LA Sparks and Chicago Sky could impact title race
As the WNBA seasons nears its end, Huw Hopkins looks at why the LA Sparks and the Chicago Sky seeding could be pivotal
Tuesday 3 September 2019 13:34, UK
With just a handful of games to go until the end of the season, Huw Hopkins looks at why the final seeding of the LA Sparks and the Chicago Sky could be pivotal in who reaches the WNBA finals.
The Washington Mystics-Connecticut Sun-Las Vegas Aces triumvirate have arguably been a cut above the rest of the field all season. At least two of them will deserve a double-bye in the playoffs for a chance to advance to the semi-finals unchallenged.
Meanwhile, the trio of the Phoenix Mercury, the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm have been on their own tier sitting comfortably inside the playoff race for most of the year.
And while teams have drifted in and out of the middle at different points throughout 2019, the Chicago Sky and the Los Angeles Sparks have occupied that space for much of the regular season.
With just a handful of games to go until the end of the season, the Sky and the Sparks are locked on 19 wins each. While Chicago currently has one extra loss, they still stand a chance of moving up to the fourth seed, and this would be key for an up-and-coming team, as they would avoid an opening-round single-game elimination against the Phoenix Mercury.
Mercury raises the temperature
In any given year, no standard fourth/fifth seed should be hugely concerned with an eighth seed that has struggled to secure a playoff invite and injuries all season. But the Mercury are no standard bottom feeder. For four straight seasons the team has fallen into the bottom half of the playoff race, and yet Phoenix has appeared in the final four teams every year since 2013.
This team knows how to win big games, and head coach Sandy Brondello has helped the team do that, even when Diana Taurasi sat out during 2015 and was injured most of 2019.
There is still room for movement in the jostling for playoff positioning, especially as Phoenix's final three games are against two teams ahead of them on that bottom run (Seattle and Minnesota). And Taurasi is yet to turn into the monster she is capable of being. She has only scored in double figures once this season, and that was due to some bad - and some good - fouling decisions by Chicago during the former MVP's first game back.
No easy path
The Sky's final two games of the season are both losable. Against Connecticut and Washington, it won't be easy to fight into the top four, but it will be a good test if Chicago want to go deep into the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Sparks have an easier ride during their final three. LA will take on the mess that is the Atlanta Dream, and then close out the season against Seattle and Minnesota - all three sitting beneath them in the rankings.
As the Mystics and Sun look set to take the top two spots - and byes until the semifinals - three wins could see the Sparks challenge the Las Vegas Aces for the third seed. If that's the case, LA hold the tiebreaker in an even finish, and while a bye to the second round will be appreciated no matter who is on top in the standings for home court, it will be a tough win regardless.
The Vegas fanbase is rowdy and will travel the short distance to LA, so even the Staples Center will hold a number of black and red fans. The clash could be epic, and it will be a shame to only last one game in the second-round single elimination. Both sides possess talent at every position, plenty of size and have solid contributions off the bench.
The Sparks stand a better chance of beating the Aces than the Sky, but it would be tough to bet against Las Vegas in any scenario.
The road to glory
All roads lead to the capital. The Mystics have been the best team all season and the eventual champion will likely have to go through Elena Delle Donne and the rest of DC. However, the journey to the finals could be made easier by reaching the third seed that the Aces currently occupy, as that team will not have to visit Washington until the championship round.
While the bottom four will have to play extra games, and battle for the chance to play against superior competition, there is still a chance that the Sky could force the Sparks into that fifth seed.
Here, there is a greater chance for injury - something LA has been frustrated with all year - and the bottom three seeds all present problems for the Sparks; the Mercury are one of the most dangerous low seeds ever; the Seattle Storm still have the reigning champion tag attached despite injuries causing setbacks this year and will not going down without a fight; and if the Lynx drop to the eighth seed in their final few games, nobody is going to complain about seeing one of the all-time great WNBA rivalries renewed for another season between Minnesota and LA.
The Chicago Sky have mainly beaten up on teams worse than them this year. However, head coach James Wade has secured at least one win against each of the Sparks, the Connecticut Sun, the Mystics and the Las Vegas Aces, so this young team will believe it possible to make a run to the finals and win. But for a young side that has not made the playoffs in two straight seasons, the Sky will simply be happy to be there, and will relish the opportunity to win a game or two under the bright lights of the playoffs.
Chicago and LA both have title aspirations, and while it might seem obvious, only one of them stands a chance at winning. The Sparks have the experience of two MVPs and a championship run in the past few seasons, as well as the good form to be able to do it. But how far each of them can go in the playoffs will be impacted by where they finish up in the regular season.
The LA Sparks will take on the Atlanta Dream tonight
