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Predicting every Chicago Sky game

On Friday, the defending WNBA champions will begin the road to back-to-back titles against the LA Sparks. In celebration of the beginning of another season, I did a breakdown of the schedule and predicted the Chicago Sky record. Factoring the team’s talent, age, and quality of the competition, I have the Chicago Sky going 22-14.

My Formula

Predicting a record is extremely hard. You don’t get to see how other teams look, who gets hit with the injury bug, and the quality of the team you are assessing. The way to predict this is simple; if the team is generally good (which the Sky are), you have them beating all teams you think are subpar. Against teams that you consider to be good, you have them playing around .500. If you’ve correctly assessed the team’s talent, you should be close to the actual record. They’ll beat some of those good teams and lose to some of those bad teams, but overall, you’ll be near the actual record. Okay, with that beautiful and brilliant scientific methodically explained let’s break down the schedule month by month to see how I got to that record.

For May, I have the Sky going 5-3. They’ll lose opening night to the Sparks, win against New York, then go on a four-game winning streak before losing to Phoenix. I do have them beating some top teams this month, but overall I’d say this would be a solid to start to the WNBA season.

June is more positive. I have just four losses for the team, with two of them coming from Connecticut and the two coming from Las Vegas and Washington. The Washington loss is mainly from the fact that the team has back-to-back games against the Mystics. It’s tough to win both of those games regardless of a team’s talent.

July is the definitive Summer month. The WNBA season is right in the middle of its season, and the contenders and pretenders are starting to take shape. I went against my own formula on this one and gave the team a few surprise wins and losses. I have the Sky losing to Atlanta and New York and beating teams like Connecticut and Los Angeles. Ultimately, the Sky will have a 7-4 record for July.

To close out the season, I have the Sky being pretty mediocre. They’ll go 3-3 and lose to Washington, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. My rationale here is they’ll be resting players, and other teams might have more to play for late, which will lead to a wild ending to the season.

Closing Thoughts

If I’m right, the Sky will have a 22-14 record, which would be the third-best winning percentage in team history. That winning percentage is great, but we all know what the main goal is; ending the season with another title. The road is long and just beginning, but another WNBA championship for the city of Chicago in the final year of Candace Parker’s contract would be as close to a storybook ending as you can get. Let’s see if we can get it.

Who Survives Training Camp?

The defending champ Chicago Sky have reported to training camp and are beginning their title defense. Key players to that team are now gone, such as Stefanie Dolson and Diamond DeShields, and reinforcements have been brought in, such as Jullie Allemand and Emma Meesseman, to reinvigorate this team and add an arsenal of new players to their title defense. All in all, the Sky have 14 players at camp with only three spots available. Here is a chart made by Twitter star @TheSkyShowChi on every player associated with the Chicago Sky and their current situation.

How to decide the final spots

With so many players and so few spots, what should the Sky be looking for, and who should SkyTown keep an eye on? Well, there are a few ways to fill out the roster. You can go with talent or fit. The Sky roster seems a bit light in the forward and center positions, so maybe you focus on that and go with the best big. Or perhaps you just try everyone out and go for the best talent, even if it’s another shooting guard. It will be interesting to see who James Wade plays during the preseason and how well those players play. That could give us a hint on what he’s thinking.

Vets to watch

Looking at the veterans at training camp, the Sky have two players with four seasons of experience, Kaela Davis and Imani McGee Stafford. Davis is a wing who averages a modest five points per game. She hadn’t played in the WNBA since 2020, when she was part of the Atlanta Dream, but she has played overseas with Maccabi Ra’anana, CDB Clarinos Tenerife, and Galatasaray.

Imani McGee Stafford is no stranger to the SKy; she was drafted by the team in 2016. The Athletes United alumni has been gone from the WNBA for two years because she went to law school. She’s back now and part of the training camp roster. The center averaged 4.7 points in her 13.8 minutes of play and will be looking to take one of those three spots left.

