WNBA Playoffs 2021 Semifinal Preview: (1) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Chicago Sky

SERIES SCHEDULE

• Game 1: Sky at Sun, Sept. 28, 8:00 ET, ESPN2 (Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT)
• Game 2: Sky at Sun, Sept. 30, 8:00 ET, ESPN2 (Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT)
• Game 3: Sun at Sky, Oct. 3, 1:00 ET, ESPN (Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL)
• Game 4*: Sun at Sky, Oct. 6, Time TBD, ESPN (Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL)
• Game 5*: Sky at Sun, Oct. 8, Time TBD, ESPN2 (Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT)

*If necessary

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Connecticut

• Finished with No. 1 seed and earned double-bye to the semifinal round
• Closed the regular season with 14 consecutive wins, the longest win streak to end a regular season in WNBA history

Chicago

• Defeated No. 7 seed Dallas 81-64 in single-elimination first round
• Defeated No. 3 seed Minnesota 89-76 in the single-elimination second round

SEASON SERIES (CHI 2, CON 1)

• June 17: CHI 81, CON 75
• June 19: CHI 91, CON 81
• June 27: CON 74, CHI 58

The Sky are one of two teams (along with Seattle) to beat Connecticut more than once this season; in fact, the Sky account for a third of the Sun’s six losses on the season. Of course, this comes with a major caveat as league MVP Jonquel Jones missed the entire regular season series as all three games took place over a 10-day span while Jones was away from the Sun to play in the FIBA European women’s basketball championship.

Courtney Vandersloot and Kahleah Copper led a balanced Sky offense with averages of 12.3 points per game against the Sun, followed by Allie Quigley (11.7), Diamond DeShields (9.7), Ruthy Hebard (9.3) and Candace Parker (8.0). Vandersloot also paced the Sky in both assists (9.3) and steals (2.3).

With Jonquel Jones out, it was Brionna Jones that led the Sun against the Sky in both scoring (17.3 ppg) and rebounds (9.7 rpg). DeWanna Bonner (16.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Jasmine Thomas (16.0 ppg, 2.3 apg) rounded out Connecticut’s leaders on offense.

THREE STORYLINES TO WATCH

1. Are the Sun still blazing hot?

When Game 1 tips off today it will have been 87 days since Connecticut’s last loss on July 3 (not counting the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game). They finished the season with 14 consecutive wins, setting the WNBA record for the longest win streak to close a season in league history.

Keep in mind that before that loss on July 3, the Sun had won four straight games, so they have won 18 of their last 19 games dating back to June 22. So far, the only thing that has been able to slow down the Sun’s winning ways has been the calendar. The first two games of their 14-game run came before the month-long Olympic break. And the final game of the streak came on Sept. 19 on the final day of the regular season.

The benefit of securing a top-two seed is the double-bye to the semifinals, so you don’t find your season on the line in a single-elimination playoff round. The only drawback is that you have to wait for those first two rounds to play out in order to determine your opponent.

When you’re on a streak like Connecticut, you may want to keep playing and keep the momentum going, Will the nine-day layoff affect them heading into Game 1?

• Can the Sky pull off another upset?

The Sky upended the No. 3 seed Minnesota Lynx in the second round to advance to the semifinals. While that is an upset on paper, the Sky and Lynx were pretty evenly matched. Chicago is not playing like a .500 team like their 16-16 regular-season record would indicate. They are a team that is peaking at the right time, playing toward the upper end of their potential, which makes them a much more formidable opponent than your standard No. 6 seed. Between the regular season and playoffs combined, the Sky are 17-8 with Candace Parker in the lineup and just 1-8 when she’s out.

History, however, is not on Chicago’s side here. Since this playoff format debuted in 2016, no team below a No. 3 seed has ever advanced to the WNBA Finals. In fact, this format has produced four No. 1 vs. No. 2 Finals matchups and just a single No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup, which happened in 2018 when No. 3 Washington advanced to the Finals but were swept by No. 1 Seattle in three games.

• Sky offense vs. Sun defense

The Sky finished third in the WNBA in scoring average during the regular season at 83.3 points per game and have upped that mark to 85.0 in their first two playoff wins – posting 81 points against Dallas and 89 points against Minnesota.

Neither of those teams, however, are a defensive force like Connecticut, which led the WNBA in defensive efficiency (91.7 points per 100 possessions) and held opponents to a league-low 69.9 points per game. That is the lowest scoring average allowed in a decade; the 2011 Seattle Storm defense posted the same mark; the last team to allow fewer points per game over the course of a season was the 2007 Indiana Fever (69.7).

There’s a reason the Sun had four players among the 10 selected for the WNBA’s All-Defensive Teams this season: Jonquel Jones and Briann January on the First Team and Brionna Jones and Jasmine Thomas on the Second Team. And don’t forget that Alyssa Thomas (an All-Defensive First Teamer last season) just returned from a torn Achilles to add more toughness to this group.

ONE STAT TO WATCH

Which team will dictate the pace of play in this series? During the regular season, the Sky played at the third-fastest pace in the league (81.22 possessions per 40 minutes), while the Sun ranked last (75.80 possessions per 40 minutes).

The more the Sky can push the pace, score in transition before the Sun’s stifling defense can get set up in the half-court, the better off they will be. Chicago averaged 10.8 fast break points per game during the regular season (2nd in league), but Connecticut allowed the second-fewest as well (6.8 per game).