The Sparks have felt underestimated all year, and that might not change as we head into a new chapter of the WNBA postseason with two best-of-five semifinal series.The Minnesota-Phoenix matchup pits teams that have won six of the last nine WNBA titles. The other semifinal, Los Angeles versus Chicago, has a team that won its last of two titles 13 years ago and a team that has never won a championship -- and has felt underestimated since losing 2015 league MVP Elena Delle Donne to a thumb injury on Sept. 7.But one of the most intriguing things about the semifinals is how very little that went on in the regular season is actually an indicator of what were about to see.Phoenix had a losing record and was the last team to secure its playoff spot as the No. 8 seed. Yet the Mercury have ousted the Nos. 3 and 5 seeds in the single-elimination format and seem to be playing as we initially expected they would.Despite losing Delle Donne -- whose return doesnt seem likely -- the Sky still secured the No. 4 seed and then won their second-round playoff game 108-98 over No. 6 seed Atlanta.Los Angeles had one identity before the Olympic break, and a different one afterward. Now, with a week and a half away from competition to prepare for the semifinals, will the Sparks reboot and return to their more dominant selves of May-June-July?Then theres the team that wants the playoffs to go exactly as the regular season did: Minnesota, which finished a league-best (and franchise-best) 28-6. The defending champions wont beat themselves. If theyre to be defeated in a best-of-five series, it will take an extraordinary effort. Are any of the other three teams capable of that? Heres a look at both matchups.No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 8 PhoenixBeing a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament is usually not much fun. It means you have a first-round game against a team thats almost indistinguishable from you. So you and your near-twin, the No. 9 seed, duke it out just to see who has to face the top seed. (Save for 1998, the one year in the womens tournament when a No. 16 beat a No. 1. We wont mention the details, Stanford fans.)However, this isnt the NCAA tournament, where the gap between a No. 8 and a No. 1 is typically quite vast. Going into this season, most people expected Minnesota and Phoenix would be the top two in the 12-team league.The change in the playoff format, which did away with the division between conferences, was supposed to help prevent a matchup such as the Lynx versus Mercury happening before the WNBA Finals. Theyve met in either the Western Conference semifinals or finals four of the past five years.But for a lot of this season, the Mercury were as up and down as a thermometer in the Midwest during September. In their two playoff wins, though, the Mercury have been more like a thermometer in Phoenix in July: up, up, up.One can imagine Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve saw this coming during the Olympics, if not earlier. As an assistant with the U.S. team, she witnessed Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner coming alive during the Rio de Janeiro Games. She knew how much potential Spains Marta Xargay had to impact the Mercury, which won WNBA championships in 2007, 09 and 14.Minnesota had a couple of hiccups during the season, but nothing more than that. The Lynx won all three regular-season games with the Mercury, although its been awhile: Their most recent meeting was June 7.The Lynx -- who won WNBA titles in 2011, 13 and 15 -- led the league in both offensive and defensive rating. They have kept their cohesion as a unit ever since their first championship, which is amazing.You can look at this series through the prism of the aforementioned star power, led by Minnesotas Maya Moore versus Phoenixs Taurasi, two do-everything legends. Or the Lynxs Sylvia Fowles versus the Mercurys Griner, two classic-style centers.But even those who are more role players in this series are also stars in their own right. Such as Minnesotas Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson, and Phoenixs DeWanna Bonner, Candice Dupree and Penny Taylor.Both teams are getting older -- Taylor will retire when the season ends -- and so its a good time to really appreciate what these two organizations have brought to the WNBA. Even if theyre not meeting in the seasons last series.No. 2 Los Angeles vs. No. 4 ChicagoIts probably helped the Sparks cohesion to have a no one picked us to win the 2016 title chip on their shoulder. That way, they can direct any irritability more outward than at each other.And its definitely helped them to have the change in format. In the old system, the Sparks would have been facing Seattle in a best-of-three series and then, if they won, either Minnesota or Phoenix in another best-of-three.That would have been daunting for a team that went 21-3 before the Olympic break and 5-5 afterward. Not to diminish the Sky, but in this set-up, they are now all that stands between Los Angeles and the Sparks first WNBA Finals appearance since 2003. (Chicagos lone WNBA Finals appearance was in 2014.)Much to their credit, the Sky have won four of their six games since Delle Done was hurt. And Chicago rested some of its starters in one of the two losses -- the regular-season finale against Seattle -- because there was nothing to gain from that game. So kudos to the Chicago players and coach Pokey Chatman for the mental toughness and pride it takes to compete this well without one of the biggest stars in the league.The Sky put in another inspiring performance in Wednesdays playoff victory against Atlanta. But the Dream were vulnerable in the post with Sancho Lyttle being hurt and Elizabeth Williams, although she was Most Improved Player this season, still being a young player in growth mode.In short, the Sky go from facing a team that had difficulty exploiting Chicagos potential weaknesses without Delle Donne to a team that should be able to expertly take advantage of her absence, both offensively and defensively.L.A.s Nneka Ogwumike is the favorite for MVP; Candace Parker also is a candidate for that award. And the Sparks bring Jantel Lavender off the bench. That is a fearsome post trio. As for the perimeter, Alana Beard is still one of