The 2021 WNBA Finals are ready. Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury will collide in the championship series, which kicks off Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN3). Mercury, seeded fifth in the playoffs, will take home; Heaven is the sixth seed.
This year’s finals will be a rematch of the 2014 title series. Phoenix swept Chicago that season, Diana Torassi winning the MVP award at the finals while Mercury took his third title. Phoenix, who was also champion in 2007 and 2009, is 3-1 in the finals of his career; Mercury lost to Houston in a best-of-three series in 1998.
This will be Chicago’s second appearance in the Finals. Sky closed their card again on Wednesday, becoming the lowest ranked team to reach the finals under the current match format, which has been in place since 2016. No third-seeded team has ever made it to the finals.
Sky finished 16-16 in the regular season; Mercury had a 19-13 record. Their combined regular-season winning percentage is 0.547 (35-29 WL), the lowest combined win percentage in a WNBA Finals game in league history.
Top-seeded Chicago eliminated the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals, while Phoenix advanced after winning the crucial fifth away game on Friday against the second-seeded Las Vegas Ice.
The WNBA Finals is the best of five series, played in a 2-2-1 format.
WNBA Finals (best of five)
Sunday October 10
Juego 1: Chicago @Phoenix, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
Wednesday October 13
Game 2: Chicago @ Phoenix, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN Deportes)
Friday 15 October
Game Three: Phoenix @ Chicago, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN Deportes)
Sunday 17 October
Game 4*: Phoenix @ Chicago, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN Deportes)
Tuesday October 19
Game 5*: Chicago @ Phoenix, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN Deportes)
* if it is necessary
Semi-Final Rounds (Top Five)
Tuesday 28 September
Juego 1: Chicago Sky 101, Connecticut Sun 95 (2OT)
Game 1: Las Vegas 96, Phoenix Mercury 90
Thursday 30 September
Juego 2: Connecticut Sun 79, Chicago Sky 68
Game 2: Phoenix Mercury 117, Las Vegas Aces 91
Sunday October 3
Joygo 3: Chicago Sky 86, Connecticut Sun 83
Game 3: Phoenix Mercury 87, Las Vegas Ice 60
Wednesday October 6
Joygo 4: Chicago Sky 79, Connecticut Sun 69
Game 4: Las Vegas Ice 93, Phoenix Mercury 76
Friday October 8
Game 5: Phoenix Mercury 87, Las Vegas Ice 84
Second round (knockout match)
Saturday 26th September
No. 5 Phoenix Mercury 85, No. 4 Seattle Storm 80br
No. 6 Chicago Sky 89, No. 3 Minnesota Linux 76
First round (knockout match)
Thursday 23 September
No. 6 Chicago Sky 81, No. 7 Dallas Wings 64
No. 5 Phoenix Mercury 83, No. 8 New York Liberty 82