Candace Parker accomplished her mission to bring a title to her home city of Chicago, leading the Sky to an 80-74 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals to secure the franchise's first-ever championship.
Four players scored in double figures for the Chicago Sky, who won the best-of-five series, 3-1. Allie Quigley led all Sky scorers in the Game 4 win with 26 points. Parker wreaked havoc down low against the Mercury, recording a double-double with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.
Kahleah Cooper named Finals MVP
Courtney Vandersloot also recorded a double-double of her own, scoring 10 points and dishing out 15 assists. Finals MVP Kahleah Cooper added 10 points for the Sky, who trailed by as much as 14 points in the third quarter before pulling off the come-from-behind victory.
The championship win did not come easy for the Sky as they started slowly in Game 4. Parker shot the ball poorly in the opening half, going 1 of 6 from the field for a measly four points. The same cannot be said for Brittney Griner, who scored 18 of her 28 points in the first half to lead Phoenix to a 44-37 advantage at half-time.
The Mercury continued to pile on the pressure during the second half as they entered the fourth quarter with a 63-54 lead. They still led 72-65 at the 4:42 mark of the final period before the Sky unleashed a finishing kick that will be talked about for years to come.
Parker tied the game at 72 with a three-pointer to send the Sky fans in attendance into a frenzy. Stefanie Dolson then scored consecutive baskets to give Chicago a 76-72 lead with 45.8 seconds remaining. The Sky eventually finished the game with a championship-winning 15-2 run.
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Wade, Parker make history with title win
Sky players became emotional after the win, especially Parker, who triumphantly returned to the Windy City after spending 13 successful years with the Los Angeles Sparks. They paid tribute to James Wade, who became just the third Black male coach to win a WNBA title, joining the Los Angeles Sparks' Michael Cooper and the Phoenix Mercury's Corey Gaines in that very exclusive list.
It was a remarkable achievement by Wade and the rest of the Sky, who made history by becoming the first team to win the WNBA championship as a sixth seed. No team from below the third seed has ever reached the finals, for that matter, before the Sky's feat this season, making Chicago's accomplishments even more impressive.
Parker proved to be the difference for a Sky team that finished with an even 16-16 record during the regular season. Parker's title with her hometown team cements her legacy even further in the women's game. Parker now has two WNBA titles in her storied career; the first came in 2016 with LA.
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