CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky know how to dig themselves out of trouble.
After all, the team won its first championship after finishing the 2021 regular season at 16-16 and fighting out of two single-elimination games to blaze their way to the WNBA Finals.
A nearly identical roster dug itself out of frustrating Game 1 losses in this season’s first round and semifinals, following sluggish series starts with dominant Game 2 performances.
But as the Sky head to Connecticut to face the Sun in Game 3 of the semifinals Sunday, veteran leader Candace Parker doesn’t want the team to get comfortable until the postseason is over — with another title in the trophy cabinet.
“I want our mentality to be better after a win,” Parker said Wednesday. “That’s where I’m challenging our team. … We can make things easier for ourselves. Let’s not take our foot off the pedal.”
The Sky lost back-to-back games only once this season — in the final week of the regular season. That small skid came at the hands of the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces, who are battling in a 1-1 semifinal series for the Western Conference slot in the Finals.
The Sky’s form is a marked improvement over the 2021 season, which was breathlessly streaky — the team could lose seven in a row, then rip off a seven-game winning streak.
But this season, the Sky are consistent, absorbing losses and making adjustments to avoid repeating errors.
“We’ve always had a fight-back mentality,” coach James Wade said Wednesday. “That starts with our leadership with Candace and Sloot (Courtney Vandersloot) and Kahleah (Copper) and Allie (Quigley). They’re very into detail-oriented stuff and they’re very into being on the same page and the connectivity that it takes to actually build championship culture. They’re all bought in. … It’s special for me.”
That fight-back mentality got the Sky out of multiple binds already this postseason. But they aren’t content with digging themselves into a hole — especially as they face a Sun team eager to lean into its “underdog” dynamic after losing to the Sky in last year’s semifinals.
Games 1 and 2 were defined by which team punched the hardest in the opening minutes. Sun coach Curt Miller has emphasized an eagerness to “make the series messy” through physical play and suffocating defensive pressure, a tactic that successfully threw the Sky off their rhythm in Game 1.
The Sky’s adjustments in Game 2 were an immediate balm, attacking the Sun’s size advantage through speed and transition play. To maintain their success, the Sky can’t allow the Sun to gain their footing — especially in the first quarter.
“It’s one of our keys to start games, to play the whole 40 minutes,” forward Emma Meesseman said Wednesday. “That makes it easier for us, especially in defense if you’re very aggressive it tends to get us going better — and offensively as well. It gets us in the flow and gives us the momentum. It gives us good energy. When you try to get three stops in a row and then score off of it, that’s a great feeling.”
The Sky know what it takes to beat the Sun. They did it four times in the regular season and confidently disposed of them in last year’s semifinals. The Sky locker room agrees on the difference between Games 1 and 2: a lack of sharpness in the team’s mentality.
Parker felt the team relaxed ahead of Game 1, taking a laid-back approach to shoot-around and film in the days leading up to the series.
After securing even footing with the Game 2 victory, Parker feels the Sky need to focus on gaining an early upper hand through the rest of the postseason — especially on the Sun’s home court in Games 3 and 4.
“In terms of our mentality going into Game 3, what team is going to show up?” Parker said. “That’s the biggest thing. I don’t question us when our backs (are) against the wall. There’s no other team I would rather be with. But when we win — that’s the biggest thing that has to change.”
