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<\/p>\nWe\u2019re headed into the Commissioner\u2019s Cup championship game between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty. Still, the two teams met up before this contest for a fun preview ahead of their clash at Barclays Center on June 30th.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These two squads are pretty clear contenders, but the Aces seem to be flying a lot higher than the Liberty at the moment. Despite that, New York managed to beat Las Vegas in their Cup championship preview.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another contentious game between the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx, a quadruple overtime game between the Washington Mystics and Portland Fire, a surge from an unlikely source in Chicago, and Cheryl Reeve on the brink of history were all things I liked from this past week in the WNBA.<\/p>\n
First Taste of Commissioner\u2019s Cup Championship
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Han Xu #21 of the New York Liberty<\/p>\n
Who would\u2019ve thought that the Liberty\u2019s X-factor against the Aces wouldn\u2019t be winning the guard battle, or Breanna Stewart edging out perennial MVP candidate A\u2019ja Wilson, but Han Xu providing 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench en route to a New York win?<\/p>\n
Xu went a perfect 6-6 from the field in her limited minutes off the bench for the Liberty, hitting both of her three-point attempts. Her bench contributions were key for New York in the 2nd half, as she helped match the scoring from Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu to get New York over the hump necessary to take Las Vegas down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since this contest, though, New York has lost their only two contests prior to the Cup championship \u2013 one game against the Seattle Storm, when they were shorthanded, and one against the Golden State Valkyries, where they simply couldn\u2019t stop their paint penetration or match their shooting from the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Las Vegas, on the other hand, took down the Wings and Sky as they head to New York for the Cup. They\u2019re still looking like the team to beat this season, with Wilson somehow looking so good this year that it isn\u2019t getting enough hype \u2013 her unbelievably performances are actually just becoming routine for us all to witness.<\/p>\n
Wings-Lynx Rivalry Continues to Brew<\/p>\n
Hand clapping, technicals, and \u201ctoo little\u201d celebrations were sprinkled throughout the Wings\u2019 loss to the Lynx at home over the weekend. Things were a bit heated between Wings star Paige Bueckers and current ROTY frontrunner Olivia Miles, specifically, which shouldn\u2019t come as much of a surprise to fans with how competitive those two players are.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a physical matchup that nearly became a down-to-the-wire battle thanks to some clutch Azzi Fudd buckets in the second half, but Dallas continues to struggle to get stops at the rim with a lack of a protector in the front court. Minnesota, and specifically Miles and Natasha Howard, took full advantage of this by posting 38 paint points to Dallas\u2019 28.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These two young backcourt stars could very well meet in the postseason, so their games against one another have been a fun potential preview of a new playoff rivalry brewing.<\/p>\n
Quadruple OT Game Makes WNBA History<\/p>\n
Yes, you\u2019re reading that subheading right \u2013 there were four extra quarters played to determine a winner of a Mystics-Fire game over the weekend. Exhausted watching the players doesn\u2019t even begin to describe what it felt like watching this contest, which ended in a win for Washington.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The game, which ended 124-123, ties a 2001 game between Washington and Seattle as the longest in WNBA history. The 247 points scored in this game were also the second-most scored in WNBA history. And, to add even more history, the eight players who logged 45 or more minutes on the court were the most players to go for that long in WNBA history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was, aside from the obvious barn-burner feel of it all, also a great showcase of young talent in Portland and Washington. Carla Leite and Sarah Ashlee Barker did their best to lead the Fire to the win in this one, with Leite hitting the three-pointer that carried Portland into the first overtime period that kicked off the mayhem. But, Washington\u2019s young core \u2013 Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron \u2013 in addition to veteran Michaela Onyenwere, carried them to a win.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney Taylor Turning Heads in Chicago
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Sydney Taylor #12 of the Chicago Sky<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s from New York, and she plays like she\u2019s from New York, and sometimes you can just tell. We were kind of surprised that she had gone under the radar as much as she has.\u201d<\/p>\n