Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker is arguably playing the best basketball of her career, and her latest performance will not do anything to dispel that idea. After dropping 19 points and 18 rebounds in a Game 1 loss to the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Semifinals, Parker and the Sky bounced back with an 85-77 win behind her 22 point, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Parker's all-around stat lines across their three-game series victory against the New York Liberty and the two aforementioned performances against the Sun have boosted her playoff averages to an insane 16.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, making her only the second player in WNBA history to post at least 15/10/5 over a five-game span in the playoffs, according to ESPN.
However, Candace Parker disagreed with fans who were saying that this was the best basketball of Parker's illustrious career.
“I don't think so,” Parker told ESPN after their Game 2 victory against the Sun. “I think younger CP in the playoffs was more dominant. But I think just mentally understanding moments and things that I didn't understand when I was fighting to get to the Finals or fighting to win in the playoffs [is the difference].”
It isn't the first time that Parker stepped up when her team needed her the most. She notably posted 28 points and 12 rebounds in the title-clincher against the Minnesota Lynx back in 2016.
More than anything, Parker just wants to set the tone in the locker room with her performances, as she believes that back-to-back WNBA Championships are there for the Sky to take.
“This team has an opportunity so we can't not seize the opportunity,” Parker added. “And so let's go out and just play basketball. And I think that's the way that we lead is that we just have to have the right mindset coming in and we have to be the ones that set the tone.”
Candace Parker and the Sky have an opportunity to take the series lead against the Sun on Sunday, September 4, 1 PM ET.
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