the most potent one-on-one defenders, and fellow guard Kristi Toliver has improved her defense while still being a feared 3-point shooter. Veteran Essence Carson and youngster Chelsea Gray have been good pickups for the Sparks at guard, too.This wouldnt be a good matchup for Chicago even with Delle Donne in the lineup. Without her, the Sky really need some players to overachieve the entire series to get three victories.The Sky have a true, experienced point guard in Courtney Vandersloot, who is coming off her best overall performance in a playoff game. Cappie Pondexter, who won two WNBA titles with Phoenix in her career, is still very capable of being a big-time scorer. They have some youthful, athletic posts to go along with veterans Jessica Breland and Erica de Souza. And guard Tamera Young has been with the Sky longer than anyone; this is her eighth season in Chicago.But the numbers dont add up very optimistically for the Sky. The Sparks were second in the league in defensive rating, third in offensive rating. The Sky were second on the offensive side -- but 11th defensively.Los Angeles won the three regular-season meetings -- one in May, one in June, one in July -- by double digits. But that was before the switch flipped during the Olympic break.Los Angeles lost 2-1 to Detroit in the 2003 WNBA Finals. Despite having franchise icon Lisa Leslie until 2009, and having her career overlap two seasons with that of Parker, and then adding in another No. 1 draft pick with Ogwumike in 2012, the Sparks have not been in that final showcase series for 13 years.This is their chance, if they can play up to their abilities, to end that drought. Vapormax Laceless Pure Platinum . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Vapormax College Navy Night Purple . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. http://www.vapormaxoffwhiteuk.com/nike-vapormax-flyknit-uk/vapormax-flyknit-black.html . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Vapormax Cs Triple Black . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Vapormax Flyknit Moc Womens . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The bumbling Cleveland Browns are two losses short from becoming the NFLs second team to go 0-16 in one season.LeSean McCoy had a season-best 153 yards rushing and scored twice, and the Buffalo Bills kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 33-13 win on Sunday.The Browns dropped to 0-14, matching the second-worst start to a season set by the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 1980 New Orleans Saints. The 2008 Detroit Lions , meanwhile, are the NFLs only team to go without a win in a 16-game season.Cleveland has also lost 17 straight dating to last year, moving into a tie with the St. Louis Rams (2008-09) and Houston Oilers (1982-83) for the leagues sixth-longest skid. The Browns have now gone a calendar year since their last win, a 24-10 victory over San Francisco on Dec. 13, 2015.The Browns have been so bad they havent had a lead in 17-plus quarters, dating to a 7-6 edge in the third quarter of a 28-7 loss at Baltimore on Nov. 10.One consolation for the Bills was they at least backed up defensive tackle Marcell Dareus guaranteeing Buffalo wouldnt be the first team to lose to Cleveland this season.The game was played before a sparse crowd, befitting of two teams having little on the line and two franchises enduring lengthy stretches of futility.The Browns have enjoyed just one winning season since last making the playoffs in 2002.Despite the win, the Bills (7-7) are in jeopardy of extending the NFLs longest active playoff drought to 17 seasons. Buffalo doesnt control its own playoff future and could be eliminated from contention if Denver defeats New England later in the afternoon.Coach Rex Ryans job security also remains in question beyond this season, his second in Buffalo. Hes taking heat for a defense that continues to play inconsistently.Last week, the Bills surrendered a franchise-worst 236 yards rushing to LeVeon Bell in a 27-20 loss to Pittsburgh. The week before that, Buffalo squandered a 24-9 third-quarter lead in a 38-24 loss at Oakland.McCoy broke the game open by scoring on 3- and 8-yard runs on consecutive possessions spanning the third and fourth quarters. His first came immeddiately after the Browns cut Buffalos lead to 17-10 when Robert Griffin III scored on an 18-yard run on Clevelands opening drive of the second half.ddddddddddddMike Gillislee also scored on a 3-yard run to help Buffalo set a franchise record of scoring 27 TDs rushing this season. Thats one more than the mark set in 1975.Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor went 17 of 24 for 174 yards and a 19-yard touchdown pass to Charles Clay.Griffin finished 17 of 28 for 196 yards and was sacked five times.BAD START: The Browns opening drive went nowhere. Cleveland netted minus-yards on offense, including an offensive holding penalty against Jonathan Cooper. Griffin couldnt even complete an easy pass over the middle by throwing behind a wide-open Duke Johnson Jr. on third down.If that wasnt enough, Britton Colquitts punt hit teammate Briean Boddy-Calhoun in the back. Boddy-Calhoun then ran into Brandon Tate, even though the Bills returner had signaled a fair catch, leading to a 15-yard penalty against the Browns rookie.SCRAMBLING: Griffin scored on a nifty 18-yard run in which he was flushed from the pocket, outraced linebacker Jerry Hughes and had enough momentum to dive across the goal line after being hit by linebacker Preston Brown.Taylor responded by showing off his scrambling abilities on the next drive. Avoiding a sack, he raced along the right sideline and tip-toed his way for a 28-yard gain to set up McCoys 3-yard touchdown run.BIG HIT: Griffin showed he can take a big hit in making just his second start since missing 11 games with a broken bone in his left shoulder. In the third quarter, Griffin scrambled out of trouble and completed a 28-yard pass to Gary Barnidge. Griffin was bowled over by linebacker Zach Brown just as he released the ball.Griffin got up and continued playing, while Brown was flagged 15 yards for roughing the passer.UP NEXTBrowns: Host San Diego on Saturday.Bills: Host Miami on Saturday.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys ' ' '