The Sophomores

Three players enter camp with one year of experience in the W; Kathleen Doyle, Kysre Gondrezick, and Kamiah Smalls. The interesting aspect is that all three are guards. Kamiah Smalls was the most productive of the trio, but all three had relatively small roles. Can one of them make the team?

The Rookies

The list of rookies on training camps deals is long. Sky have nine players who have joined with hopes of getting a permanent spot. Those players are; Anneli Maley, Emmanuell Tahane, Kaba Masseny, Kayla Wells, Lexi Held, Lindsey Pulliam, Rebekah Gardner, Sparkle Taylor, and Tina Krajišnik. These players might have a long shot at getting a spot, but they were chosen for a reason. They have talent and potential, and you never know who was overlooked and should be playing in the W.

Closing Thoughts

James Wade has until May 9 to finalize his roster. That gives him a little over two weeks and two preseason games to decide on these players. This decision will be crucial as the Sky are trying to repeat as WNBA champions.

Five Games to look forward to next season

The WNBA schedule came out on December 9 for all WNBA teams. The regular season will begin on May 6 and end on August 16. You can see the full schedule for the Chicago Sky here.

We’ll have plenty of time to break down the schedule and talk about it in the coming weeks, but today I want to talk about the five games I’m looking forward to most and why.

Sky vs Los Angeles Friday, May 6

Opening night will be fun with the Chicago Sky facing the LA Sparks. Besides the fact that the Sparks are always an exciting team to watch, there will be the added intrigue of it being the first game of the season, the first game the Sky are champions, and the Ex-Sky player Gabby Williams facing off against her former team. Opening night will be must-watch television.

Chicago at Las Vegas Tuesday, June 21

Las Vegas and Chicago have had a rivalry since 2019 after the Hamby Heave. Not only have there been close games and testy confrontations, but both teams have been top contenders. This season seems to be more of the same. The Sky are now Champs, and the Aces just missed the WNBA Finals by one game. Both teams playing at Vegas in June should be a fun matchup and a measuring stick for both teams on how good they currently are.

Sky vs Phoenix Saturday, July 2

July is the last full month of the regular season. The Sky will need to be tested immediately with a game against the Phoenix Mercury, the team they beat in the WNBA Finals. The storylines write themselves, memories of the Finals, Griner vs. everybody, and two goats competing against each other late in a season for perhaps the last time.

Sky vs New York Friday, July 29

New York is always an interesting team. Even when they are bad, you can’t look away. Luckily, the Liberty has at least been interesting, even if not good the past two seasons. With the addition of Sabrina Ionescu, the team hopes to turn things around and has the media swooned.

I’m looking forward to seeing this matchup late in the season as both teams prepare for a playoff run.

Sky vs Seattle Tuesday, August 9

Two top teams playing late in the season? Sign me up! Both teams played against each other in the playoffs, and the Sky got the series sweep leading to their championship. Playing the Storm is always challenging, and an early August game is one to watch and see how good both teams look as the season winds down.

Final Thoughts

This season will be an exciting one to watch. How will the Sky play now that they are champs? Can they defend their title? And will this be the last season of Candace Parker’s career? So many questions, but soon enough, we’ll begin to find the answers.

Chicago Sky Overseas Report

Basketball never stops. This is especially true for WNBA players who often play in overseas leagues during the off-season. This year the Chicago Sky have nine out of a possible eleven players playing overseas. The only two players staying home are veterans Candace Parker and Stefanie Dolson. Here is every Chicago Sky player playing overseas, what team they’re playing for, and what goals/hopes sky town should be looking forward to due to their involvement overseas.

Lexie Brown | Charnay Basket

Lexie Brown is playing for Charnay Basket in France. The team is currently in eleventh place, so there really aren’t any aspirations for hardware. This is a team where Brown can get a lot of play and work on her game. This is great for her because she didn’t play much with the Sky this season.

