Just when the Chicago Sky looked like they had turned their season around — fully healthy and riding a franchise-record winning streak — they hit another lull to close out the first half.
The Sky dropped three of their last four games, including an 89-85 overtime loss to the Washington Mystics on Saturday night at Wintrust Arena. Instead of entering a monthlong break for the All-Star Game and Olympics with momentum, the 10-10 Sky helped the Mystics, who had only eight players available, snap a four-game losing streak.
“We didn’t do our jobs as a collective unit. I was pulling for straws trying to get people to step up,” Sky coach and general manager James Wade said. “We knew they were going to come in and play desperate; they only had eight people in uniform. I was just a little embarrassed by the loss, to be honest.”
The loss puts the Sky in fifth place in the standings, still in the playoff hunt but far removed from the teams at the top of the league that shared the Sky’s championship aspirations entering the season.
“We’ve got to close out close games,” said Candace Parker, who became the ninth player in league history to record 3,000 rebounds. “That’s kind of the take(away). Doesn’t matter the environment, where we’re at, the refs, whatever, we still have to find a way to close out games.”
The Sky will have a month to contemplate the loss after completing an up-and-down first half. With the Olympic break beginning, they won’t play their next game until Aug. 15, when they host the league-leading Seattle Storm.
In the meantime, the Sky are sending three players — Parker, Courtney Vandersloot and Kahleah Copper — to Las Vegas for the WNBA All-Star Game. Allie Quigley will compete in the 3-point contest at halftime of the game Wednesday with a crowd expected to be filled with a few other Sky players. And Stefanie Dolson will head to Tokyo to compete on the first U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team.
Here are some of the Sky’s plans for the break:
James Wade
Players will get some time off to rest after enduring games at a rapid pace during the first half. Wade said he plans to give players at least a few weeks of recovery time for those not competing in the Olympics before practice begins again.
“I’ve had a few conversations with a couple of players just to gauge how they’re feeling body-wise, mentally and stuff like that,” he said. “This season has been a grind, so it’s important for the players who aren’t playing internationally to get some time and do some other tasks, whether it be family or just get away from the game a little bit.”
For Wade, that also means taking a mental break to be a dad. His wife, Edwige Lawson-Wade, and their young son, Jet, have been in Chicago for the past week. So lately when Wade has been away from practice, he has been spending a lot of time at a trampoline park.
Candace Parker
First, Parker will be one of three Sky players heading to Las Vegas as part of the WNBA All-Star team that will compete against Team USA. Then she’s heading to Tokyo, not to compete in the 2021 Olympics but to work as a studio analyst for NBC’s basketball coverage.
While she will take time to heal her body, Parker, 35, didn’t want to look at this next month as a “break” but rather a chance to work on her conditioning for the second half.
“I plan on being in the best shape coming back,” she said. “I think I was in really great shape coming in and I’ve had some injuries. But the way our team plays, I’ve got to be in really good shape. It’s an amount of time where now it’s like we have the time to be able to get cardio.
“Also, you’ve got to be smart with it. I think that’s my thing, this isn’t a break. Obviously we don’t have a game, but still going to work out and try to prepare for the second half of the season.”
Kahleah Copper
Copper has built on a breakout season in the 2020 bubble to become the Sky’s leading scorer in 2021. Her role has increased during the past two seasons due to injury and her ability, and her excellent on-ball defense is one of the main reasons the Sky have been one of the top defensive teams in the WNBA this year.
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Copper’s reward was her first All-Star Game, and she’s looking forward to enjoying the honor.
“I’m going to have fun. This is big for me,” she said. “Super blessed. This is a great opportunity. I’m going to compete, be me.
“I’m going to enjoy my health, go to Vegas, be with my family and relax. Once we get back, everybody’s mindset is going to shift a little bit. Everything is going to get a little sharper. We’re thinking about playoffs. We’re thinking about winning a championship. But I think it’s important for us to have this break and take time to do whatever it is you need to decompress or whatever it is that makes you happy.”
Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot
The Sky’s veteran backcourt, spouses Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot, also will be making the trip to Las Vegas. Vandersloot will be playing in her third All-Star Game, and Quigley will be making her fourth appearance in the 3-point contest, having won the event twice (2017 and ’18).
Once the All-Star festivities are over, the two plan to stay out west for a trip to Montana and a chance to rest.
“Disconnect,” Vandersloot said. “Absolutely disconnect.”
Quigley added: “Get a little vacation, nature, lake time in and just relax. Be with family and mentally have that reset, and physically we all need that right now. Then come back and be ready to go because our second half of the season is our toughest. But definitely ready for this break.”
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