, too, in Sundays showdown. Forward Tina Charles is averag

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Chicago point guard Courtney Vandersloot stood in the hallway outside the Skys locker room, her wet hair still up in a towel. She didnt look the part of a fearsome nemesis. But to Atlanta, thats exactly what she was.Vandersloot had the best playoff game of her six-year career in Sundays 108-98 victory at Allstate Arena: 21 points, 13 assists and four steals.We were so ready to play, she said. Super ready.And from an 8-0 run to start the game, right through to the end, Vandersloot and the Sky took all those pregame predictions of an Atlanta victory, wadded them up, and tossed them into the trash.The fourth-seeded Sky were on fire most of the afternoon, shooting 55 percent from the field, and the No. 6 seed Dream just couldnt extinguish it.The second-round victory advances Chicago to a best-of-five WNBA semifinal series with No. 2 Los Angeles. And no, your eyes do not deceive you: The Sky, even without leading scorer Elena Delle Donne, really did hit 108 points.That ties the WNBA postseason record for a regulation game. Only one playoff game in WNBA history has seen teams score more points: Game 1 of the 2009 WNBA finals, when Phoenix beat Indiana 120-116 in overtime.Sundays game exemplifies one of the reasons we love to watch sports. No matter how much you think you know what will happen, you can still sometimes be totally wrong. Most folks probably thought that Chicago, minus Delle Donnes 21.5 scoring average, was going to last for just one playoff game.Sure, the Sky had won three of five games to end the regular season after Delle Donne suffered a thumb injury on Sept. 7. But considering the Dream were coming off a game in which they shot 53.1 percent and beat Seattle 94-85 -- even without their second-leading scorer, Tiffany Hayes -- Sundays contest definitely seemed to favor Atlanta.Especially with Hayes back. She sat out a one-game suspension after getting her seventh technical foul to end the regular season. And if we had told you beforehand that Hayes would score 30 points Sunday, just two off her career high, Angel McCoughtry would have 27, and the Dreams other three starters also would be in double figures, what would you have said? Poor, poor Sky, right?Hardly. The Sky obviously would have preferred not to give up 98 points; theyre always concerned about their defense. Vandersloot said its the thing they talk about constantly. But when youre as good offensively as Chicago was Sunday, that takes away a lot of worry.Even with Delle Donne in cheerleader mode on the bench, the Sky were bursting with confidence offensively. They got points from sources you would expect, such as veteran guard Cappie Pondexters 16, and sixth-woman specialist Allie Quigleys eight.But what about Jessica Breland, who like Vandersloot had the best playoff game of her career? Breland is a natural power forward who will do whatever Chicago coach Pokey Chatman asks. Play small forward in a big lineup? OK. Play center in a small lineup. OK. Do a Delle Donne impersonation when the Skys season was on the line? Sure, why not?Both Chatman and Atlanta coach Michael Cooper referred to Breland as an X factor, and she lived up to that and more, finishing with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 16 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.Whatever the categorical opposite of trash talker is, thats Breland. She barely says a word, just does her job.Shes like a silent killer, you know? Vandersloot said. Shes filling Elenas shoes, really, and she looked comfortable out there today.Then there was forward Tamera Young, who took on most of the responsibility for slowing down McCoughtry in the second half. McCoughtry had 37 points on 14-of-21 shooting Wednesday against Seattle. Sunday, she had 21 points on 7-of- 11 shooting in the first half. But led by Young, the Sky held McCoughtry to just six more points on 2-of-10 shooting in the second half.Its tough to guard their best player but still hit your own shots, Vandersloot said of Young, who had 16 points. To have a player like that on your team is everything. We see how hard shes working defensively, and it just makes everybody come together.We also have to mention Chicago rookie center Imani Boyette. She brought what the Sky expected in rebounding (11) and defense (six blocked shots), but also added eight points.Pulling it all together was Vandersloot. Cooper referred to her as my nemesis going back to college. When Cooper was coach of the womens hoops team at Southern California, he faced Gonzaga twice when Vandersloot was a star for the Bulldogs. She had 11 points and nine assists in 2009, when Gongaza beat USC, and 19 and five in 2010, when the USC beat Gonzaga.In the 2014 WNBA playoffs, Chicago upset East No. 1 seed Atlanta 2-1. Cooper was in his first season back in the WNBA then. And even though Delle Donne did much of the scoring damage in that series, Vandersloot had 20 assists. And Cooper, one of the NBAs premier defenders in his playing days, knows exactly how much impact a point guard has that doesnt show up statistically.Shes the type of player you need; shes a true leader, Cooper said of Vandersloot. She knows the pace of the game that they want to play, and she really dictates that tempo. She gets the ball where its needed.Vandersloot suffered an ankle sprain early this season in practice, then hurt it again in a game. She missed three games with the injury, but it lingered as a factor in limiting her effectiveness in several other games. She had to play through the pain, knowing when she got to the Olympic break, shed finally be able to let her ankle fully heal.I couldnt practice to full capacity, and I couldnt get back into the flow in games, Vandersloot said. I knew I just needed some time to get my body right.Of course, then the Sky lost Delle Donne shortly after the Olympic break. That could have been a devastating blow to Chicago. Frankly, most people expected it would be. But the Sky has adjusted, and now they head to Los Angeles knowing that while they may be underdogs, they believe they can compete.And after watching them Sunday, you have to agree with them.Discount Air Max Australia .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Wholesale Air Max Australia .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. http://www.australiawholesaleairmax.com/ . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Cheap Air Max Shoes On Sale . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Air Max Shoes Australia . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman.The New York Liberty are one of the best and hottest teams in the WNBA, but they have not beaten the Los Angeles Sparks this season.The Liberty, 12-5 and winners of eight of their past nine games, get their final regular-season shot at the Sparks on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center.Los Angeles (15-1) sits atop the league, having already pocketed a pair of victories against New York. They won 79-72 in overtime in Madison Square Garden on May 21 and 100-77 in Los Angeles on June 7.Im really proud of what were doing, Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike told SBNation.com.Were doing an awesome job of just narrowing the focus. We have a microscope on every game, and were not looking too far into our telescope. Were just doing a great job of focusing on what we know we need to do today.Ogwumike, who turned 26 Saturday, is having an MVP-like season, averaging 18.4 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting an astounding 70.4 percent from the field to lead the WNBA. She is coming off a career-high 38-point game, making 13 of 14 shots, in Fridays home win over the Atlanta Dream.ddddddddddddIn two games against the Liberty, she has 43 points and 25 rebounds.The Sparks have two other prime offensive weapons in center Candace Parker (16.3 points per game, team-best 4.6 assists) and guard Kristi Tolliver (14.3 points per game, third in the league at 48.4 percent on 3-point shots).New York will feature an MVP candidate, too, in Sundays showdown. Forward Tina Charles is averaging a WNBA-best 22.8 points per game.She has been playing with a face mask to protect a broken nose; after missing one game, she returned Friday to post 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 99-88 win at Phoenix. Charles was held to seven points when she played in Los Angeles last month.Liberty guard Sugar Rodgers averages 16.4 points and has scored at least 22 points in three consecutive games. She has made a league-high 50 3-pointers. ' ' '