Kahleah Copper | Perfumeria Avenida

KFC had a phenomenal season. She’s now taking her talents to Spain and is playing with Perfumeria Avenida. They are currently in first place in their league, and Copper just had a spectacular performance in EuroLeague Women. She had 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in Avenida’s narrow defeat against the absolutely stacked UMCC. Kahleah Copper has improved by leaps and bounds the last two seasons, and it’s hard to imagine she has many more ways she can improve. So far, these EuroLeague performances just reaffirm what all of Skytown already knows. Kahleah Copper is a bucket!

Diamond DeShields | Famila Wuber Schio

With Diamond having a disappointing 2021 season, I think some productive minutes at a top European team would do her good. She’ll be able to do just that, Famila Wuber Schio in Italy. The team is top of the Italian league, and she’s currently averaging 23 minutes per game.

Dana Evans | KSC Szekszard

The rookie is in Hungary playing for KSC Szekszard. Since she didn’t get to play much on a championship team in her first year, getting reps in Europe could speed up her development and put her in a better position to contribute to the Sky in 2022.

Ruthy Hebard | Ragusa

Ruthy Hebard had an odd regular season with the Sky. I thought she looked good during the first third of the season, then she fell out of the rotation and never returned to her early season form. Hopefully, some time away from the W and in a different environment does Hebard well. She has the talent and is still very young, so the Sky is the limit. Let’s see if she starts to reach for it in Italy.

Astou Ndour-Fall | Umana Reyer Venezia

The savvy veteran is playing in Italy after a productive sixth season in the WNBA. Umana is playing in EuroLeague Women and just beat Dana Evans’ KSC Szekszard 65- 51. Astou scored 16 points in her 26 minutes of play. Great to see her being productive and contributing to winning basketball in the toughest competition in Europe.

Allie Quigley | UMCC Ekaterinburg

Quigley is who she is. A Chicago Sky legend, WNBA Champion, and one of the best shooters to ever play the game. So what’s she doing playing in Russia? Well, she’s playing with one of the greatest teams ever assembled, competing at a high level, and the pay is pretty good too. Her wife Courtney Vandersloot is also on the team, so I’m sure that helps. For UMCC, Quigley is just as great as she is for Chicago. The team is undefeated, averaging 15 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in EuroLeague. As long as she stays healthy, Quigley will continue to be her legendary self in 2022.

Azura Stevens | Nika Basket

Stevens will be spending the off-season in Russia playing for Nika Basket. The team is competing in EuroCup Women, the competition just below EuroLeague Women, so this is an excellent opportunity for Stevens to get some great reps under respectable competition. Stevens had a solid season with the Sky so, a good stint with Nika Basket could put her in a good position to take another step forward next year in the W.

Courtney Vandersloot | UMCC Ekaterinburg

Last but certainly not least is Courtney Vandersloot. The point god is running the point for UMCC, and I’m sure she’ll dominate whenever she makes her UMCC debut this season. Not much for Chicago Sky fans to look for with Vandersloot’s play overseas. You know how good she is, and you know she’s not going to have a drop-off, just months after her first championship. Like her wife Quigley, as long as Vandersloot is healthy going into the new year, her overseas time will be a success.

Chicago Sky End of the Year Awards

With the Chicago Sky finishing their season and winning their first WNBA championship, it’s time to give out the end of the year awards.

MVP: Candace Parker

The numbers might lean more in Kahleah Copper’s favor, but it’s called the most valuable player award, not the best player award. When you look at leadership and the player’s impact as a whole, the MVP has to be Candace Parker. She brings the leadership the team lacked years prior; she’s a versatile stretch big and a productive player averaging 13.3 and 8.4 rebounds a night. Without Candace Parker, this team doesn’t have the playoff run it had, doesn’t win the championship; that alone makes her the MVP.

DPOTY: Candace Parker

Throughout the season, one thing has been clear, and Candace Parker is the best defender on the team. Her ability to take on the best big on the opposing teams, switch to smaller guards, and hold her own is unmatched. She was dominant on the defensive glass averaging seven a night, and she led the team in blocks with 1.2.

