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Many tuned in to watch ESPN's first WNBA broadcasts of the 2015 season on Sunday afternoon. The first matchup between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever proved to be a blowout, as the Sky completely dominated the Fever from the opening tip.
The second game was much closer but eventually saw the defending WNBA Champions Phoenix Mercury outlast the Minnesota Lynx, even without Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.
Here are my three observations from the WNBA's doubleheader on Sunday:
1. 10 days into the season, Elena Delle Donne is the WNBA MVP.
Chicago defeated Indiana 98-72 on Sunday behind a balanced attack in which six different Sky players scored in double figures. A major storyline was Delle Donne, who led the Sky with 24 points, her lowest point total of the season.
Delle Donne is putting up video game numbers through Chicago's first four games, averaging 30.5 points per game, nearly 10 more points per game than the WNBA's second-leading scorer Angel McCoughtry.
She's not only scoring tons of points, but also doing it efficiently as she is leading the WNBA in field goal percentage (.636), free throws made (37) and free throws attempted (39).
In her first two WNBA seasons, Delle Donne was known for her ability to score but really not much else. She had not produced the rebounding numbers in her previous two seasons that one would expect from a player of her size, length and caliber.
That seems to have changed so far this season, as Delle Donne currently ranks sixth in the WNBA in rebounding (7.8). She's also second in the league in blocks per game (2.3).
I think every WNBA fan knew that Delle Donne had the talent to be a league MVP, but I don't think many thought she could be this dominant. If she continues to play like she has so far this season, Delle Donne will be the WNBA MVP.
2. Despite Taurasi sitting out, Phoenix is still a contender.
Phoenix improved to 2-2 on Sunday, defeating the Western Conference favorites Minnesota Lynx 81-66. Similar to Chicago, the name of the game for Phoenix was balance, as six players scored nine points or more in the win.
All the talk about Phoenix leading up to the season, was about how they would be missing two-time WNBA Finals MVP Diana Taurasi for the whole season, and starting center Brittney Griner for the first seven games of the season. However, no one was talking about the amount of accomplished veterans Phoenix still has on their roster.
The Mercury have seven players on their roster with six or more years of WNBA experience. Candice Dupree, who is in her tenth season in the league, ranks 19th all-time on the WNBA career scoring list.
Monique Currie, also in her tenth season, has scored over 3,000 points in her WNBA career. DeWanna Bonner, who is entering her seventh season in the league, currently ranks third in the WNBA in scoring at 19.3 points per game.
Oh, and the Mercury also get Griner back before the end of the month. Just because Taurasi is not playing, I would not count Phoenix out, especially considering how they played on Sunday against the Lynx.
3. What's up with Maya Moore?
Through Minnesota's first four games, Maya Moore is not putting up the impressive numbers that we have come to expect from the 2014 WNBA MVP. Over the past three games, Moore has struggled significantly, shooting only 28.5% from the field (12-42) and less than 10% from behind the arc (1-13).
Last season, Moore shot 48.1% from the field and 33.5% from behind the three-point line. She's only averaging 15.8 points per game this season and 13.3 points per game over Minnesota's last three games. In Sunday's game against the Mercury, Moore shot 28% from the floor and did not make a three.
Now this is Maya Moore we are talking about, and I have no doubt she will bounce back. She is still rebounding well and finding ways to score, just not doing it very efficiently.
Furthermore, there are still 30 more games to be played for the Lynx in the WNBA regular season and thus, plenty of time for Moore to get back on track.
It is not a matter of if Maya Moore will start playing better, but a matter of when and I imagine it won't take long for the reigning WNBA MVP to find her shooting stroke and return to form.