The Chicago Sky were cruising toward the No. 1 seed in the 2022 WNBA Playoffs in their quest to repeat as champions. However, the last month of the regular season proved that things won't be easy for Candace Parker and company.
In June and July, the team only lost four games combined. But in August, Chicago lost three and ended up being the No. 2 seed. All three of those defeats came against playoff teams, including No. 1 Las Vegas Aces. Because of that, the Sky will have more work to do in order to repeat as champions this year.
With that being said, here are some bold predictions for the Chicago Sky in the 2022 WNBA Playoffs.
Chicago Sky 2022 WNBA Playoffs Predictions
2. Experience will make the difference to the Sky in the first round
In the first round of the playoffs, Chicago will face the New York Liberty, with the first game being played on Wednesday. One of the most anticipated matchups of the series will be the perimeter battle between New York's Sabrina Ionescu and Chicago's Courtney Vandersloot.
Both guards are capable of not only scoring but proving elite playmaking. Ionescu was a triple-double machine during her college time with the Oregon Ducks, becoming the only NCAA player to reach at least 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in both men's and women's basketball.
As for Vandersloot, she has the best career average in assists in WNBA history with 6.7. She has notched at least 8.0 assists per game in each of the last five seasons. In 2020, the American-Hungarian guard averaged a double-double with 13.6 points and 10.0 assists.
The main difference between the two is the playoff experience. Ionescu has only one postseason game on her résumé, while Vandersloot has 32 games and a title with the Sky last year.
The experience does not stop at Vandersloot. Guard Allie Quigley has 33 postseason games under her belt. She also won a title with the Sky in 2021.
Perhaps most importantly, Parker is back for her second playoff run in Chicago. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has 58 postseason games and 15 years in the league. She made history in 2021 as she led the Sky to their first title in franchise's history.
With their star being a second-year player with little playoff experience, the Liberty should have many problems against the Sky. The Chicago team should have a relatively good advantage over Ionescu and New York.
1. The elite defense and home advantage will lead the Sky back to the Finals
As much as the Sky's offense is praised, perhaps the team's defense could be the X-Factor for another trip to the Finals.
The team had four players with at least a steal a night, with 2019 Finals MVP Emma Meesseman leading the team with 1.4. Parker's defensive impact registered a block and a steal per game. She has two All-Defensive Team honors and a Defensive Player of the Year award from 2020.
The team has the interior size with Meesseman and Parker, making any team rethink if infiltrations into the paint are a good idea. Chicago had the fourth-best defensive rating in the league with 99.7, just behind three other playoff teams.
Another important factor for the team's quest of being back-to-back champions is the force at Wintrust Arena. Chicago went 14-4 at home this season, the best record in the WNBA. With the Sky's home advantage guaranteed in the first two rounds should they advance, another Finals appearance seems very possible.
The only matchup that the Sky would not have home advantage would be a potential Finals series versus the No. 1 Las Vegas Aces. If this ends up happening, Chicago will have take a big step to challenge Becky Hammon and A'ja Wilson. As much as the first two rounds seems manageable, facing the Aces on the road could be a huge challenge that even Parker's experience could have problems with.
Still, the Sky are in a good position to repeat, even if there are some major challenges ahead.
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