In front of a sellout crowd of over 10,000, the Chicago Sky moved into a position to bring home their franchise’s first-ever WNBA championship. The 36-point victory by Chicago was the widest margin of defeat in a WNBA finals game ever. The Sky will have the chance to mirror the history of the 1998 Bulls, who clinched their sixth championship after a 42-point blow out the Utah Jazz in game three.
The Chicago Sky knows the job’s not done. Closing out the Phoenix Mercury will be a hard task, but if the Sky limit turnovers and play within themselves, the chances of them becoming champions Sunday are high.
The Sky look to continue to feed the hot hand of Kahleah Copper. Copper’s been on fire in these WNBA Finals. In game three, Copper put up 22 points and shredded the Mercury defense. The Sky look to Copper to sustain her hot shooting in game 4.
Chicago has been engaged on the defensive side of the floor too. In game three, the Sky scored 22 points off Phoenix 17 turnovers. Chicago must stay aggressive on that side of the ball to close out the series.
The Sky is awaiting an extremely aggressive Phoenix team Sunday afternoon. The Mercury weren’t engaged in game 4. Guard Diana Taurasi put up just 5 points and went 1-10 from the floor and 1-8 from three.
Saturday, Copper said that Candace Parker is why the team is so engaged and motivated.
Parker, who is 0-2 in final game fours, shared her experiences with the team. Specifically, how she didn’t close out opponents when she had the chance.
Parker, who is going for her second championship, will do all she can to make sure this series doesn’t extend back to Phoenix for a game five.
The bench for Chicago played a significant part in Friday’s victory. They outscored Phoenix’s bench 32-19. The reserves also provided the starters rest in advance of a hard close out game on Sunday. None of the starters for the Sky played over 30 minutes in game three and with such an immediate turnaround gives them a chance to compete with fresh legs.
Pace has been the name of the game for the Sky,, and it’s something that must remain in game four. Shooting the three at a high rate will be key for Chicago. Also, taking wide-open threes and not forcing shots from beyond the arch will key in game four.
Past champions have suggested a close out game in the Finals is the hardest games to win. With a WNBA Championship in their sights the Sky has to be up for the challenge.
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