Swish Appeal - 2013 WNBA playoffs preview: Chicago Sky vs. Indiana FeverBasketball is basketball.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49391/swish-fave.png2013-09-23T08:00:06-04:00http://www.swishappeal.com/rss/stream/45172832013-09-23T08:00:06-04:002013-09-23T08:00:06-04:00How the Fever made the Sky fall
<figure>
<img alt="Rebounding and Tamika Catchings' defense of Elena Delle Donne were major reasons why the Indiana Fever beat the Chicago Sky." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1eKrne-AQG-6D_agVbZwo52t4cU=/0x167:3008x2172/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19999385/20130922_sal_ss1_345.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rebounding and Tamika Catchings' defense of Elena Delle Donne were major reasons why the Indiana Fever beat the Chicago Sky. | Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The fourth-seeded<a href="http://www.wnba.com/games/20130922/CHIIND/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore" target="new"> Indiana Fever beat the top-seeded Chicago Sky 79-57</a> yesterday to sweep their first round series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.</p> <p>There was one thing that the Chicago Sky absolutely, could not under any circumstances allow to happen (under penalty of postseason death) in their first round series against the Indiana Fever: get outshot.</p>
<p>Making matters worse, the Sky not only got oushot, but also shot terribly from just about everywhere.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="read-more">
<b>More</b>: <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/2013/9/20/4753242/wnba-playoffs-2013-preview-chicago-sky-vs-indiana-fever" target="new">Fever-Sky series storystream</a>
</div>
<h4>Key statistic: Shooting efficiency</h4>
<p>The Sky went just 4-for-17 from beyond the 3-point arc during the two-game series while star center Sylvia Fowles went just 12-for-26 (46.15%) from the field, which had to be particularly frustrating given that every single one of her shots were taken in the paint (20 of which were taken in the restricted area). And given the combination of the infrequent 3-point attempts and players that like to take jumpers, it's safe to assume that they took a number of mid-range jumpers.</p>
<p>Seeing the Sky struggle with shooting wasn't exactly a major surprise: they were only an average efficiency team this season and had a tendency to fall into the trap of drifting out to perimeter independent of how well Fowles was playing. The bigger problem was that they simply couldn't find a way to stop the Fever from anywhere.</p>
<p>
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<table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="25%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFG%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
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<td height="18" width="25%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Ind</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER">54.51%</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">14.22%</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">27.78%</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">31.15%</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="25%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Chi</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER">37.39%</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">12.11%</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">17.91%</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">45.22%</p>
</td>
</tr>
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<td height="18" width="25%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
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<tr>
<td height="18" width="25%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Weighted Differential<br></b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="25%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Ind</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER">1.71</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.18</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">0.41</p>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.30</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p align="center"><i>Four Factors statistics from the WNBA semifinal series between Indiana and Chicago.</i></p>
<p>The troubling thing about how the shooting efficiency differential is that the Fever were 10th in the league in shooting efficiency during the regular season, only narrowly above cellar dwellers Connecticut and New York.</p>
<p>In what at times looked like a highlight reel from last year's playoff run, the Fever thrived by spreading the court to hit threes and create space to utilize an assortment of drives, backdoors, and pick and rolls. They shot 46.87% from the 3-point line, way above their 33.7% mark during the regular season. And, again like last season, everybody who touched the floor for Indiana seemed to be hot: rookie Layshia Clarendon, who had been struggling all year to find confidence with her shot at the pro level, shot 6-for-10 for the series. Karima Christmas, who has never really been known for her shooting stroke even dating back to her days at Duke, shot 7-for-12 in Game One while 2013 Most Improved Player Shavonte Zellous looked unstoppable in Game One shooting 7-for-11 and 3-for-3 from the 3-point line.</p>
<p>Yet no star came up bigger for the Fever than perennial MVP candidate Tamika Catchings.</p>
<h4>Fever MVP: Tamika Catchings' defense and rebounding<br>
</h4>
<p>Catchings is one of those players who doesn't have to shoot well to impact a game, which is what made her such a strong MVP candidate even though people normally look at statistics first for that award.</p>
