Parker and Chicago keep their cool, win opener in Phoenix
PHOENIX — The Chicago Sky had the talent to make deep runs into the WNBA playoffs the previous few years, yet lacked the missing piece to reach the WNBA Finals
Candace Parker’s decision to return home to Chicago filled the hole in the Sky, giving them the calming presence they had needed.
Parker calmed Chicago after a shaky start and scored 16 points, lifting the Sky to a 91-77 win over the tired Mercury in Game 1 of the best-of-five WNBA Finals on Sunday.
“Everybody had first-game jitters except Candace,” Chicago guard-forward Kahleah Copper said. “She was that calmness for us.”
Those jitters put the Sky into an early hole as they clanged shots and were slow on defensive rotations. Calmed by the words of Parker and head coach James Wade, Chicago took control with a 21-2 run spanning halftime to go up 17.
Chicago kept up the pace from there, shooting 53% from the floor and making all 11 of its free-throw tries.
Copper led the Sky with 21 points and Allie Quigley added 18. Courtney Vandersloot was the offensive orchestrator, finishing with 12 points, 11 assists and no turnovers.
Parker held it all together while hitting 7 of 10 shots and grabbing eight rebounds.
“I don’t think I understood when I was younger that you have to be the calm for the storm, and you have to be the storm when everyone’s calm,” Parker said.
The Mercury played without guards Kia Nurse (torn ACL) and Sophie Cunningham (left calf strain). They also had a short turnaround after clinching the semifinals Friday in Las Vegas. The Sky had three days off after taking down top-seeded Connecticut.
The lack of depth and rest hurt the Mercury against one of the WNBA’s best offensive teams, leaving them a step behind most of the game after a good start.
Brittney Griner had 20 points and Diana Taurasi 17 for Phoenix, which cut its deficit to eight late before running out of steam and time.
“I don’t want to make excuses, but we were fatigued,” Phoenix head coach Sandy Brondello said. “If you’re physically tired, then when you get mentally tired, the execution wasn’t really there where we needed it to be on both ends of the floor.”
The 2021 WNBA Finals is the first for both franchises since the Mercury swept the Sky in 2014.
It’s also a matchup between two of the sport’s all-time greats still at the top of their games.
A three-time WNBA champion and the league’s all-time leading scorer, Taurasi, 39, took control down the stretch of Game 5 against Las Vegas, scoring 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter. She was voted the greatest player in the WNBA’s 25-history by the fans in ceremony before Game 1 of the finals.
Parker, a two-time league MVP, returned home to Chicago this season after playing her first 13 seasons in Los Angeles. She is a big reason the Sky reached the Finals, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the clinching game against Connecticut in the semifinals. The 35-yearold was honored with several other players as one of the WNBA’s 25 greatest players during a ceremony after the first quarter of Game 1.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Phoenix.