MIP: Kahleah Copper

A bit weird to call Kah most improved given how good she was in 2020, but that’s how good Kahleah Copper was in 2021. She exploded to another level during the season, especially in the playoffs being the Finals MVP. It was clear she was the best player on the floor night in and night out when the games mattered most. Kahleah had a fantastic 2021, averaging 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds during the regular season and outperforming those numbers in the playoffs, where she averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. The scary part is it seems like she’s not done developing. The Sky’s not the limit for KFC; she has no ceiling.

6th Woman of the Year: Stefanie Dolson

Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images

A few options for this award, but I have to go with Big Mama Stef. She was incredible off the bench, especially in the playoffs. She was a stretch five, didn’t make silly defensive mistakes, had big performances in the Finals scoring late in the close-out game, and had a huge Game 1, scoring 14 points. Dolson is a tremendous versatile big coming off the bench and was the player you could depend on when the games mattered most.

Peak Performers

Kahleah Copper 14.4 ppg

Candace Parker 8.4 rpg

Courtney Vandersloot 8.6 apg

The Chicago Sky are World Champions

On Sunday, October 17, the Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 to win their first WNBA Championship in franchise history. A true team win, the Sky had four players in double digits and took the lead for good with 1:22 left in the fourth.

How they won Game 4

This game was no easy win. The Mercury came with veteran leadership and championship intensity. Griner was unstoppable, scoring 28 points on 12 for 19 shooting. Diggins-Smith had a stellar performance scoring 16. And Taurasi did a respectable job guarding Allie Quigley and scoring 16 herself.

The one thing Phoenix was unable to do is get production from their bench. No one stepped up and played well. The Mercury bench combined 9 points in their 37 minutes of play. Rebounding was also subpar. They lost the rebounding battle 36-34, including some missed layups and an inability to get offensive rebounds late in the game, which sealed their fate.

Chicago had a complete performance in Game 4. Quigley had a phenomenal performance scoring 26 points and hitting three-pointers in the fourth to put Chicago back into the game after being down nine entering the fourth. Dolson hit back-to-back layups off of Courtney Vandersloot’s assists to extend the Sky lead and seal the victory.

Kahleah Freaking Copper

The WNBA Finals MVP was and Kahleah Copper. Sher had an average game today, but she was consistently the best player for the Sky during this series. So much can be said about her development throughout the years. She has improved by leaps and bounds every season, and this year was no exception. The kid from South Philly has become a franchise player and a champion.

What’s next?

The upcoming months will decide if this team is in the middle of a championship window or if this is the highlight of the James Wade era. For now, Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky can rest easy knowing they accomplished their ultimate goal. They’ve won a WNBA championship. They are now, officially, the greatest Chicago Sky team ever assembled and have given the city of Chicago their first championship since 2016.

Chicago is one win away from history

The Chicago Sky dominantly defeated the Phoenix Mercury 86 to 50 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. It was the biggest victory in WNBA Finals history. The game was essentially over midway through the second quarter when the Sky’s point total doubled the Mercury’s.

A dominant win

Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via Getty Images

This was the most complete game played by Chicago all season. They dominated from start to finish and never looked back. Chicago outperformed Phoenix in virtually every statistical category. They had a better field goal percentage, three-point percentage and won the rebounding battle against Phoenix. Even turnovers which are usually Chicago’s Achilles heel was reduced to 13. Kahleah Copper continued her Finals MVP caliber production with 22 points in her 24 minutes of play. Diamond DeShields finally had a big game scoring 11 points off the bench. Parker continued to be the leader captain scoring 13 points, shooting 50% from the field. The Sky never left their foot off the gas even when the bench was cleared; the Sky continued to extend their lead. The game concluded with the Sky up by 36, their biggest lead of the entire game.

What’s next?

There are no negatives from Chicago tonight. They took care of business and now have a commanding 2-1 lead. If Chicago plays even close to the level they reached on Friday, they should win their first championship on Sunday. Despite the victory doing so will be easier said than done. Phoenix has already been in three elimination games during this playoff run and has come out victorious every time. Brittney Griner was still a problem even today as she had 16 points in the loss.

