esota has an Olympic quartet of Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus. The group helped lead the U.S. to a sixth conse

All season long the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks have been the best two teams in the WNBA.Thanks to the new playoff format, the pair of Western Conference teams will meet in the WNBA Finals. Game 1 is Sunday.A year ago these two powerhouses would have played in the conference finals with the winner being a huge favorite to go on and win the championship. The Western Conference champion has won the leagues title in six of the last seven years.Its going to be a great matchup, Minnesota forward Maya Moore said. I think the Sparks and the Lynx have shown that were the best two teams in the league. There have been some really fun games to play in and to watch during the regular season. I think youre going to see the best of the best at their best for a good series.Minnesota is trying to win its second straight title and fourth in the last six year. The Lynx would be the first repeat champion since Los Angeles did it in 2001 and 2002. A win by the Sparks would be their first title since then and the first for Candace Parker.Yeah, it has hit me. I think Ive learned to appreciate it and absorb the moment and to not take it for granted, Parker said. Thats the biggest thing, just realizing that it is an opportunity and while youre here focused on business, you can still understand that youre here and youve worked really hard to get here.Here are some things to look for in the WNBA Finals:STAR POWER: Each team has a plethora of talent. Los Angeles is led by league MVP Nneka Ogwumike and Parker. Ogwumike had an incredible season, shooting a league-best 66.5 percent from the field, the second highest mark ever. She averaged a career-best 19.7 points and 9.1 rebounds to help. Parker had another great year and is in the finals for the first time in her career.On the other side, Minnesota has an Olympic quartet of Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus. The group helped lead the U.S. to a sixth consecutive gold medal and now has a chance to win another title.Both Parker and Moore have excelled when playing each other in the postseason. In five games, four won by Minnesota, Moore averaged 24 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Parker had 25.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists.GOING FOR FOUR: A championship would give Minnesota four, matching the Lynx with Houston for the most titles all-time in league history. The Comets won the first four championships in league history, but never made it back after 2000. The franchise folded after the 2008 season.TIP-INS: The road team won all three games during the regular season. ... Minnesotas coach Cheryl Reeve won the leagues coach of the year award. Los Angeles coach Brian Agler was the AP coach of the year. ... Sylvia Fowles was the consensus defensive player of the year and Jantel Lavender the sixth woman winner.20 AND COUNTING: The leagues 20th season has been stellar with all the metrics trending in the right direction. Attendance was up nearly 5 percent. So were merchandise sales, digital clicks and social media connection.QUOTABLE: Were kind of meeting our match, if you will, Reeve said. How we get things done is a little different. But both teams can score, both can defend. Its going to be a fight. Nike Air Max Outlet . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Nike Air Max Sale . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. https://www.fakeairmaxwholesale.com/ . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Nike Air Max From China . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Nike Air Max Clearance . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. ATLANTA -- Reshanda Gray had 22 points and 10 rebounds -- both career highs -- and Angel McCoughtry scored five points during a decisive late run to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Dallas Wings 93-88 on Friday night.Layshia Clarendon had 17 points, including five free throws in the final 23 seconds, and Bria Holmes scored 13 points for the Dream (13-12). McCoughtry finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots.McCoughtry scored five consecutive points to give Atlanta a 88-83 lead with 1:16 left. Clarendon made five of six foul shots down the strettch to hold off the Wings.ddddddddddddDallas (9-16) trailed 75-62 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter, but used a 12-3 run to pull within two early in the fourth. Plenette Pierson made a layup and then hit a 3-pointer to make it 83-all with 4:07 to go.Skylar Diggins led Dallas with 29 points, and Pierson had 15 points and seven assists.Atlanta, ranked fourth in the AP WNBA power poll, outrebounded the Wings 46-33.Eighth-ranked Dallas has lost six straight. ' ' '