The Phoenix Mercury will take aim on WNBA championship No. 3 against a Chicago Sky team making it first appearance in the championhip round in a best-of-five series that begins Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at US Airways Center.
Game 2 will be Tuesday night in Phoenix before the series shifts to the Windy City. Here's a breakdown of the matchup.
This season: Mercury, 2-0
Scores: 87-69 (July 2 in Phoenix), 72-66 (July 11 in Chicago)
Offensive efficiency rank: Phoenix (1), Chicago (10)
Defensive efficiency rank: Phoenix (1), Chicago (7)
Season records: Phoenix (29-5), Chicago (15-19)
Player: Elena Della Donne, Sky
Height/Weight: 6-5, 188
Position: Stretch Four-ward
Numbers: 17.9 points, 4 rebounds, 1.1 assists (16 regular-season games)
The Skinny: One of the league's most-skilled performers, the second-year scoring machine staggered through the Eastern Conference finals series with a bad back.
After averaging 25 points in the three conference semifinal games, Della Donne managed only 27 points total -- including 14 in the Game 1 -- in three showdowns with the Indiana Fever.
If Della Donne can get anywhere near comfortable and/or spry by Sunday, she could be a challenge for the Mercury, who (because of injury) didn't see her this season.
Player: DeWanna Bonner, Mercury
Height/Weight: 6-4, 137
Position: Defensive Stopper
Numbers: 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists
The Skinny: This category certainly fits Bonner, who -- despite her lack of sinew -- has become one of the top perimeter defensive pests in the WNBA.
If Della Donne is on the floor, Bonner will have the first shot at keeping her in check. DB's resume includes doing just that in her previous assignment . . . Maya Moore. Although her shooting percentage has dipped to the lows 30s in the postseason, Bonner's defensive contributions and floor-stretching threat are mighty.
Player: Tamera Young, Sky
Height/Weight: 6-2, 170
Position: Forward
Numbers: 6.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists
The Skinny: The six-year pro -- who does all of her work inside the 3-point arc -- was nice in the semifinal round, giving the Sky a dozen points per game on 57-percent shooting.
Despite playing 36 minutes per game in the conference finals, an efficiency drop (32 percent shooting) limited Young's contribution to 7.3 points per game. With Candice Dupree likely in the crosshairs, Young will be challenged.
Player: Candice Dupree, Mercury
Height/Weight: 6-2, 175
Position: Rock
Numbers: 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists
The Skinny: The Mercury power forward is as steady as it gets. After an All-Star season (the third of her career but first for Phoenix), "CanDu" has given the Mercury 14 points -- on 60-percent shooting -- in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
For mid-range jumpers on pick-and-pop situations, she has few, if any, peers. Dupree hit Chicago for 26 points -- on 12-of-19 shooting -- on July 2.
Player: Sylvia Fowles, Sky
Height/Weight: 6-6, 200
Position: Center
Numbers: 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 blocks (20 games)
The Skinny: Having returned from a torn labrum in her hip, Fowles checks in as, perhaps, the WNBA's best answer for dealing with Brittney Griner 1-on-1.
She had 7 points and 7 rebounds in limited minutes vs. the Mercury on July 2 but went for 23 and 11 against them in Chicago nine days later.
Long and strong, she averaged 21.3 points (on 63 percent shooting), 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in the conference finals.
Player: Brittney Griner, Mercury
Height/Weight: 6-8, 199
Position: Difference-Maker
Numbers: 15.6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks
The Skinny: Her season-long ascension included averaging just south of 20 points per game while shooting 70 percent from the field against the undersized Minnesota Lynx.
She'll be seriously tested by the veteran Fowles, who has the muscle to coax Brittney out of her low-post comfort zone and the reach to at least contest those jump hooks and turnaround jumpers.
In two games against Fowles and the Sky this season, Griner averaged a mere 7.5 points and missed 11 of 17 field-goal attempts. She did block six Chicago shots on July 11.
If Griner picks up her rebounding commitment (only 5.8 per game in the postseason) and asserts herself against Fowles, the Mercury will be in good shape.
Player: Courtney Vandersloot, Sky
Height/Weight: 5-8, 145
Position: Point Guard
Numbers: 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists
The Skinny: She provided 9.7 points in the conference finals but didn't make a 3 and shot a chilly 38 percent from the field overall.
Vandersloot doesn't have the physical chops to handle Taurasi inside the arc, but Chicago has enough backcourt depth to try another matchup if that one goes south.
Player: Diana Taurasi, Mercury
Height/Weight: 6-0, 163
Position: White Mamba
Numbers: 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists
The Skinny: Does it all -- scores from everywhere, dishes with precision and flair, makes 50-foot shots in huge games, rebounds when it really matters, defends with slightly more conviction than a lot of NBA lead guards, leads without alienating teammates, officiates while alienating officials and fills up audio recorders.
Phoenix has not lost one of its close-out games since she's worn the Mercury outfit.
Player: Epiphanny Prince, Sky
Height/Weight: 5-9, 167
Position: Two Guard
Numbers: 15.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists
The Skinny: She slumped badly in the conference finals, shooting a miserable 18 percent from the field en route to an average of 6.7 points per game.
Subsequently, her minutes dropped from 34 per game in the semis to 25. Her production, however, was picked up by valuable sub Allie Quigley.
Penny Taylor, Mercury
Height/Weight: 6-1, 165
Position: Glue
Numbers: 10.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists
The Skinny: Since her return to the starting lineup, Phoenix (including the postseason) has a record of 27-2.
All she does is whatever's necessary. That often means she defends the other team's top scorer when Bonner requires a break from such duty.
She's struggling shooting behind the arc lately, but her off-ball wisdom has enabled Taylor to shoot 50 percent from the field during the postseason.
Bench: Sky
The Skinny: The presence of Allie Quigley, who averaged 19 points per game in the conference finals, may give Chicago the edge. And with injuries to Della Donne and Fowles, those players who stepped in during this time now serve as battle-tested subs.
Bench: Mercury
The Skinny: Erin Phillips provides a ballhandler with enough skill (she led the league in 3-point percentage), smarts and toughness to allow Taurasi to work off the ball. Mistie Bass provides energy filling in for the Mercury bigs, while Shay Murphy -- although not shooting well in the postseason thus far -- usually is a capable option.