Game 4 will take place in Chicago at Wintrust Arena in what is sure to be a sold-out crowd. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at 2 p.m. CT.

Sky lose in overtime series tied 1-1

After an emotional back and forth game, Chicago lost to Phoenix 91-86 in OT. The WNBA Finals are now tied up at one apiece and heading to Chicago for Games 3 and 4.

An emotional game

The passion and desire to win was evident from both teams on Wednesday night. You had a fiery Sophie Cunningham jawing with Kahleah Copper, lots of bodies diving on the floor for loose balls, and refs who were swallowing their whistles for extended periods. With Chicago looking to take a commanding 2-0 lead and Phoenix fighting for their playoff lives, it’s no surprise the passion and energy was at an apex. For the most part, the energy was kept on the court and led to one of the best games this season.

How Chicago lost

We can talk about questionable ref calls (Chicago only shot four free throws compared to Phoenix’s 11) until the cows come home. Still, ultimately Chicago lost due to a lack of bench production, mediocre three-point shooting, and an inability to score in OT.

Stefanie Dolson was unable to be a superhero again on Wednesday. She was still good, scoring 5 points in her 22 minutes of play, but no one else stepped up to be productive on the bench for Chicago. Diamond DeShields has the most potential to do so on the team, but she had a very up and down game scoring only two points in her 10 minutes of play.

Three-point shooting was subpar, with the team averaging only 31% from three. Quigley started ice cold going 0-7 from three and then heated up, finishing 3-12. One can only wonder what could have been if she had made just a couple of threes earlier in the game.

Despite the up and down play, the Sky forced overtime thanks to a Courtney Vandersloot layup. Unfortunately, nothing went right for the Sky in OT. They had careless turnovers, a very odd defensive three-second violation called on them, and Phoenix started OT on a 6-0 run. That was just too much to overcome, and Chicago couldn’t close the gap.

What’s next ?

Despite the defeat, Chicago is right where they want to be, heading home for back-to-back games with an opportunity to close this series out. If they win their two home games left, they are WNBA Champions. It won’t be easy. We saw a dominant Brittney Griner drop 29 today, Diana Taurasi hitting late-game threes, and Shey Peddy is an ex-factor Chicago will have to account for the rest of this series. Still, Chicago has played well, blowing out Phoenix in Game 1 and narrowly losing in Game 2. James Wade and the Sky have to feel good heading back to the Windy City for Game 3.

Sky come out victorious in Game 1 of the Finals

The Chicago Sky won in dominantly on Sunday afternoon 91-77 and took a 1-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. They did so thanks to another phenomenal performance from Kahleah Copper and Stefanie Dolson.

A complete performance

Multiple times, the Sky are peaking at the right time, playing their best basketball, and reaching their full potential. I’ve acknowledged that the team was playing well, but I always felt the team could be even better; they could reach another level.

Sunday, the team came close to a perfect performance, winning in such a dominant fashion. They outperformed the Mercury in virtually every statistical category. They were a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line, out-rebounded Phoenix 34-29, and shot 52% from the field. The only blemishes on the Sky’s stat sheet were the turnovers being high at 21 and an average shooting night from three at 34%. Other than that, there isn’t much James Wade, and the coaching staff can say negatively about this team’s start to the Finals.

Kahleah F. Copper

You know what the “F” stands for… Freaking! Cause Kahleah is Freaking amazing! She’s been this type of fast, physical, rim pressuring guard for a couple of seasons now, but she continues to perform at a high level even as the pressure and the moments get bigger. Her ability went from knowledge to just the die-hard Chicago Sky fans to now having her performances being national news. In Game 1 she was able to penetrate and get a bucket whenever she wanted to. She led all scorers with 21 points, and she was a rebounding monster leading all players in that category as well.