<p>First, her role in that shooting efficiency story was critical: she was partially responsible for holding 6-foot-5 2013 Rookie of the Year Elena Delle Donne to 2-for-11 shooting in a Game Two blowout.</p>
<p>But in both games, Catchings' rebounding ability ended up being a major key to victory. Catchings led the team in rebounding percentage by a significant margin in Game Two with a game-high 27.14% total rebounding percentage. In the first game, she didn't have an offensive rebound but helped their defensive rebounding effort with a 26.66% defensive rebounding percentage.</p>
<p>And when you look at the Sky's offensive rebounding numbers above, it's easy to see how big that defensive rebounding effort was.</p>
<h4>Key player: Erlana Larkins, playoff hero</h4>
<p>As big as shooting efficiency was to the Fever's victory, rebounding was also extremely important.</p>
<p>Despite being undersized - and having painfully little depth this season - the Fever managed to be the second-best offensive rebounding team in the league during the regular season, a testament to the heart this team played with. So winning the rebounding battle against the first place Sky should not necessarily come as a huge surprise. But rendering the Sky almost entirely ineffectual on the offensive boards was indeed surprising, especially because the numbers suggest it was almost entire the doing of the 6-foot-1 duo of Catchings and Erlana Larkins.</p>
<p>To put the Sky's offensive rebounding figure in perspective, the Phoenix Mercury had<a target="_blank" href="http://www.edbemiss.com/index.php?option=com_ffact&ids=1,2&lang=en"> the lowest offensive rebounding rate in the league during this regular season</a> at 24.6% - the Sky didn't even cross the 20% threshold in either game. That offensive rebounding ability was important to the Sky all season because it helped mitigate their so-so shooting efficiency and suspect shot selection; with both Delle Donne and Fowles off their games and their inability to get second chance shots, the Sky were doomed.</p>
<p>Larkins was obviously huge in that effort, but less so in terms of the offensive rebounding prowess that she showed last postseason that her defensive board work: whereas Catchings crossed the 40% threshold for defensive rebounding in Game Two, it was Larkins approaching that level of dominance in Game One with a 38.09% defensive rebounding percentage. Size doesn't matter when two players are rebounding at that level - the fact is that the Sky were thoroughly outworked on both ends of the floor and a subpar effort is why they're going home as much as anything else.</p>
<p>It came down to one team simply being tougher than the other.</p>
<p>"No one in our locker room would make excuses," Sky forward Swin Cash said, according to Sky release. "The playoffs are about toughness, mental toughness. It's not about age. Indiana executed their game plan, and we weren't doing what we were supposed to do. Some people learn through toughness and battles that they have gone through."</p>
<h4>A disappointing end for the Sky</h4>
<p>Normally for these series recaps I'd highlight a player from each team, but it's really difficult to do that for the Sky. The player who ended up best statistically was Fowles, who - as mentioned above - was struggling to make shots within five feet (shooting under 50% close to the basket is not a positive). Delle Donne was clearly important to whatever successes they did have in the first game, but her second half shot chart (and the fact that she didn't even attempt a free throw shot) tells the story of how well the Fever defended her.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Wnbaplayoffs_edd_sc_indgm1_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/assets/3271543/wnbaplayoffs_EDD_sc_indgm1_medium.jpeg"><br><i>Elena Delle Donne's second half shot chart in Game Two of the first round against the Indiana Fever.</i></p>
<p>Without going into detail, it probably goes without saying that the Sky's backcourt wasn't able to pick up the slack, but point guard Courtney Vandersloot was a player who had to have a big series for them to win and she came up short: she ended up with a pure point rating of 0.00 for the series.</p>
<p>After finishing first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, the Sky are now left with a litany of questions for their offseason from top to bottom though there might be two ways to look at the loss.</p>
<p>Optimistically, Chicago basketball fans might be reminded of the path the Chicago Bulls took to championship dominance and consider this a matter of growing pains.</p>
<blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Now it's about taking the next step for <a href="https://twitter.com/wnbachicagosky">@wnbachicagosky</a>. Remember: Once the <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls">@chicagobulls</a> FINALLY beat the Pistons, the flood gates opened.</p>
— Patricia Babcock (@BabcockMcGraw) <a href="https://twitter.com/BabcockMcGraw/statuses/381891393636925440">September 22, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>But more pessimistically - or perhaps realistically - one might take a look at what happened in this series and see multiple problems that require proactive change rather than patience because, as Cash said, a first place team doesn't get handled like that simply due to youth. When a shorthanded opponent can take a team out of their game that completely, it's time to consider some significant changes.</p>
<p><i>For a look back at the profiles of these two teams from the regular season, check out<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/2013/9/20/4753242/wnba-playoffs-2013-preview-chicago-sky-vs-indiana-fever"> our series storystream</a>. </i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/23/4760630/wnba-playoffs-2013-indiana-fever-beat-chicago-skyNate P2013-09-20T18:03:51-04:002013-09-20T18:03:51-04:00Sylvia Fowles headlines 2013 All-Defensive team
