Mystics vs. Sun in the WNBA Finals is a basketball nerd’s dream

The 2019 WNBA Finals are here, and we’re getting a matchup between the two best teams in the league. This series is going to have plenty of spice thanks to the eminently quotable Courtney Williams and Natasha “weight room” Cloud. It’s going to have a generational talent with MVP Elena Delle Donne. Hanging over it all is a constant feeling from both sides that they’re somehow the underdog.

However this wrings out, history will be made. Neither the the No. 1 Washington Mystics nor No. 2 Connecticut Sun has ever won a WNBA title. Washington is sure to be the favorite, having beaten the Sun by 43 points the last time these teams played back in July. But a lot has changed since then.

If the Sun stand any chance against the Mystics, they’ll have to stop the best offense the league has ever seen and the unicorn that fuels it. This has been Delle Donne’s season from start to finish. She has a second MVP trophy and a claim to the 50/40/90 shooting club to show, but a title remains the missing piece for one of the game’s greatest. In six prior seasons, she hasn’t been able to get it done. Last year, her Mystics team reached the Finals, but was swept.

The Sun have the talent to compete with Washington and its position-less group of shooters. Williams and Jasmine Thomas can get hot in the backcourt quick, and Shekinna Strickland, Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones can all hold their own defending in the post and beyond.

This matchup is going to be the ultimate chess match for Sun head coach Curt Miller and Mystics head coach Mike Thibault. Each game could look wildly different from one defensive arrangement to the next.

Here’s what to watch for.

The Sun’s guard has been one of the best players of the WNBA postseason, and she and her dad have let everyone know along the way. With each Williams basket, her dad, typically decked out in his daughter’s bright orange jersey and a hat, revs up the crowd like the ultimate hype man.

And there’s been a helluva lot to cheer for. In a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Sparks, Williams averaged 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

When Williams’ dad isn’t screaming from the sidelines, he’s her ultimate postgame supporter, too. If night’s end like this, Washington’s in trouble:

Williams’ athleticism, shot-making, and competitive fire will be a stark contrast to the calm, cool, and collected Mystics. Williams carries herself like a star. In many ways, the playoffs have been a platform for her to gain national acclaim. To reach another level, all she has to do is go through one of the most powerful teams the WNBA has seen in its recent history.

Most players would see a matchup against this Mystics team as reason to worry. Williams sees it as an opportunity. This is her moment.

Delle Donne has all the WNBA accolades she could ever want, Olympic medals, prestige as a leader in jersey sales and All-Star votes, but the one thing she’s missing is a championship ring. Now’s her chance.

Delle Donne forced a trade to the Mystics from the Chicago Sky in 2017 to move closer to her hometown in Delaware. Since her arrival, the team’s built the perfect core to surround her, including the signings of Kristi Toliver and LaToya Sanders. And Delle Donne’s been spectacular in each season. A deep bone bruise hampered her through last year’s Finals sweep to the Seattle Storm, but she’s healthy now, and has the core to win.

D.C.’s been without a title since its inception in 1998, and just enjoyed its best and most dominant season to date. But what’s it all mean if the team falls short?

Meesseman sat out the 2018 season to compete overseas, and she was sorely missed in the Finals by a Washington team swept by Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart’s Seattle Storm. Now she’s back, and she’s raising hell.

In a 3-1 semifinals win over the Las Vegas Aces, Meesseman, the 6’4 stretch big, was the series’ star. In three games, she scored 22, 27 and 30 points, and knocked down 11-of-17 threes for the series.

If she lets loose again, it’s curtains.