So much for chalk. So much for a repeat. The No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun came from behind to eliminate the defending champion and second-seeded Chicago Sky on Thursday to advance to the 2022 WNBA Finals.
The top-seeded Las Vegas Aces will host Connecticut in Game 1 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
Chicago led by 10 points entering the fourth quarter Thursday, looking to become the first team since 2001-02 to win back-to-back titles. But Connecticut rallied for a 72-63 victory in a winner-take-all semifinal Game 5 at Wintrust Arena, outscoring Chicago 22-4 run in the final period.
The Aces await after eliminating the Seattle Storm 3-1 on Tuesday in the other semifinal series. Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson was named MVP the following day.
The WNBA Finals are best-of-five series. Both rounds follow a 2-2-1 format, wherein the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5 and the lower-seeded team hosts Games 3 and 4.
Both Connecticut and Las Vegas seek their first WNBA title. The Sun lead the WNBA with the most playoff victories without a championship (35), and advance to their first WNBA Finals since 2019, when they lost to the Washington Mystics in five games. The Aces, who lost to Seattle in the 2020 WNBA Finals, were on the verge of returning last year before losing Game 5 of their semifinal series against the Phoenix Mercury.
Here’s all the info you need for each semifinal matchup, including news and series-by-series analysis.
WNBA Finals
(1) Las Vegas Aces vs. (3) Connecticut Sun
Game 1: Connecticut at Las Vegas, Sunday, Sept. 11 (3 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 2: Connecticut at Las Vegas, Tuesday, Sept. 13 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 3: Las Vegas at Connecticut, Thursday, Sept. 15 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 4*: Las Vegas at Connecticut, Sunday, Sept. 18 (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 5*: Connecticut at Las Vegas, Tuesday, Sept. 20 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
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