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_OMIZk4C8Kn7gTyIXdwEeP7hSLE=/0x17:465x327/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19883927/20120627_jla_ag5_396.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles headlines the 2013 WNBA All-Defensive team as the 2013 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.</p> <p>The WNBA announced today that Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles has won her second Defensive Player of the Year award in three seasons with 21 votes from a panel of 39 media members.</p>
<p>From the Sky release:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Throughout 2013, Fowles hit historic marks on both the franchise and league fronts. Fowles finished the season with the fourth best rebound per game ranking in league history. She also is tied for third all-time in career double-double performances (81).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>WNBA president Laurel Richie was in Chicago today to personally announce the award. The game will feature a pair of first-teamers and the DPoY award winners for the past five seasons in Catchings (2009, '10, & 12) and Fowles (2011 & '13).</p>
<p>Fowles was joined on the 2013 All-Defensive First Team by fellow MVP candidates Catchings and Angel McCoughtry, who earned six first team votes along with teammate Armintie Herrington.</p>
<table border="1" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><b>First Team</b></td>
<td><b>Team</b></td>
<td><b>Position</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sylvia Fowles</td>
<td>Chicago Sky</td>
<td>C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Tamika Catchings</td>
<td>Indiana Fever</td>
<td>F</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Angel McCoughtry<br>
</td>
<td>Atlanta Dream<br>
</td>
<td>G/F</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Armintie Herrington<br>
</td>
<td>Atlanta Dream</td>
<td>G/F</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Tanisha Wright <br>
</td>
<td>Seattle Storm</td>
<td>G</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Second Team</b></td>
<td><b>Team</b></td>
<td><b>Position</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Erika de Souza</td>
<td>Atlanta Dream</td>
<td>C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Glory Johnson</td>
<td>Tulsa Shock</td>
<td>F</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rebekkah Brunson</td>
<td>Minnesota Lynx</td>
<td>F</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jia Perkins</td>
<td>San Antonio Silver Stars</td>
<td>G</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Danielle Robinson</td>
<td>San Antonio Silver Stars</td>
<td>G</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Briann January</td>
<td>Indiana Fever</td>
<td>G</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p>More on the voting process from the Seattle Storm:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A panel of the WNBA's 12 head coaches voted on the WNBA All-Defensive Team, selecting First and Second Teams by position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Players earned five points for each First Team vote and three points for a Second Team vote.</p>
</blockquote>
https://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/2013/9/20/4753648/sylvia-fowles-wins-2013-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-yearNate P2013-09-20T15:00:04-04:002013-09-20T15:00:04-04:00Why Indiana beating Chicago wouldn't be an "upset"
<figure>
<img alt="Can Tamika Catchings lead the Indiana Fever back to the WNBA Finals?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nQ844Umiv9e8Xc_MOIvDUBC4h8o=/0x129:733x618/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19842537/usatsi_7274777.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Can Tamika Catchings lead the Indiana Fever back to the WNBA Finals? | Photo by Soobum Im | USA Today Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The defending champion Indiana Fever find themselves as a fourth seed in the 2013 WNBA playoffs matched up against Elena Delle Donne, Sylvia Fowles, and the top-seeded Chicago Sky in the first round. Nevertheless, an Indiana Fever win shouldn't be considered an upset. </p> <p>Similar to their opponent in the 2012 WNBA Finals, the Indiana Fever's season has been somewhat overshadowed by the hype surrounding other players in the league and a whole bunch of injuries.</p>
<p>They enter the playoffs having lost two of their last three games (though they were missing even more players for that last game) and falling out of the third spot to enter the playoffs as a fourth seed.</p>
<p>There's no question that this has been a rough regular season for the Indiana Fever. And there was every reason to think that they would end up in the 2014 WNBA draft lottery by the way things were going early-on.</p>
<p>But falling into the fourth seed and facing the Chicago Sky in the first round might have been a blessing in disguise: despite all the discouraging news they faced this season, one bright spot was that they won their season series with the Sky 3-1.</p>
<p>Although the Sky have put up the type numbers that suggest they're a contender, a Fever win in this first round meeting should not at all be considered an "upset". The fact is that with the Fever healthier now than they've been just about all season, this first round match up with Chicago could very well produce the Eastern finalist.</p>
<p>The other day on Bright Side of the Sun's podcast, I discussed just that and the 2013 WNBA playoffs in general with host Kris Habbas (who covers the Phoenix Mercury). To keep a long story short, it wouldn't be at all surprising if we saw a rematch of the 2012 WNBA Finals this year.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="read-more">
