So far, most of the focus in the WNBA playoff chase has been on the upper levels. Can the Liberty hold off the Sun? Will the Minnesota Lynx be able to move up from their current third slot? And what about the charging Fever, who go into tonight's action a half game ahead of the Mercury in the race for sixth?
Those are all great questions, but there's another playoff race that's even tighter--the race for eighth between the Chicago Sky and the Atlanta Dream. They're currently tied at 11-21, so it might not seem like much of a race, but it's important to both teams, not to mention the Liberty if they end up with either team as their first-round opponent.
Tonight's WNBA action will impact this race
Both the Dream and the Sky have big games tonight. The Dream visit the Mercury in Phoenix, while the Sky are in Vegas to take on the Aces. The Mercury and the Aces will be heavily favored, but if either Atlanta or Chicago can pull off an upset here, it would given them a huge advantage with just a handful of games left.
The scedule will have a lot to say about this as well. The Dream and Sky have winnable games after this one, with Atlanta hosting Dallas while Chicago welcomes the Sparks to town. The two teams do have one last head-to-head meeting on the 17th in Chicago, and that could be a pivotal game as well.
The Chicago Sky have issues as they start their playoff push
Let's start by getting the grammatically-incorrect jokes out of the way first: the Sky are falling. They've lost six straight, and most of the focus has been on rookie Angel Reese as her "battle" with Caitlin Clark to win the WNBA ROY award.
Reese is a controversial figure for sure. She's a prolific rebounder, but Reese has been accused of stats padding for her habit of catching her own rebounds off the glass multiple times during a single possession.
Her college rivalry with Clark has also been a major story line after their early season battles, but now Reese is more focused on her issues with losing, which is something she never had to deal with during her college days at LSU.
But Chicago's real major issue is the absence of Chennedy Carter. She's emerged as a scorer and floor leader, but Carter has been out for the Sky's last two games because she's been in the league's health and safety protocol. The latest update provides some Chicago hope with Carter upgraded to questionable, but there's no doubt about how much the Sky need her down the stretch.
The Atlanta Dream have had their own health issues
Health has also been an issue for the Dream, but they're actually trending in the right direction after a disappointing first half. They forfeited their first-round pick in the Allisha Gray trade, and while the trade was widely considered the right move at the time, Atlanta also lost eight straight heading into the Olympic break.
Now they're getting healthy again, and just at the right time, too. The Dream have five players with positive plus-minus numbers--Gray, Tina Charles, Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillman, and they need to have them all on the floor on the same time. Now that that's possible, Atlanta has a fighting chance to win this playoff battle.
Meanwhile, Tina Charles has been doing serious work to hold the fort. The 35-year old center has suddenly discovered the fountain of youth, scoring 20+ in two of Atlanta's last three games while dominating on the glass with 10 or more rebounds in the Dream's last two contests.