RANKS: Liberty clearly best team, Fever make statement out of break

Caitlin Clark (22) averaged 26.0 points per game out of the Olympic break, to help the Indiana Fever to a 2-0 start with wins over the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm.

PHOTO: Courtesy Seattle Storm

By W.G. RAMIREZ

The Olympic break certainly did wonders for a couple of teams, as we're five days into the latter half of the season and we have a clear view at the best team of the league and quite possibly the most dangerous team.

The New York Liberty maintain their stranglehold on the top spot of the WNBA Power Rankings, as they went on the road and beat the Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces, both in convincing fashion.

One of the biggest questions out of the break is whether or not the players should have had more time off. Some forget it's more than the 12 women who won the gold medal for the U.S. national team, as there were many others representing other countries, in both 5x5 and 3x3.

"I definitely needed some time to decompress," Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson told media members in her first availability after returning from Paris. "Playing USAB, a whole nother thought and mind process that you might not necessarily have to exert that much energy when you play with your respective team. So, definitely needed just a couple of days just to kind of decompress, whether that's just get back into the flow of things, or just get my feet underneath me, because that was a long time away with a lot of just back and forth."

While Wilson played with an MVP-like vigor in a loss to the Liberty and a win over the Sparks, it didn't take away from the exhaustion of time spent overseas, and what's expected of the athletes beyond the actual games played.

"Coming off of just being midway through the season can take a toll on you," Wilson added. "So I'm definitely using these couple of days just to kind of exhale, enjoy the moment. But also it was great seeing my teammates and getting back into the gym."

The Aces have a big test on Wednesday when MVP-candidate Napheesa Collier and the second-ranked Minnesota Lynx arrive for a huge Western Conference showdown.

Now, let's get to the updated rankings after the first week of action following the Olympic break:

1. New York Liberty (23-4, previous 1) - New York looked incredible in its first two games back, especially on defense. Post-break, the Liberty have the best scoring defense, having allowed just 67.5 points per game - the only team to allow an average less than 70 points since the season resumed. With a playoff berth clinched, the next goal is to secure the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage. Their next three games are at home.

2. Minnesota Lynx (19-8, previous 5) - The Lynx also looked great out of the break, going 2-0, albeit against the 11th-ranked Washington Mystics. We're going to see what the Lynx are made of this week, as they play a home-and-home against the third-ranked Aces, first in Las Vegas on Wednesday and back in Minneapolis on Friday, which will be the first of back-to-back games before the sixth-ranked Indiana Fever arrive.

3. Las Vegas Aces (17-9, previous 2) - The Aces have a core four that is expected to generate offense. But post-break, they rank ninth in the league with 77.0 points per game in their two contests with the league's fifth-lowest shooting percentage (42.9%). Also since the schedule has resumed, the Aces rank dead last with an average of 1.5 offensive rebounds per game.

4. Connecticut Sun (19-7, previous 4) - The Sun stay put in fourth, although if they played the Aces right now, it could fall in Connecticut's favor. The Sun opened the latter half on the road and scored a win over the No. 10 Dallas Wings before losing to the No. 8 Atlanta Dream. They return home for games against the 12th-ranked Sparks and ninth-ranked Chicago Sky. Normally a stingy bunch, the Sun uncharacteristically have allowed 86.5 points per game after the break.

5. Seattle Storm (17-10, previous 3) - Not giving up on the Storm just yet, as they caught a well-rested and hungry Dream team in Atlanta before losing in a very feisty contest at Indianapolis on Sunday. The Storm finish their road trip in D.C. on Tuesday and will have nearly a week to rest before a three-game homestand beginning next Monday. Mark your calendars for Aug. 28, when the Dream arrive for a rematch. The Liberty will play in Seattle two days later, but with a sense of urgency and revenge on the brain, the Storm won't be looking past Atlanta.

6. Indiana Fever (13-15, previous 7) - Look, it's quite clear that Caitlin Clark did indeed have a welcome period to the league, and the fact is she wasn't ready to play on an Olympic team when the roster was decided, especially since she didn't get to attend all the trials. But, it's also quite clear she made the most of the break and has come out of it playing her best basketball of the season. It's made the Fever much more dangerous.

7. Phoenix Mercury (15-13), previous 6) - They're sixth in the standings, two games in front of the Fever. But they lost all three games to Indiana this season so it makes sense the Mercury come in seventh in the power rankings. Seven of the Mercury's final 12 games are in Phoenix, and the roadies shouldn't be that trying. Two of them are in Atlanta this week, on Wednesday and Friday. So, seven of their final 10 - including five straight - could play into their hands.

8. Atlanta Dream (9-17, previous 12) - This is the team to watch, as it's currently in ninth place in the league standings, 1.5 games back of the Chicago Sky. But this team has looked in sync in its return to the court post-break, especially on defense. Since last Thursday, the Dream have the third-best scoring defense (75.5 ppg. allowed). The schedule is certainly in their favor, as their first five games out of the break are in Atlanta. And with the two resulting in wins, it'll be interesting to see how they perform in back-to-back games against Phoenix and a huge showdown next Monday against the Fever.

9. Chicago Sky (11-16, previous 8) - The Sky opened their post-break schedule with a home loss against the Mercury, but were also without Chennedy Carter. Chicago can be a threat to a higher seed if its fully healthy, the only question is who will help out from the perimeter now that Marina Mabrey is playing with Connecticut. The offense has clearly been affected as the Sky rank dead last with 74.3 points per game since last Thursday. Their 3-point percentage (19.0%) is also last in the league post-break. Perspective, heading into the break the Sky were shooting 31.4% from long range.

10. Dallas Wings (6-20, previous 9) - The Wings have played only one game out of the break, but they're finally healthy with their lineup intact. They lost to Connecticut, yes, but they also put a 91-spot on the board against a Sun team generally known for its defense. It doesn't get any easier, with back-to-back games in Brooklyn against the Liberty on Tuesday and Thursday, but it'll be the five games that will follow Dallas could spread their offensive wings and soar.

11. Washington Mystics (6-21, previous 10) - The Mystics picked up where they left off before All-Star Weekend, as they opened the latter half of the season with back-to-back losses to the Lynx. Washington fell by double digits in both and has the third-worst plus-minus (-13.5 per game) since resuming its season. Washington does have a shot to find the win column with two home games this week, first on Tuesday against a Seattle team that has stumbled out of the gate, and then on Friday against the injury-plagued Sparks.

12. Los Angeles Sparks (6-21, previous 11) - The Sparks have lost all three of their games out of the break, and while the distraction of Dearica Hamby's lawsuit probably doesn't help, that shouldn't be used as an excuse. Fact is, at this point, with too much star power on the team's injury reports, at some point Los Angeles has to decide if it's going to throw its hat in the ring for Paige Bueckers.