WNBA preview: Commissioner’s Cup 101, Mercury/Lynx Matchups for the week

The Commissioner’s Cup, the WNBA mid -season competition, officially ended this past Sunday. For those who need a soda, the curator’s cup was established in 2020, which came from the league and the last collective bargaining agreement of the Union of Players. The intention was to provide players more opportunities to make money while developing stories based on potential conferences and rivalries, especially since the WNBA playoffs do not take into account the conferences. With a global pandemic that launched the world in 2020, the Cup did not officially debut until 2021 when the Seattle storm defeated the Sun Connecticut 79-57.

The format for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup is as follows: Each team plays a game against each team in their conference, and any team has the highest winning percentage reaches the final of the Commissioner’s Cup. With the Golden State Vrykyries now in the Plec as the 13th WNBA team, the West Conference teams will play six games in the Cup instead of five, and the Western conference teams will have a three -game division of three three -game games and the Cup Cup. While the East Conference teams will play fewer games, some will have fewer games at home than others. For example, Atlanta’s dream will play three of its five cup games on the road, while Indiana’s fever will play three of its home game games.

If the teams are linked at the time the Cup matches are completed, the WNBA has three levels of tie. The first is decided by the midpoint differential in every game of the cup that the league slaysAnd then the second tiebreaker is determined by the head -to -head coincidences. For example, if minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas’s birds are tied in the percentage of global winner, but Lynx defeated ACES during one of the previous Cup matches, Lynx broke the equalizer and move forward in the final. The third tiebreaker is a flip of coins, which has not yet been used in the history of the Cup of four seasons.

What makes the WNBA commissioner’s cup unique in the NBA season tournament, the NBA Cup is how each WNBA team is associated with a local charity organization of their own choice, and with the match of each curator’s cup winning a team, the money is awarded to the team chosen.

This season some franchises they have chosen Its local branches ACLU, while other teams have chosen organizations that aim to address issues such as youth criminalization, the massive, mental and physical health of women and hate speech. Charitable organizations have $ 3,000 for each team’s Cup victories, $ 1,000 for each loss of the Cup, and then an additional $ 10,000 are provided to the Cup winner, while the runner -up charity receives $ 5,000 in addition to the rest of the earnings that accumulated from the previous Cup matches.

Teams that reach the final, which will be held on July 1, will be welcomed by the team with the highest winning percentage will have the opportunity to win a $ 500,000 awards set, as well as $ 120,000 in Cryptomoneda, which includes $ 5,000 for each player in the Commissioner’s Cup final.

Last week ended with some victories of the Commissioner’s Cup for Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aes and Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty, who had a historic 100-52 Beatdown of the connecticut Sun. From Tuesday night teams like the Washington Mystic, Dallas’s fever and wings will begin their cup games while sleeping and sky will start more at the end of the week.

The dream is mounting a four-game winning streak, only second in Liberty and Lynx 7-0. The sparks of Los Angeles, Seattle Storm and Fever have struggled last week and are currently setting up three games.

June has contributed multiple Difficulty contracts In the league, as the teams have treated unforeseen injuries and will continue to treat more absences as players go to the FIBA ​​Eurobasket tournament. The following games to watch this week are all the Games of the Commissioner’s Cup, and all the games of June 17 will also have this designation.

Washington Mysics @ Indiana Fever

(Tuesday, June 3 at 19:00 et a la NBA TV)

The Indiana fever has been without the guard of the star point Caitlin Clark for only two games and, therefore, the fever has lost both competitions. In the first against Washington’s Mystics, the fever had zero fast points, a key part of its offensive identity that is usually headed by Clark. And then days later he lost to Sun 85-83 in a match where both Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson left the game with his legs. Cunningham returned to make the right ankle that crushed before In a pre -season match of May 10. Will not play on Tuesday. Now with veteran guard Aari McDonald signed a Emergency Difficulty ContractThe fever will have a two -point guard that can play with rhythm and can put pressure on the edge. While Colson will play on Tuesday night after also leaving the Sun with an injury to the legs, the fever can use it as a guard in 3 and D instead of general on the floor. How will McDonald be adapted to fever? Only for this uncertainty is this game worth seeing.

Phoenix Mercury @ Minnesota Lynx

(Tuesday, June 3 at 8 pm et a espn3)

The Mercury lost 74-71 against Lynx at home on May 30 at almost the last second in a triple clutch by Natisha Hiedeman. Now Phoenix gets another crack on the Lynx on the road this time, but now the bets are even higher, as both teams seek to keep them uninvicted at the Western Conference for the Commissioner’s Cup. With the MVP Front-Runner Naphesa Collier playing resale after losing the first game with a knee injury, such as Mercury’s Defends much improved Adapt? And without Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack be available, yes most recently added Haley Jones has more running? How was Megan McConnell signed, which Phoenix signed after resigning the Guardia Sevgi Uzun due to his Eurobasket commitments, after joining the list again? McConnell, a former Atlantic Year 10 player at the University, was with mercury in the training camp and the preseason.

Atlanta Dream @ Connecticut Sun

(Friday, June 6 at 19:30 et a ion)

The sun was ashamed this past Sunday for freedom, and the star daycare Marina Mabrey is still embarrassed after publishing the worst Besides/less in the history of the league. Mabrey told Lynx Guards Courtney Williams and Hedeman to a Twitch Livestream As is still embarrassed by loss. “Do you know how embarrassing it was?” He told Williams and Hedeman. “This is *** hurt inside my soul. I’m still angry.” What an angry will be Mabrey and his team when they play the dream, the third best crime In the League four days after being exploited by New York? Atlanta also tries the Third more threads In the league behind Golden State and New York. This will be a lot to handle by the sun, although the dream also has the sixth loses Defense in the League. I hope this is much closer to the pride of the line.

Las Vegas Aes @ Golden State Valkyries

(Saturday, June 7 at 15:00 et a espn+)

Acees are underway after a shameful loss of 102-82 in the Seattle Storm on May 25. Since then, ACES have won two in a row, including a 96-81 defeat of the sparks, damaging Kelsey Plum’s repay in Las Vegas for the first time since it was marketed. A’ja Wilson scored 35 points, had 13 rebounds and six assists in a performance that earned him the western conference award of the week, the prize, the 23rd time He has won the prize. The Aces sought their revenge on the storm a couple of days later, defeating them closely 75-70.

While the Valkyries have lost three in a row, this will be the first time that the main coach Natalie Nakase faces his former team and his mentor to ACES lead coach Becky Hammon. Nakase knows how the donkeys are played as the back of their hand, and I hope the Valkyries are hungry for a third victory. Golden State constantly plays strongly regardless of the result and could give the ACES in the first game playing in the area of ​​the bay.

Indiana Fever @ Chicago Sky

(Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm et a CBS)

Although Caitlin Clark probably will not yet play in this game, it is still worth seeing how Chicago can take advantage of a more vulnerable Indiana team. Rivalries are built by story rather than by individuals. One of the key moments of Liberty and Aces rivalry was when the Aes prevailed and won in a game 4 of the 2023 WNBA finals when two of their headlines could not play. How does Angel Reese continue to find his way after a start of the season lasts with a double of 10.2-12.3 double while shooting 31.1% of the field? Courtney Vandersloot has returned to his expected self, with an average of 12 points and 6.2 assists in six games played so far. Vandersloot made the story of Chicago Sky on May 29 when she taken The highest scorer in the sky, passing his wife Allie Quigley in the process. Can the sky get your third victory or this starting fever team can be found out without clearing on the ground?