The Miami Suns basketball organization will be represented well in the 2014 WNBA Eastern Conference Finals. Two former Miami Suns will battle for a spot in the WNBA finals as Erlana Larkins and the Indiana Fever will take on Sylvia Fowles and the Chicago Sky.
The Indiana Fever advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth straight season after sweeping the third-seeded Washington Mystics. The Chicago Sky will be making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in their franchise’s history. Chicago defeated the top-seeded Atlanta Dream with a historic come-from-behind victory.
We would like to congratulate both Erlana Larkins and Sylvia Fowles for their hard work during the 2014 season and continued success in the WNBA.
Preview from ChicagoSky.net
The Chicago Sky heads to Indianapolis to take on the Fever in the Eastern Conference Finals following a historic come-from-behind victory over the top-seeded Atlanta Dream. The Sky trailed by as many as 20 points in the second quarter, but rallied in the fourth to pull the game even. Elena Delle Donne nailed the game winner with 8.2 seconds remaining to help the Sky pull away with an 81-80 victory. Delle Done led Chicago with a career-high 34 points while Tamera Young scored 16 points and Sylvia Fowles had another double-double adding 13 points and 15 rebounds.
For the Sky, this will be the franchise’s first-ever trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Indiana Fever advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth straight season after sweeping the third-seeded Washington Mystics with an 81-76 victory on Saturday night.
The Sky and Fever met five times during the 2014 regular season. Chicago won two out of three home games, and fell to the conference rivals twice in Indianapolis. The Sky and Fever also squared off last year in the 2013 WNBA Eastern Conference Semifinals with the Fever taking the series 2-0.
In the 2014 season opener against the Fever, the Sky edged the Fever 74-71. Led by Elena Delle Donne’s 23 points and five rebounds, Chicago rallied back from an 18-point deficit to run gain their first win of the season.
In the second game of the series, Epiphanny Prince paced the Sky scored 18 points with Elena Delle Donne (Lyme) and Sylvia Fowles (Hip) sidelined. The Sky could not keep pace with the Fever, and dropped the second game of the series 83-75.
In their third match-up, the Sky faced a similar fate, struggling to score with a shorthanded roster as Delle Donne (Lyme) and Courtney Vandersloot (Knee) were out of the lineup. Unable to keep pace with the hot shooting Fever, the Sky fell 82-64. Allie Quigley led the Sky with 17 points.
In the fourth meeting between the two teams on June 22nd, the Sky tied the series with a 60-57 win. Sylvia Fowles, in her series debut, delivered a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Sky in a momentum-building victory.
In their fifth, and final, meeting of the 2014 series, the Fever came out strong, hitting 16 of their first 21 shots to gain an early lead. Chicago held the Fever to only 12 points in the second quarter and continued stifling defense into the second half but their rally fell short as the Fever escaped with the 71-67 win in Indianapolis. Quigley scored 17 points off the bench, while Delle Donne added 14 points and seven rebounds.
The second round is also a two-out-of-three series and again alternates home sites starting at the home of the top seed. The first game of the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals will be held 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 30 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. The game will air on NBATV. The Sky will return home to Chicago to host the second game of the series at Allstate Arena on Monday, September 1 at 3:00pm CT. Game two will air on NBATV. The final game in the series, if needed, will be held in Indianapolis and is scheduled for Wednesday, August 3 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Don’t miss out on being a part of history! Get your tickets for the Sky Playoffs now by calling 866.SKY.WNBA
See more at: http://www.wnba.com/sky/news/sky_vs_fever_aug30_2014.html#sthash.2sC4kVrx.dpuf
