SANDY BRONDELLO

(AP Photo/Chase Stevens) (Chase Stevens)Diana Taurasi has the Phoenix Mercury back in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2014. It's the first time since the WNBA changed its playoff format in 2016 that neither of the top two teams made it to the finals. GETTING A HEAD STARTChicago decided to fly to Las Vegas on Friday before the finals matchup was set. BIGTIME FANFormer President Barack Obama tweeted his congratulations to the Chicago Sky for making the finals. Congratulations to the (at) ChicagoSky for making it to the WNBA finals, and to the legend, (at) Candace_Parker for making all of us proud.

Diana Taurasi scored 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter, and Brittney Griner had 28 points and nine rebounds as the Phoenix Mercury beat the Las Vegas Aces 87-84 to advance to the WNBA Finals.

The WNBA playoff chase may come down to the final day of the regular season on Sept. 19.

The WNBA season is only a few weeks old and there already have been five games that have decided in overtime.

(Olaf Lange via AP)Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello called her husband Olaf Lange and good-naturedly ribbed him that he was late for a zoom interview. The first-year Chicago Sky assistant replied that he was logging in as they were speaking. While they have been living apart the first two weeks in the bubble, they have gotten together for a few family meals. The two met years ago in Germany when Brondello was playing and Lange was a young assistant coach on that team. Theyve coached together in San Antonio and in Russia and Lange is an assistant for Brondello with theustralian national team.