The Seattle Storm are off to a disappointing start if you are a local WNBA fan, but the defending champion Lynx are looking like they have the tools to repeat. Here are the second installment of my WNBA power rankings.
1. Minnesota Lynx (4-0), The Lynx having been beating up on just anyone. The Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury are both good teams. This team looks like it has the potential to not only win another championship, but perhaps be one of the best teams in the history of the league.
2. Connecticut Sun (3-0), The Sun were one of the best in the East last year and are off to a undefeated start in 2012. Friday night’s game with Minnesota will test just how good Connecticut really is.
3. Los Angeles Sparks (3-1), This team might be the most improved team in the league and opening with two wins against the always competitive Storm probably boosted its confidence that much more. The Sparks only loss this season is to the Lynx, but L.A. might get closer to Minnesota’s level by the end of the season.
4. Indiana Fever (3-0), The Fever’s next two games are against the New York Liberty. Can you say 5-0?
5. Phoenix Mercury (1-2), Now we get into the teams with not-so-impressive records, but the Mercury’s two losses have come at the hands of the Lynx and Sparks. Phoenix still plays the most uptempo game in the league and shouldn’t have much trouble getting back on track.
6. San Antonio Silver Stars (1-1), This might be based more on a hunch than anything, but I think that the Silver Stars collection of young talent is going to make them a contender in the West this season, upcoming game against Chicago and Phoenix should test them some.
7. Atlanta Dream (1-2), The Dream have stumbled out of the gates a bit, but remember they did the same thing last season and represented the East in the WNBA Finals. The Dream have the talent to beat any team on any given night.
8. Chicago Sky (1-1), Still not much of a track record for the Sky, but the pieces they have should make them much better this season. They just need to play some upper-tier teams so that we have a better idea where they stand.
9. Seattle Storm (0-3), It can’t be a good sign that the Storm lost their opener after having a 21-point lead in the third quarter. They haven’t recovered well either, losing two more games since. But, the Storm still have a good collection of talent and all they have to do is remain in the mix until Lauren Jackson gets back and they should be able to make a playoff run.
10. Washington Mystics (1-1), The bottom three teams in the league are pretty bad, but the Mystics are the only one of them with a win, so by default they take the No. 10 spot.
11. Tulsa Shock (0-3), The Shock are bad, but should be much-improved. That doesn’t necessarily mean much, they went 3-31 last season. They will still be near the bottom of the league. My prediction is eight wins for the season. I could be right, I called 3-31 last year in the second week of the season.
12. New York Liberty (0-4) 0-6 looks extremely likely. See Indiana at No. 4.
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