In each of the past two seasons, the Connecticut Sun earned the No. 3 seed in the WNBA playoffs, but were eliminated in the single-elimination second round. This time around, they finally got a top-two seed, and with it a bye into the semifinals. There, they'll face this season's No. 3 seed, the Los Angeles Sparks, who advanced to the semis by taking down the Seattle Storm on Sunday in the second round. 

This should be a fascinating matchup, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see it go all five games. Ahead of the action, here is all the viewing information, as well as three key things to know.

No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks vs. No. 2 Connecticut Sun

  • Game 1: Los Angeles at Connecticut, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m. ET -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN    
  • Game 2: Los Angeles at Connecticut, Thursday, Sept. 19, 6:30 p.m. ET -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN    
  • Game 3: Connecticut at Los Angeles, Sunday, Sept. 22, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN    
  • Game 4*: Connecticut at Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 24, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN   
  • Game 5*: Los Angeles at Connecticut, Thursday, Sept. 26, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN   

*If necessary

Frontcourt battle

This matchup features two of the best frontcourts in the league, and the winner of that battle could very well decide the series. 

Prior to the season, the Sparks acquired Chiney Ogwumike from the Sun to reunite her with her sister, Nneka, and Candace Parker. That trio doesn't fit all that well together on the floor at the same time, so Chiney has been coming off the bench now that they're all healthy, which is a huge luxury for head coach Derek Fisher. Parker, of course, is an all-time great and one of the most versatile forwards in the league, able to play both inside and out, while the Ogwumikes both prefer to operate inside -- though Nneka can knock down open jumpers. That versatility creates matchup problems for most opponents, and Nneka in particular has had big games against the Sun this season. In their three regular-season meetings, she averaged 18.7 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

For the Sun, their success revolves around their star frontcourt as well. With Chiney Ogwumike out of the picture, Jonquel Jones moved back to the starting five, where she forms a dynamite tandem with Alyssa Thomas. Though her 3-point shooting has not been there this season, Jones is able to play both outside and inside on the offensive end, which creates plenty of space for Thomas' slashing drives into the paint. Plus, the duo just might be the best defensive frontcourt in the league. Both players were All-Defensive selections this season, with Jones making the First Team and Thomas making the Second Team. They're both strong and athletic, and can hold their own in and out of the paint. They'll have their hands full, though, with this talented Sparks team. 

Revenge series

These two teams know each other well, and have an interesting history together in terms of player movement over the past few years, which creates another interesting dynamic in this series. Most recently, the Sun traded All-Star forward Chiney Ogwumike to the Sparks ahead of this season. There was some drama surrounding the move, with reports that Ogwumike was prepared to sit out the season and even potentially retire in order to focus on her budding broadcasting career with ESPN. In the end, she got her wish with a move to Los Angeles that not only reunited her with her sister, Nneka, but allowed her to continue working at ESPN. 

That isn't all, however. Two of the leading stars for each team were once traded for each other. Back in 2014, Chelsea Gray was selected No. 11 overall by the Sun. She sat out the 2014 season due to a knee injury, but returned to action in 2015. Following that season, the Sun traded her to the Sparks in a deal that got them Jonquel Jones. A few seasons later and each are All-Stars and MVP candidates. It's safe to say that this was a rare trade that worked out well for all parties involved. 

Differences in pedigree

You'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger disparity between two teams in terms of pedigree than between the Sparks and Sun. Champions most recently in 2016, the Sparks are one of the league's founding franchises. They have three titles to their name, and have been to the Finals five times, marks which rank third and second all-time, respectively. Of the 22 MVP Awards which have been handed out in the league's history, Sparks players have won six of them, or over 25 percent. In terms of all-time legends, Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker have both worn their jersey. 

As for the Sun, they've had some talented players pass through Uncasville, including Tina Charles and Lindsay Whalen, though Charles is their only MVP. But they've had far less success in the playoffs, reaching the Finals just two times in their history, and losing on both occasions in 2004 and 2005. Including the years when the Sun were in Orlando, the Sun have played in 43 playoff games total in their franchise's history; the Sparks have 46 playoff wins. Even considering the Sparks have played two more seasons, that's a pretty staggering gap.