, came off the Liberty bench at Madison Square Garden on Friday night and drilled four three-pointers, posting 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in 19 minutes.

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Elsewhere, No. 2 pick Amanda Zahui B. posted 6 points and 6 rebounds in her second game for the Shock, and Natalie Achonwa — who sat out her rookie season while rehabbing from a torn ACL — recorded a combined 24 points and 11 rebounds in two games for the Fever.

#NYLiberty: New York Races Past Atlanta at the Garden

Boyd and the Liberty’s 82-73 win over the Dream was the most surprising result of opening night, and @WNBA was on hand to witness it.

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So were Knicks great John Starks and Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara

#Relentless: Mystics Jump Out to 2-0 Start

After eight playoff berths in 15 seasons and just one Conference Finals appearance to show for it, the spotlight in the East is on Washington to become a contender in 2015.

5 Reasons to Watch in 2015: Washington Mystics

The Mystics looked the part in their first two games, edging the Sun and Liberty despite the absences of the injured Bria Hartley and Kia Vaughn.

Needless to say, the team was excited:

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#FeverGlowRecord: Indiana Sets Guiness World Record

During Saturday’s home opener, fans in Indiana established a new Guiness World Record for most people lighting a glowstick simultaneously in a single venue.

Sights and sounds:

#SummerHoops: Previewing the Week Ahead

The action heats back up on Tuesday, when the top two overall picks in April’s Draft, Seattle’s Jewell Loyd and Tulsa’s Amanda Zahui B., meet in a matchup of Western Conference up-and-comers.

Other highlights when the slate continues on Thursday, Friday and Sunday include EDD’s encore performance on Thursday in Connecticut (7 PM ET), Dream vs. Mystics on Friday (7 PM ET) in a showdown between East contenders, and a pair of 2014 Conference Finals rematches Sunday on ESPN 2 (Sky-Fever 1 PM ET; Lynx-Mercury 3 PM ET).

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