<b>More</b>: <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/20/4752448/wnba-playoffs-2013-chicago-sky-vs-indiana-fever" target="new">How far can the Sky go?</a> <a href="http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2013/9/18/4744532/phoenix-suns-podcast-episode-38-pacific-division-previewing-the" target="new">BSotS podcast previewing the playoffs</a> <a href="http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2013/09/slam-radio-tracy-mcgrady-retirement-wnba-awards-carmelo-future/" target="new">Talking Tamika Catchings with SLAM Radio</a>
</div>
<h4>Indiana Fever</h4>
<h4></h4>
<p><b>MVP: Tamika Catchings, PG/SG/SF/PF (MVP rating:12.69)</b></p>
<p>This one is obvious and please forgive the bias: I've had Tamika Catchings as a top 3 MVP candidate for three of the last four seasons, including 2013.</p>
<p>Personally, I find it really difficult to accept her as the seventh most valuable player in the league.</p>
<p>But rather than just ranting on about it, I'll just use a pie chart to illustrate the point.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Screen_shot_2013-09-19_at_11" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3254467/Screen_Shot_2013-09-19_at_11.36.14_PM_medium.png"><br><i>2013 percent valuable contributions chart for the Indiana Fever. </i></p>
<p>Percent Valuable Contributions (PVC) is the percentage of a team's overall statistical contributions (measured by Model Estimated Value) that a player accounts for. Catchings 24.43% was a league-high this season, narrowly edging Sylvia Fowles (fourth in MVP voting) and Angel McCoughtry (fifth).</p>
<p>If the Most Valuable Player award has anything to do with the player who contributes the most to their team, it's hard to just ignore that.</p>
<p>We can debate the merits of using PVC (or the underlying MEV) for the WNBA. We can even debate how much to read into that chart for the Fever: with all the injuries they had, the reasoning might go, that chart is less a reflection of her individual talent than the fact that the top three players on the team missed games.</p>
<p>But consider the entire context of this thing: those other MVP candidates who ended up in the top five had at least one teammate who received a MVP vote. The Fever's second-best player was 4.6% behind Catchings. Furthermore, it's hard to account for the value of a player who can defend almost anyone in the league and starts at power forward at 6-foot-1 for said injury-riddled team.</p>
<p>Also, she leads her team in the defensive rebounding percentage (23.76%), turnover ratio (7.94%), steal percentage (4.87%), usage rate (28.52%), net plus/minus (+14.8) and the all-important scoring average (17.7 points per game).</p>
<p>So perhaps we can excuse the pedestrian 50.81% true shooting percentage: Catchings more than pulled her weight and is<i> the </i>reason the Indiana Fever are in the playoffs at all right now given the injuries they sustained. It's a tough argument to beat and any notion that she doesn't have MVP statistics is preposterous.</p>
<p><b>Strengths: Forcing turnovers, killing your transition attack, offensive rebounding</b></p>
<p>Catchings helps to anchor the team's fifth-ranked defense with that team-high steal percentage contributing to their league-high 19.4% opponent turnover rate and a solid fourth-best points off turnovers (16.38 per game).</p>
<p>On the other end, the Fever's own ability to control the ball (15.4% turnover rate) - helped by Catchings' ability to handle the ball relatively efficiently as a high-usage player - helps them to limit opponents' points off turnovers: they held opponents to just 13 points off turnovers per game (third in the league) and a league-low 6.03 fast break points per game.</p>
<p>Yet perhaps the strongest testament to Catchings' value is that the Fever managed to finish the season with the second-highest offensive rebounding percentage in the league (30.1%) and the fifth-best offensive rebounding differential in the league while starting a 6-foot-1 power forward. However, a large part of that was due to the effort of Jessica Breland (team-high 13.05% offensive rebounding percentage), who had to be released once Katie Douglas returned to action. Her 14 minutes won't be impossible to fill, but it's a blow to a team that already has depth problems in the frontcourt.</p>
<p><b>Weaknesses: Shooting efficiency, frontcourt depth</b></p>
<p>Without Breland and Jessica Davenport out for the season with an injury and 2012 first round pick Sasha Goodlett released earlier in the season, the Fever will enter the postseason with two post players: Larkins and rookie Jasmine Hassell, who hasn't even spent the whole season on a roster and hasn't been a strong rebounder in limited minutes. In theory, that would make it rather difficult to win while playing at the slowest pace in the conference.</p>
<p>The other challenge: they had the third-lowest shooting efficiency in the league this season (43.6%), edging out the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun.</p>
<p>Part of that low shooting efficiency is certainly a matter of losing so many perimeter players throughout the season to injury. Though they returned their core from their 2012 championship roster, they rarely had all of them on the floor. And without those pieces on the floor, their 3-point percentage dropped from a league-high 40% last season to just 33.69% this season; with a depleted perimeter game and so few true post players to score in the paint, their offensive output can certainly sputter at times.</p>
<p>
<style type="text/css"></style></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<colgroup>
<col width="47*">
