WNBA Finals 2014: Sky vs. Mercury Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction

The Phoenix Mercury are on a path toward WNBA immortality, and they didn't disappoint their fans in their 83-62 victory over the plucky Chicago Sky in Game 1 of the 2014 WNBA Finals.   

The Mercury finished the season at 29-5 and steamrolled through the playoffs, while the Sky flipped the script on the Eastern Conference and snuck into the Finals after entering the postseason with a losing record (15-19).

Here is a quarter-by-quarter look at the score from Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Chicago Sky	8	12	14	28	62
Phoenix Mercury	15	27	14	27	83

Mercury Rising, Sky Falling

The Mercury, led by the incomparable Diana Taurasi, jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. They outscored the Sky 15-8 in the first quarter, with Taurasi running the offense to perfection and finding Brittany Griner time and time again in the low post. 

WNBA analyst LaChina Robinson gave her take on the Sky's struggles:

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve noted that the legendary Taurasi was tough to corral in the playoffs, even when her team focused its game plan on limiting her play.

"We thought we had a pretty good strategy against her, and a way of playing that could be beneficial to us, " said Reeve, via espnW.com's Mechelle Voepel. "We were hopeful we could steal one more game from them, but Taurasi's intelligence is such that she unlocked a couple of holes that we weren't able to quickly adjust to."

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Griner has been an impossible matchup for most defenders throughout her career. When she burst onto the national scene in college as the centerpiece of an excellent Baylor University squad, it didn't take a high basketball I.Q. to see that her dominance would translate to the professional ranks.

She wasn't even the most dangerous offensive weapon on the night for the Mercury. That honor belonged to Candice Dupree, who poured in buckets all game long, making 13 out of 17 shots for a grand total of 26 points. 

WNBA veteran Chastity Melvin noted Dupree was perfect from the field in the first half:

"

#CandiceDupree gets a standing ovation at the half as she is 9-9 from the field with 18pts in the 1st half for @PhoenixMercury #WNBAFinals

— Chasity Melvin (@chasitymelvin) September 7, 2014"

The Mercury's quick ball movement and sharp shooting actually perked up during the second quarter, where they racked up an impressive 27 points and went into the locker room with a 42-20 advantage, a finals record per the WNBA:

The first-half numbers didn't flatter the Sky. They shot a measly 22 percent from the field, turned the ball over 10 times and managed just three assists as a team. Epiphanny Prince led the team with just six points. Of course, it's hard to score when the ball doesn't get anywhere close to the basket.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Griner finished with a staggering eight blocks on the night. Robinson decried those who doubted the impact Griner would have on the league:

The Mercury on the other hand, couldn't avoid the bottom of the net if they tried, shooting at a 65 percent clip in the first half. The disjointed play continued well into the second half, with the Sky unable to penetrate the Mercury's staunch defense and find easy buckets. Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot did come up with some nice plays in the midst of the debacle, per the WNBA:

The Sky's Sylvia Fowles did her best to hit the boards and pick up points for her squad, finishing the third quarter with a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds), but her efforts were futile.

Take a look at her stellar play, courtesy of the WNBA:

The Mercury coolly closed out the game in the fourth quarter, utilizing Dupree's ultra-smooth shooting stroke to devastating effect. Taurasi found her frontcourt star time and time again, ending the contest with 11 assists.

Barry Gossage/Getty Images

The combined play of Dupree, Taurasi and Griner elicited a divine response from this fan:

The Sky finished the game with a nice run of scoring, something they will hope carries over into Game 2. It looks like they will have to soldier on knowing star Elena Delle Donne will be hampered by a lingering back injury.

The Mercury have played the entire season at a level rarely seen in WNBA history. Barring some sort of miraculous reversal in play—a situation that would be farfetched even in a body-switching movie—this series will go to Phoenix. The series will play out in a similar fashion to Game 1, although expect the Sky to make their opponents work for their place in the pantheon of all-time great WNBA teams.

All stats courtesy of WNBA.com.