Kena Krutsinger/NBAE via Getty Images
Candace Parker capped off the perfect homecoming.
The Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 in Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals to win their first championship on Sunday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Parker tied the game at 72 points apiece after hitting a three-pointer with 1:57 on the clock. A pair of buckets from Stefanie Dolson put the Sky ahead by four points inside the final minute.
Courtney Vandersloot put on the finishing touches with a turnaround inside.
In explaining why she signed with the Sky, the longtime Los Angeles Sparks star said the allure of returning to the Chicagoland area was obvious and that “winning a championship back home would mean so much.” Now, Parker has definitively etched her name into Chicago sports history.
Notable Performers
Brittney Griner, C, Mercury: 28 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block
Skylar Diggins-Smith, SG, Mercury: 16 points, two rebounds, eight assists, one block
Allie Quigley, SG, Sky: 26 points, five assists
Candace Parker, PF, Sky: 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four steals, one block
Sky Seal the Deal with Late Charge
One way to counteract Brittney Griner is to stretch the floor on offense and force her to exert a lot of energy on defense. The Sky didn’t have that weapon in their repertoire in Game 4. As a team, they shot 7-of-25 from beyond the arc.
Despite its poor shooting, Chicago continued to hang around, and Allie Quigley was a big reason why.
A floater by Diggins-Smith took at the end of the third quarter took the air out of the home crowd a bit. A pair of threes from Quigley early in the fourth brought the home crowd back to life.
The Sky continued knocking on the door, and it was fitting that Parker hit what was probably the biggest shot of the game. Parker’s experience was critical for them in the late stages because her teammates could feed off her composure and even-keeled mentality.
That was how Chicago outscored the Mercury 26-11 in the fourth quarter.
For years, the Sky were a franchise that saw their best players leave, most notably Sylvia Fowles and Elena Delle Donne. The organization wasn’t a draw for marquee free agents.
Parker turned that narrative around last offseason, and the Sky’s championship could be a transformative moment.
Griner Shows out in Losing Effort
The Mercury getting blown out in Game 3 coincided with a somewhat muted performance from Griner. The seven-time All-Star had 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting and two rebounds in 30 minutes on the floor.
Chicago did its best to limit Griner’s impact Sunday, in particular forcing her to receive the ball farther away from the basket than she’s used to operating. This sequence in the second quarter illustrated how well that plan worked.
If her teammates were able to find her in one-on-one situations, the 6’9″ center was basically an automatic bucket.
Griner has built a Hall of Fame-worthy resume, and her talent has rarely been in doubt. But the absence of a WNBA MVP in her trophy cabinet is emblematic of the perception she hasn’t utilized her gifts over a full season. Games like this serve as a reminder of how she can be one of the most dominant players in the league.
Griner couldn’t do it all on her own and got some vital support from the rest of Phoenix’s Big Three. Skylar Diggins-Smith in particular had arguably her best game of the Finals.
The 5’9″ playmaker appeared to have found some extra motivation from a Sky fan seated courtside.
Still, one image may stick in Diggins-Smith’s mind and it’s the open layup she missed at the 2:59 mark of the fourth quarter. The Mercury were reeling, and that sequence summed up how they couldn’t deliver a knockout blow to the Sky.
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