<col width="28*">
<col width="36*">
<col width="41*">
<col width="34*">
<col width="70*">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><b>Team Pre-All-Star</b></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Adj Synergy</b></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Ind</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">42.90%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">27.23%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">28.50%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">16.67%</p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">0.21</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Opp</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">46.34%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">30.76%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">27.88%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">20.77%</p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">0.11</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="21" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Weighted</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">MEV diff:</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Ind</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.34</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.07</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">0.03</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">0.34</p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">0.76</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="LEFT"><b>Team Post-All-Star</b></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Adj Synergy</b></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Ind</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">44.21%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">29.59%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">31.63%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">14.10%</p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">0.33</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Opp</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">47.35%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">30.02%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">31.21%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">18.09%</p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">0.30</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Weighted</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">MEV diff:</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Ind</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.31</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.01</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">0.02</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">0.34</p>
</td>
<td width="27%">
<p align="CENTER">0.81</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p align="center"><i> 2013 Four Factors statistics for the Indiana Fever.</i></p>
<p><b>X-factor: Katie Douglas, F (MVP rating: 0.9)</b></p>
<p>It's hard to know what exactly Katie Douglas will provide the Fever, but it should be pretty obvious to see where she might be needed: scoring.</p>
<p>Douglas is a career 36.8% 3-point shooter and had shot 39% or better since 2010 before missing the majority of this season. If she can give the team anything close to that career average, she'll be an asset to the Fever (and in helping boost that scoring efficiency, possibly make up for the rebounding they lost in Breland).</p>
<p>Even if she doesn't find her stroke for a while, just providing the team with an alternate ball handler could be significant: it's not uncommon for Catchings and Douglas to be the team's most efficient ball handlers in past years and adding Douglas to the rotation could help take some pressure off of Briann January, who has been inconsistent at times this season.</p>
<p><b>Key to victory: Turn Chicago into a jump shooting team</b></p>
<p>The Fever beat Chicago twice this season without even outshooting them. In fairness, the Sky were playing with Elena Delle Donne recovering from injury in one and without Courtney Vandersloot in another, but nobody really has the right to complain about absences while losing to the Fever this season.</p>
<p>Statistically, there wasn't really any commonality between those games, but one thing did stand out: in one game (Aug. 6), Epiphanny Prince and Courtney Vandersloot combined to shoot 5-for-16 (31.25%) from the field. In the other game (Sept. 6), the Sky had a free throw rate of 25%, which is well below their league-high 32.6% free throw rate for the season. The Sky shot 36.7% and 40% from the field, respectively, in those two games.</p>
<p>The point is not that the Fever need to repeat either of those performances - in fact, all three of their wins against the Sky were somewhat different. But they'll put themselves in a good position to win if Chicago is bombing away from the perimeter while playing a lot of one on one ball.</p>
<p><b>Why to root for the Fever: Heart</b></p>
<p> </p>
<div class="floated-video">
<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5-1jgNhopNo" frameborder="0"></iframe> <i>Champions have heart.</i>
</div>
<p><br id="1379665574678"> Even though the Sky are favored by most to win this series, it would be hard to call it an upset given that they've already beaten them three times without a full roster. So there isn't quite the standard underdog narrative going on here.</p>
<p>Yet for this Fever team to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals again after the injuries they've had to endure this season would be quite a remarkable story in some sense. Almost enough to go find Rudy Tomjanovic to give a heart of the champion speech before they begin the Eastern Conference Finals.</p>
