Sky’s Last Dance: KFC Likely At Lead As Championship Team Transitions
After playoff elimination, hope survives for Chicago Sky even as roster stands to make big changes
What was scheduled to be a sunny weekend in Chicago got a little too Sun-ny by the end of Thursday night as far as our city’s WNBA team is concerned.
The ironic cause of an overcast outlook for the near future of the now-former WNBA champions, the Connecticut Sun denied the Chicago Sky a chance at a second-straight trip to the WNBA Finals with a dramatic and definitive run to end the teams’ Game 5 contest at Wintrust Arena.
The 72-63 elimination loss sends the Sky into an offseason full of questions — the world of women’s basketball awaits the direction the Sky will take in potentially rebuilding their squad, which features five unrestricted free agents among their top six scorers, including the all-important future hall of famer and Chicago legend Candace Parker, who very well could retire in the months to come.
Whether or not CP3 and the likes of Courtney Vandersloot return to Chicago for 2023, if Game 5 showed nothing else, it showed that the team’s direction starts with how it builds around their young star Kahleah Copper.
The Sky started off the game with a quick 2-0 lead after their veteran point guard Vandersloot hit a shot clock-beating offer off the backboard. From that point on, inconsistencies haunted the Sky offensively and prevented the team from gaining too much control in the game. The team shot 36 percent from the field and 25% from the 3-point line while the Sun shot 50% after losing the first quarter by a score of 24-16.
The second quarter, however, became the Copper Show for the Sky with KFC doubling her first quarter total (6 points) with another 8 points, she combined with Emma Messeman to score 13 of Chicago’s 24 second quarter points, giving the Sky a chance to improve their Finals chances as the game entered halftime with a 40-40 tie.
Starting the third quarter the Sky came out more aggressive, especially on defense, and jumped to a quick 45-40 lead. Chicago maintained its defensive intensity throughout the game, forcing the Sun to commit 8 turnovers in the quarter and shoot 25% from the field. Along with playing great defense, the Sky capitalized on the offensive end behind Copper’s leadership, out-scoring the Sun 18-8 to close out the third quarter with a ten point lead, 58-48.
The dominance carried into the fourth quarter and for a time the Sky started to smell blood, intensifying their defense and cooling off any heat wave the Sun tried to bring. Unfortunately, the final four minutes of the game belonged to the championship-bound Sun, who pulled off a record-setting 18-0 run to finish the game and secure their place as WNBA finalists.
In many ways the Sky have treated the 2022 season as their own “Last Dance.” With the unexpected early conclusion of this season it is possible that the beginning of the end has come for the current Sky roster, who took over the hearts of much of Chicago with its championship play in recent times.
Parker, Vandersloot and Allie Quigley are all over the age of 33 and have all played at least a decade in the league. Each of these franchise cornerstones are aware that this could be their last run in the league and they’ve all spoke recently about what it meant to be part of the Sky and their respective legacies. In regards to Parker and Quigley, a big part of their reflection deals with their appreciation for playing in front of their hometown.
“I never imagined it ending up like this or having the career I had,” Quigley said after Thursday’s game. “Being able to do it in Chicago with my family, and meet my wife (Vandersloot), it is unbelievable. I couldn’t ask for anything better. It's like a dream come true.”
Parker said Chicago always holds a special place in her heart.
“Being a Chicagoan is special, being from here is special, and we have seen the way the city supports and has supported us.”
Knowing that this could be the end, Sky head coach James Wade showed great remorse after the game, praising his players and emphasizing how this was one of his more fun seasons due to the players in the locker room.
Wade also discussed how he felt like he let the team down in its final moments due to his inactivity in putting the team in positions to score the basketball down the final stretch.
But one point Wade highlighted was his appreciation for Copper’s leadership on both ends of the floor. Copper finished the game with a team-high 22 points and four steals. Her versatile play was contagious, and Wade knew that her play throughout the game was crucial.
“She gives us everything,” Wade said of Copper. “She gave everything defensively, offensively, energy wise and she’s done it for us all year. I just appreciate her fight, her grit and what she means to every person in the locker room and also our organization.
“I wish she could have continued playing because I felt like she deserved to play in the playoffs. Playoffs time is Kah time.”
Copper finished the ‘22 season averaging 16 points, five rebounds and 2 assists a game while shooting 35% from the 3-point line, all career highs.
As the Sky continue to make strides, they can use their recent playoff history, with Game 5 being the icing on the cake, as evidence that the team needs to start looking towards a life without its three-headed monster while giving more control to the new sheriff in town, Kahleah “Freaking” Copper.
Joshua M. Hicks is a senior writer for WARR Media and host of the “In The Scope” Podcast