Indiana bounces Sky from playoffs
No one expected a surreal quietness to drown the Chicago Sky locker room Monday night.
No one expected all the finality either.
The Sky, the second-seed in the Eastern Conference and the runner-up in last year's WNBA Finals, is out of the playoffs, eliminated by the pesky Indiana Fever, which won a Game 3 clincher in the Eastern Conference semifinals at Allstate Arena, 100-89.
After being swept by the Sky 4-0 during the regular season and then dropping Game 1 at the UIC Pavilion last Thursday, the Fever rallied to win the final two games of the series to advance to their fifth straight Eastern Conference Finals. The Fever will face the winner of today's Eastern semifinal Game 3 between the New York Liberty and the Washington Mystics.
"It's shocking," said Sky star forward Elena Delle Donne, who poured in a game-high 40 points on 5-of-10 three-pointers. "We definitely didn't expect to be here, talking about exit interviews and exit physicals. I'm pretty shocked."
The Sky, which shocked Indiana last year in Indianapolis by rallying from a 14-point deficit in the clinching game of the Eastern Conference Finals, watched in frustration as the Fever drained shot after tough shot. Indiana hit a franchise playoff record 58 percent of its field goals, including 50 percent (10-of-20) of its attempts from 3-point range.
Not that the Sky was much different. The Sky hit 57 percent of its field goals but was just 7-of-18 (39 percent) from 3-point range.
"That was a heck of a game for anyone watching. Both teams shot the lights out. Both teams fought tooth and nail to the very end," Indiana coach Stephanie White said. "I just can't say enough about the warrior mentality of our leader, Tamika Catchings. She wills our teams to do things that many don't think our teams are capable of doing."
Catchings, the former Stevenson High School star, scored a team-high 27 points and made some big plays down the stretch, such as a clutch offensive rebound off a missed free throw in the final moments, that all but sealed the deal for the Fever.
"After (losing) Game 1, we still had confidence because we looked at the film and saw the things that were correctable," Catchings said. "I felt like we played really tense in the first game. We wanted to win so bad. It was just the mindset shifted for us. That was a big key for us."
Another big key was a proficient, team-oriented offense that yielded 37 baskets on 24 assists. All five Fever starters finished in double figures, with guard Shenise Johnson adding 22 points, center Erlana Larkins pounding inside for 18 points, forward Marissa Coleman draining 5-of-7 3-pointers for 17 points and point guard Briann January chipping in with 10 points.
"We allowed Indiana to get very comfortable offensively," Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. "And they showed why they're the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the league. They also did a better job of attacking us. And that just kept them with the momentum throughout."
The Sky, which was making its third-straight playoff appearance and its third in franchise history, also got 18 points from reserve guard Allie Quigley and 10 points from forward Jessica Breland. Point guard Courtney Vandersloot finished with 14 assists.