<h4>Predictions</h4>
<p><b>Key statistical battleground: turnovers</b></p>
<p>Obviously, the Fever like to force turnovers this season - it's the best path to victory for a team struggling with its shooting tough. But it's also noteworthy that neither of these teams commit turnovers very often: they had the two best turnover rates in the Eastern Conference this season.</p>
<p>Controlling the ball is probably more important to the Fever: they can't just expect to overcome turnovers with second chance points and hot shooting - they really do need to hold on to the ball and make the most of every trip down the floor. But if the Fever can force turnovers, they've accomplished two things: first, they're keeping the ball away from Sylvia Fowles (team-high 62.25% true shooting percentage) on the interior. Second, they're giving themselves transition opportunities.</p>
<p>In any event, something has to give between these otherwise solid ball handling teams and it's an opportunity for one of them to gain an advantage.</p>
<p><b>Prediction: Fever, 2-1</b></p>
<p>This should be a fun series: we haven't seen these two rosters up against each other at full strength in 2013. The Fever have been missing someone in every game they've played and the Sky were absent key players in two of these meetings.</p>
<p>In the end though, this comes down to game planning and Lin Dunn has gotten the job done in three of four tries against the Sky this season, winning two in Chicago. With the addition of Katie Douglas, that's just one more scoring weapon to help the Fever overcome their biggest weakness.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/20/4751284/wnba-playoffs-preview-2013-indiana-fever-tamika-catchingsNate P2013-09-20T14:00:05-04:002013-09-20T14:00:05-04:00WNBA playoff preview: How far can the Sky go?
<figure>
<img alt="Chicago Sky coach Pokey Chatman will need to figure out how to beat an Indiana Fever team that won the season series 3-1." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UOuGS1sbIJjWIyZp8lXJkTizLmw=/2x0:3997x2663/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19865463/20130616_lbm_sz2_428.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Chicago Sky coach Pokey Chatman will need to figure out how to beat an Indiana Fever team that won the season series 3-1. | USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The top-seeded Chicago Sky will be looking to exact some revenge on the fourth-seeded Indiana Fever in the first round of the 2013 WNBA playoffs led by star rookie Elena Delle Donne and star center Sylvia Fowles.</p> <p>There was an interesting discussion recently about whether Elena Delle Donne or Sylvia Fowles should be considered the Chicago Sky's 2013 team MVP.</p>
<p>You can go back and read that conversation <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/11/4719604/wnba-award-candidates-2013-elena-delle-donne-monica-wright-shavonte-zellous#183850417">here</a>, but here's the quick summary of the two sides:</p>
<ul>
<li>Delle Donne was the piece that "the missing piece" whose addition put them over the top, taking a team that had never been to the playoffs not only to their first playoff appearance but all the way to first place. <br>
</li>
<li>Fowles, by just about any statistical measure, is having the better season and as the best player should be considered the MVP. <br>
</li>
</ul>
<p>There's merit to both of these positions, which might have been reflected in<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/19/4750406/candace-parker-2013-wnba-mvp"> the actual MVP voting</a> in which Delle Donne ended up third and Fowles ended up fourth.</p>
<p>First, there's a lot to be said for the fact that the top three usage rates on the team belong to (in order) Allie Quigley (25.22%)*, Delle Donne (24.51%), and Epiphanny Prince (23.48%). Should the shots be distributed that way, with Fowles fourth in usage (a moderate 21.54%)? That's debatable. But that ordering - combined with the fact that the Sky were only fifth in points in the paint this season - does point to something else about the Sky: they are prone to become a very perimeter oriented, one-on-one team at times. And when they do start playing hero ball on the perimeter, there's little question about who bails them out in those situations: Elena Delle Donne.</p>
<p>Their numbers don't end up so skewed that it jumps off the page: according to the shot distribution statistics <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wnba.com/media/lynx/2013LeaguePctByDistance.pdf">provided by the Minnesota Lynx</a>, the Sky's shot distribution is relatively normal. But where it often shows up is in touches: Fowles can still go for long stretches of time without touching the ball or getting it in position to score. Yes, it's a normal shot distribution, but with Delle Donne's ability to drive and Fowles on the blocks, it probably <i>shouldn't</i> be normal - it probably should be skewed toward the interior; watch their games closely and you'll see more than one occasion where Fowles is wide open in the post and nobody even looks at her.</p>
<p>So in one sense, yes: Delle Donne could be considered the Sky's MVP because it gives them an option when they decide to ignore Fowles in the post.</p>
<p>But for now, we'll stay close to the numbers.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="read-more">
<b>More</b>: <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/2013/9/20/4753242/wnba-playoffs-2013-preview-chicago-sky-vs-indiana-fever" target="new">Sky-Fever series storystream</a> <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/19/4749030/2013-wnba-regular-season-statistics-playoffs" target="new">How the Sky stack up with the rest of the league</a> <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/20/4752366/wnba-rookie-of-the-year-2013-elena-delle-donne" target="new">Elena Delle Donne to be named rookie of the year</a>
</div>
<h4>The Chicago Sky</h4>
<p><b>MVP: Sylvia Fowles, C (MVP rating: 13.32)</b></p>
<p>Fowles had the highest MVP rating in the league this year, primarily on the strength of her league-high 14.7 rebounds per game. But it didn't hurt that she also led the team in scoring efficiency (62.2% true shooting percentage), free throw rate (53.55%) and, of course, blocks among players with 250 minutes or more.</p>
<p>Yet more importantly, Fowles had the highest offensive rebounding rate of any (qualified) player in the Eastern Conference (13.5%), which makes her a huge presence in the paint when taken together with her free throw rate. And really it's within that offensive rebounding ability that Fowles' value to the Sky becomes most clear.</p>
<p><b>Strengths: offensive rebounding, second chance points, ball control </b></p>
<p>The Sky lead the WNBA in second chance points (12.76) and Fowles is no doubt a major part of that effort as the team's only consistent offensive rebounder in the rotation.</p>
<p>But their rebounding is a group thing as well: players like Epiphanny Prince, Shay Murphy and Tamera Young rebound well for their size (offensive rebounding percentages of 5.16%, 8.83% and 8.33%) to help them to a league-high 30.5% offensive rebounding rate as a team. That ability to extend possessions goes nicely with their ability to control the ball: they had the best turnover rate in the Eastern Conference (14.2%), which is probably why they also led the conference in defending points off turnovers.</p>
<p>Yet the value of that strength on the boards as a team - and of Fowles individually - is really highlighted by the team's weaknesses.</p>
<p><b>Weaknesses: Inconsistent shooting, scoring depth, allowing second chance points</b></p>
<p>The Sky's shooting efficiency for the season (45.5% eFG%) is actually just below league average it was lower than that in the second half of the season: they were basically even with opponents in shooting efficiency. Part of that could be explained by shot selection, which can occasionally lead to missed shots. But the fact remains that the Sky are a very average shooting team overall with three primary scorers (Delle Donne, Fowles, Prince) - if any of those players is off their games or not getting shots, the Sky will struggle. So the second chance point opportunities that Fowles creates are huge for this particular team.</p>
<p>The same goes for the other end of the floor: the Sky gave up the fourth-most second chance points in the league (11.74) despite allowing only the least offensive rebounds 25.4%. Without going into a deep analysis of why teams are converting second chance points so well against the Sky, it's fair to say that they're lucky that they have a center who dominates the defensive glass too (28.39%).</p>
<p>
<style type="text/css"></style></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<colgroup>
<col width="46*">
<col width="28*">
<col width="36*">
<col width="41*">
<col width="34*">
<col width="72*">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="LEFT"><b>Team Pre-All-Star</b></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Adj Synergy</b></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Chi</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">46.19%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">30.97%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">30.08%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">14.32%</p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER">0.36</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Opp</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">42.86%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">26.36%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">23.76%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">13.36%</p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER">0.36</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="21" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Weighted</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER"><b>MEV diff:</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Chi</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">0.33</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">0.10</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">0.27</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.08</p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER">15.05</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="LEFT"><b>Team Post-All-Star</b></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Adj Synergy</b></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Chi</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">44.86%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">34.22%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">30.83%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">14.10%</p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER">0.36</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Opp</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">44.90%</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">24.69%</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">27.10%</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">16.26%</p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER">0.32</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Weighted</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFg%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>FTA/FGA</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER">MEV diff:</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="18%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Chi</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">0.00</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">0.20</p>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<p align="CENTER">0.16</p>
