Scoreboard
Sky 80, Mercury 74 (Sky win series 3-1)
What went down
In just her first season with the Sky, Candace Parker completed her mission of bringing a championship to her home city.
The Chicago Sky delivered in the clutch to take down the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4, 80-74, and win their first-ever WNBA championship.
Allie Quigley starred with 26 points including five triples, while Parker finished with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds to go with five assists and four steals.
Courtney Vandersloot continued her playmaking brilliance, dishing out 15 assists on top of 10 points and two blocks. Kahleah Copper, who earned Finals MVP honors, also contributed 10 points.
“Everything that the team went through the entire year prepared us for this,'' an emotional Parker said post-game. “We were down nine, we were down 11, we just got to stay with it, that’s what we’ve done all season.”
After trailing by 14 points, Quigley sparked an incredible run in the fourth quarter that slowly brought the Sky closer. The Mercury no longer scored a field goal after Brittney Griner made it a seven-point game with 4:42 remaining, which allowed the Sky to complete their comeback.
Parker knocked down the game-tying triple before Stefanie Dolson put the Sky ahead by four, 76-72, with back-to-back layups. Diana Taurasi made two of her three free throws to make it a one-possession game with 42 seconds left, but Vandersloot sealed the title for Chicago with a turnaround jump shot and a pair of clutch free throws.
The Sky had to survive two single-elimination games and a semifinal matchup against the top-seeded Connecticut Sun en route to the championship.
Big-time ballers
The VanderQuigs connection was on full display in Game 4. Courtney Vandersloot was a maestro in facilitating the offense, while her wife Allie Quigley almost single-handedly kept the Sky afloat with her 3-point shooting. Now they have a championship ring to add to their wedding ring.
BIG SHOTS. BIG PLAYMAKING. VANDERQUIGS ??
— espnW (@espnW) October 17, 2021
Married couple Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot reflect on their #WNBAFinals run with @sportsiren 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7pIkHHxHLN
What she said
Finals MVP Kahleah Copper on how Candace Parker motivated her throughout the season: “I just lived up to the challenge and her expectations. It felt like it was really far for me at first, but every day, she consistently told me what I could bring to this team, and I just continually brought it every single day.”
💙 KAHLEAH. FINALS MVP. COPPER. 💙 pic.twitter.com/g0oMnJPkbO
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) October 17, 2021
Did you see that?
The winning moment:
The moment the @chicagosky won the 2021 #WNBA Championship 🎉#WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/G1so7hWCVr
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 17, 2021
The locker room celebration:
SOAK IT ALL IN 🍾 @chicagosky #WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/4PEvvceva4
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 17, 2021
