Trailing by 9 heading into the 4th quarter, Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky knew they’d need to take things one possession at a time if they wanted to avoid travelling back to Phoenix for game 5. Parker, no stranger herself to game 4 collapses, was especially motivated to take care of business on home court Sunday.
Allie Quigley, who would lead all scorers with 26pts, got things started with a barrage of 3’s to open the 4th as Chicago clawed their way back into the game. Courtney Vandersloot was able to find wide open looks for her teammates down the stretch, racking up 15 assists in the process. She would ultimately finish with 10pts/15ast/9reb falling one board shy of a triple double.
Parker would be a defensive presence in the 4th, grabbing board after board, ensuring that the Mercury offense didn’t get any second chance points. Totalling a 16pts/13reb/5ast/4stl/1blk statline, and going a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity stripe, Parker did a little bit of everything yesterday as she willed her team to victory.
When the final buzzer sounded the comeback was complete. Out scoring the opposition 26-11 in the 4th quarter the Chicago Sky defeated the veteran laden Phoenix Mercury 80-74 to claim the franchise’s first WNBA title. The win was especially memorable for Parker who, after 13 years in LA, took a massive gamble returning to her hometown of Chicago this offseason. Some questioned the move, citing the Sky’s lack of post season success, but to Parker the move was personal in more ways than one.
Moving back to play for her hometown team seemed like a fitting end to a legendary career. But thoughts of 2021 being a farewell tour of sorts were quickly put to rest by Parker as she stated numerous times that her goal was to bring a championship back to Chicago and not just be a nice story. The move wasn’t without challenges, as Parker was forced to be separated from her daughter for a large portion of the season while she remained back in LA.
But the whole Parker clan was in tow on Sunday. Fittingly, Candace grabbed the final defensive rebound with 5 seconds remaining, and was quickly swarmed by her family, including her daughter as the capacity crowd in Chicago celebrated the franchise’s first championship. With the win, Parker now has 2 WNBA championships, 2 NCAA championships, and 2 Olympic gold medals and is easily one of the sports most decorated players, male or female.
While some have begun to speculate that Parker may elect to go out on top (she already has a busy offseason ahead with college & NBA commentary roles lined up), Parker insists she hasn’t made any firm decisions relating to the 2022 WNBA season.
Chicago Sky guard Kahleah Copper was named the Finals MVP for her strong two way play throughout the series. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that the Sky’s championship celebration would be held Tuesday in Millennium Park. Details and timelines have yet to be released.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner