It doesn’t get much more iconic in the WNBA than Diana Taurasi against Candace Parker. That’s what fans will get when the Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky square off in the 2021 WNBA Finals, which begin Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.

It certainly wasn’t the matchup we expected to see when the playoffs began. Phoenix, the No. 5 seed, and Chicago, the No. 6 seed, both played in the opening elimination round, and both needed to knock off the respective top-2 seeds in the league to get here.

Sportsbooks believe this will be a close five-game series, with Taurasi’s Mercury slight -125 favorites against Parker’s Sky at +105 on most betting apps. The Sky are gunning for their first championship in franchise history, while the Mercury will look for their fourth title.

The rise of the Mercury comes at a great time for Arizona sports betting fans, who can now legally bet on their team. Sky fans have been able to wager on their team for considerably longer on Illinois sports betting sites.

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WNBA Finals 2021 Odds

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Mercury Rides Red-Hot Offense

We’ll try to avoid too many heat puns, but the Mercury’s offense has been rising in the postseason. The No. 2 offense during the regular season has exploded over the last seven games, leading the WNBA with a 109.5 rating (Las Vegas led the regular season with a 107.1 rating).

They’ve done so by picking up the pace — they ranked second-to-last in pace in the regular season but are third in the postseason — and some impressive performances by center Brittney Griner (21.0 points, 57.4% FG), Taurasi (19.7 points, 4.0 assists) and Skylar Diggins-Smith (14.6 points, 5.7 assists).

It’s worth noting that Phoenix is banged up right now, with Taurasi battling a sprained ankle and the Mercury without Kia Nurse, who tore her ACL in Game 4 of the semifinals. But Taurasi looked plenty healthy in knocking off the Aces, and Griner and Diggins-Smith make for a three-headed monster that will be tough to beat.

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Balanced Approach Key For Sky

If you’ve got Candace Parker, you’ve got a chance. The 35-year-old legend is a two-time league MVP, WNBA Finals MVP and champion with the LA Sparks in 2016. The Sky will continue to lean on her with her postseason averages of 13.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

She won’t be alone. Chicago has used a balanced attack that includes Kahleah Cooper (18.2 points), Courtney Vandersloot (14.0 points, 8.7 assists), Allie Quigley (13.3 points, 2.5 3-pointers) and Azura Stevens (10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds).

Chicago knocked off the top-seeded Sun and No. 3 Lynx to get here, so it’s riding with as much momentum as they could be at this point in the season. Though we mentioned their offensive threats, the Sky’s defense has been the best in the league in the postseason after ranking sixth in the regular season. They’ll need that defense to continue thriving to slow down what the Mercury are doing right now.

Our WNBA Finals 2021 Pick

Both these teams have put together historic postseasons, coming all the way from the first round of single elimination games to the Finals. These two teams are so close to one another and are peaking at the right time.

Phoenix may have the better topline talent, but the Sky are playing outstanding team basketball (and their talent isn’t anything to scoff at). We like the value Chicago brings here after they thumped the Sun in four games. We believe they’ll win this one in four games and bring home the franchise’s first title. Bet on it at FanDuel.

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