</td>
<td width="13%">
<p align="CENTER">0.18</p>
</td>
<td width="28%">
<p align="CENTER">12.13</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p align="center"><i> 2013 regular season Four Factors statistics for the Chicago Sky. </i></p>
<p><b>X-factor: Courtney Vandersloot, PG (MVP: 7.68)</b></p>
<p>Really, this should just be "backcourt play": the Sky's starting backcourt of Prince and Courtney Vandersloot has performed significantly better in wins than in losses. But Vandersloot's performances speak more directly to some of the points above.</p>
<table border="1" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><b>Vandersloot</b></td>
<td><b>FG%</b></td>
<td><b>PPR</b></td>
<td><b>FT Rate</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Games won</td>
<td>40.9%</td>
<td>5.32</td>
<td>34.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Games lost</td>
<td>36%</td>
<td>0.53</td>
<td>8%</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p align="center"><i>Courtney Vandersloot's 2013 regular season statistics in wins and losses.</i></p>
<p>Vandersloot's role as a scorer hasn't terribly important to this team because they have so two other ball-dominant scorers on the perimeter. But that free throw rate discrepancy really stands out nonetheless: 8% would be fourth-lowest of any player in the entire league; 34.1% is elite for a point guard.</p>
<p>Free throw rate is usually a pretty good proxy for how often a player - and especially a point guard - is attacking the paint where they're more likely to draw fouls instead of settling for jumpers or simply remaining passive. And for a player who shoots as poorly as Vandersloot has from the field, getting those free points is huge (she's an 83.3% free throw shooter).</p>
<p>Yet more importantly - for both Vandersloot and Prince, as it turns out - is that pure point rating: that's the difference between elite and mediocre efficiency for a point guard. For a team that has offensive weapons, including Fowles, that's big and makes their offense function much more smoothly due to a point guard who's playing aggressively and making smart decisions.</p>
<p>In short, Vandersloot has been an elite point guard when the Sky win; in their losses, she's not even a starter-caliber player. We should probably assume that this is not lost on Lin Dunn and the Indiana Fever coaching staff.</p>
<p><b>Why to root for the Sky: This team can be lethal when things are clicking<br></b></p>
<p>There has been quite a bit of debate around here about the Sky's coaching and some of the points made above could be considered fodder for that. But when things are clicking, they can be a dominant team that few teams in the league would be able to stop. After years of losing, it's great to see a player as dominant as Syliva Fowles finally get her shot at a title on a team with a dominant rising star in Delle Donne. Take your pick on which is MVP, but all that dominance can be fun to watch when playing together.</p>
<p><b>Key to victory: Shooting efficiency</b></p>
<p>As described previously though, the Sky are a very average shooting team overall. In the second half of the season, they've been slightly below average. In contrast, the Fever have improved in the second half of the season almost match the Sky's second half shooting (44.21% eFG%). With Katie Douglas back in action, the Fever will potentially have another long-range threat that could boost their efficiency a bit.</p>
<p>The last thing the Sky want to do in this series is find themselves being outshot by a Fever team that's bombing away from the 3-point line.</p>
<p><i>For more on this series from a Fever perspective, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/20/4751284/wnba-playoffs-preview-2013-indiana-fever-tamika-catchings">the other half of the preview.</a></i></p>
<h4>Notes:</h4>
<p>* In fairness, Quigley only plays 9.4 minutes per game.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/20/4752448/wnba-playoffs-2013-chicago-sky-vs-indiana-feverNate P2013-09-20T12:09:33-04:002013-09-20T12:09:33-04:00AP: Delle Donne to be named rookie of the year
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</figure>
<p>The only real question about the 2013 WNBA rookie of the year race was whether Elena Delle Donne would win it unanimously.</p>
<p>But the first step down that path has now been taken as the AP is reporting that Elena Delle Donne will be named the rookie of the year, not that anyone who actually watches basketball and understands what they're seeing is surprised by this.</p>
<p>From <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ap-source-chicagos-delle-donne-050446345--wnba.html">the article</a> (via<a target="_blank" href="http://lovewomensbasketball.com/2013/09/20/ap-elena-delle-donne-to-be-named-wnba-rookie-of-the-year/"> LoveWomensBasketball</a>):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne has won the WNBA rookie of the year, said a person familiar with the situation.</p>
<p>Delle Donne will receive the award Friday night in Chicago before the Sky play the Indiana Fever in the opener of their Eastern Conference playoff series, the person said.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What might be more interesting is the All-Rookie team, which is voted on by the coaches.</p>
<p><i>For more on Delle Donne and the rest of this year's rookies, check out<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/8/18/4632906/wnba-rookie-race-2013-elena-delle-donne-brittney-griner"> our 2013 WNBA rookie watch storystream</a>.</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/20/4752366/wnba-rookie-of-the-year-2013-elena-delle-donneNate P