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On Sunday evening, the Connecticut Sun advanced to the WNBA Finals after defeating the Los Angeles Sparks, 78-56 on the road. The Sun’s backcourt of Courtney Williams and one-time Washington Mystics guard Jasmine Thomas combined for 46 points in a rout over L.A.
What I found surprising about last night’s game was that Los Angeles was effectively shut down in the frontcourt. Candace Parker is a perennial All-Star, yet she only scored 4 points in the game and had a poor season in general. Their backcourt of Riquna Williams and Chelsea Gray also had trouble getting things going.
The Sun, like the Mystics in their first two playoff games, have turned on the jets in playoff mode. They won this game emphatically and one wouldn’t have guessed that Connecticut was just 8-9 away from home in the regular season.
If Washington advances to the WNBA Finals despite their bad loss last night, they will play against a team that had their number. I get that Washington didn’t have both Emma Meesseman and Elena Delle Donne available in a single game. And I get that the Mystics and Sun played their regular season games early in the regular season. But Connecticut looks very dangerous right now.
A Mystics-Sun Finals series would also be historic for the WNBA. This is because it would be the first time that two Eastern Conference teams face off in the Finals after the playoff format was updated in 2016.
The WNBA has been dominated by Western Conference teams for most of its history. But now, it appears that the power is shifting East. Hopefully, the Mystics will close things out in Game 4 on Tuesday so we can see an All-Eastern Conference championship round for a change.