NFL
By: Zachary Draves
It was a game for the ages featuring a team for the ages that culminated in that said team winning it all.
The Chicago Sky, after a season of tremendous ups and downs, came back from a 14 point deficit against the Phoenix Mercury to win 80-74 in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals before a raucous home crowd at the Wintrust Arena and clinch their first WNBA championship in franchise history.
This also marked the first time that Chicago had a winning basketball team since Michael Jordan’s Bulls won their 6th NBA championship in 1998.
This game had all the makings of a classic.
It had intensity, spectacular individual performances, a subtle tension between both teams, crucial game-changing moments, and a collection of some of the greatest players in the game going for the same thing namely Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, and Britney Griner to name a few.
Speaking of Candace, talk about a script that is Oscar-worthy!
The native-born Chicagoian (Naperville specifically) returned to her hometown and was on a mission to do one thing and that was to bring a title back to her people and she did just that in dramatic fashion.
She finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists and fittingly was the one who grabbed the final rebound of the game and she raced down the court to hug her family with tears in her eyes.
She knew better than all what it took to get this moment after a season in which the Sky had much anticipation to come out on top given that Candace was joining some of the most venerable talents in the game.
Along the way, they were plagued by injuries including Candace, and went on a stretch where they lost seven consecutive games.
Some had given up on the Sky except for the Sky themselves.
They persevered through it all and in Game 4 alone, they gave us some of the best performances you will ever see.
Allie Quigley hit 5 three-pointers that brought life back to Skytown and her wife Courtney Vandersloot had 15 assists including a crucial basket towards the end of the 4th quarter that was a thing of beauty.
The Finals MVP Kahleah Copper epitomized the true journeywoman as she was relegated to little playtime during her first four years in the league until 2020 where she took off and it has been on from there.
The Head Coach and GM James Wade was as humble and yet as boisterous as you can be and justifiably so.
He at point stated that he didn’t know if he was the one to coach this time when they were on that losing streak but he and his players all knew that in the end he would come through and his leadership would guide them to the promised land.
All of them were at the right place at the right time to create this magical moment.
Allie Quigly spoke of the team’s journey at the post-game press conference.
“A seven-game win streak, a seven-game losing streak,” Quigley said. “We just didn’t know who we were. I feel like we were frustrated with ourselves, with each other and it was because we didn’t know who we were.
“I think, thank God, in the first game of the Playoffs in Dallas, we found who we were, and it was by the leadership of our coaches and each other just really buying into our defense and this new way that we all wanted to play, and we believed in.”
The grit, tenacity, star power, and ability to overcome obstacles, particularly in sports, is what makes Chicago unique and the Sky embodies all those qualities and then some.
They are a team for the ages and one that will be looked up to by future generations of ballers.
From here on out, the Sky is the limit!