Big Mama Stef

I’ve always been a Stefanie Dolson fan. Well… that’s not 100% true. I liked her one the pre-Wade era, but once James Wade took over and talked about wanting to play at a fast pace, I thought she’d be out of here or, at the very least, have her roles significantly reduced. Neither thing happened. She adjusted, became more a star tech five, and improved her three-point shooting each season. When I saw her adjust her game and keep her role even with all the changes and improvements made on this team I vowed to never doubt Stefanie Dolson again.

So, let Game 1 be a lesson to everyone; never doubt Stefanie Dolson. Her role has changed since the Olympic break, but she still plays a vital role on this Chicago Sky team. In this the biggest game of the year, James Wade trusted her with a bigger role; why? Because she’s a responsible vet. She doesn’t panic; she plays her role, won’t make silly mistakes, and isn’t afraid of the pressure. That’s what people fail to realize with Stef. She is as tough and resilient as they come, and she won’t ever back down. To win it all, you need role players like that who can step up, play beyond their usual ability to push you’re team over the edge. Stef did just that on Sunday, scoring 14 points off of the bench. No one else from Chicago’s bench scored. She was a one women bench and played so spectacularly that her alone was enough to push the team to victory.

In control

The game was very much up in the air until the turning point, which happened midway through the second quarter. With 4:22 left in the second quarter, the score was tied 33-33. The Sky went on a 13-2 run to end the half. After that, they didn’t look back. The Sky went on to dominate and win.

Mercury’s exhaustion was evident in the second half. They had many misses where the ball would hit the front of the rim, which usually happens when a player’s legs are tired. They also were getting beaten off the dribble a lot and were fouling to try and stop the Sky. Again, fatigue seemed to be a factor despite Taurasi throwing cold water on that idea during the in-game interview. This is no surprise as the Mercury had less than 48 hours between their Game 5 victory over the Aces and Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. I expect a healthier Phoenix to come out on Wednesday.

What’s next?

I’m going to make this as abundantly clear as possible. Wednesday is a must-win game for the Phoenix Mercury. If they lose, it’s all over. They will not come back down from 0-2 with the next two games happening in Chicago. So expect them to come out with a lot of energy and focus with their season and title run on the line. They have championship experience and championship ability, and that will be on full display on Wednesday night. The game starts at 8:00 pm CT and should be a good one. Don’t miss it!

The Chicago Sky are in the WNBA Finals

After a regular season of mediocrity, the Chicago Sky have risen and reached their full potential. They have made it to the WNBA Finals. They did so by defeating the Connecticut Sun 79-69 on Wednesday night thanks to a stellar performance by Candace Parker who had 17 points, 9 rebounds in 34 minutes of play.

A dominant display

The Sky were in control of the game from the jump. They started hot leading 20-9 midway through the first and they never looked back. Yes, the Sun would make the occasional run, but in an elimination game, they were unable to ever hold a lead.

This was thanks largely to a stellar performance from the Chicago Sky starters. Four of the five starters were in double digits and the starters accounted for 71 of the team’s 79 points. That’s not ideal, but it’s a testament to just how dominant they were on Wednesday. Vandersloot was the scoring leader with 19 points and a surprising five for six from three. Copper had 18 points and 6 boards. And Azura Stevens had one of her best games of the playoffs scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 boards.

Peaking at the right time

The Sky played nearly a perfect game on Wednesday. Three-point shooting was at a whopping 48%, they managed to get 33 boards which was only one less than the Sun, and turnovers were high at 16, but that brought them dead even with Connecticut. They’ve been dominant during this playoff run winning four of five games and are now heading to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2014. We all knew this team’s potential since the day they signed Candace Parker, but they are now starting to reach that potential. A WNBA championship would make this team unequivocally the greatest Chicago Sky team of all time and, one can argue, they already are. They’ll play Game one of the WNBA Finals on Sunday at 2 pm CT, but we don’t know against whom yet. The Aces vs Mercury matchup is heading to a winner-take-all Game 5 which is happening on Friday so we’ll know then who the Sky will face. Either way the Sky will be the road team due to regular season standings so the only question that remains is, will they start off in Phoenix or Las Vegas?