WNBA Wraparound: Wilson is unanimous MVP, Bridget Carleton has ice in her veins and the playoffs are delivering

3 highlights from the WNBA this week:

A'ja Wilson is the unanimous MVP: I for one, am SHOCKED (kidding). A'ja Wilson has had this award locked up since June, and it just adds a cherry on top that she was voted MVP unanimously. Wilson accepted the award Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas prior to the start of game one between the Aces and Seattle Storm. This season, A'ja became the first player in WNBA history to score 1,000 points in one season, broke the single-season rebounding record, won an Olympic gold medal, announced her signature shoe, and averaged 26.9 points per game this season -- a WNBA record. This choice was clear, but it happening to someone like Wilson makes it fun. She's a selfless leader, an advocate, and brings the game to a new level.

Diana Taurasi scores 21 points in a playoff game: After 20 seasons in the league, and in her 40s, Diana Taurasi is proving that age is just a number. She has not made a definitive choice on whether or not she will retire at the end of this season, but Phoenix still celebrated her, just in case. After all the "If This Is It", Taurasi went on to score 21 points for the Mercury in Game 1 against the Minnesota Lynx. Even if this IS it, Taurasi could realistically still play next season if she really wanted to, with a performance like that. Despite the loss, DT continues to be one of the most fun players in the WNBA to watch, both on the ball and when she talks trash to players, refs, and fans...

Bridget Carleton shoots the ball from Canada: BC for THREE! Bridget Carleton has had a breakout season on the Minnesota Lynx, shooting the lights out. More importantly, she knows how to make a big shot in a big moment. In last week's game versus the Connecticut Sun to secure the No. 2 seed, Carleton made the dagger game-winner from WELL beyond the arc. Then, in game one against Phoenix, Carleton made an off-balance 3 that was basically the dagger, AGAIN. The Canadian sharpshooter has been a star on the Canadian National Program for years, and (as a biased Canadian fan over here), it's been wildly fun to see her impact on this stacked Lynx team.

2 games to Watch this Week:

Game 2: No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm: Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 9:30 p.m. ET

Game one against these two teams was INTENSE. Vegas got lucky when Seattle couldn't buy a bucket in the fourth quarter, shooting just 2 points in the closing frame. Seattle had control over the game until then, playing solid defense on the back-to-back champions. They held A'ja Wilson to just 21 points (low for her), and Kelsey Plum to 2 points. To save their season, Seattle will have to get the win in Vegas on Tuesday. While they played admirably on Sunday, Seattle needs to get Jewell Loyd more involved, as she scored just 6 points on Sunday. There is also no word yet on whether Ezi Magbegor will clear concussion protocol on time for Game 2, and the Aussie's presence in the post would be a huge advantage against Wilson.

Game 2: No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury: Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET

Phoenix put up a fight against Minnesota on Sunday, but they will be in survival mode on Wednesday. Minnesota is an incredibly strong team on both ends of the floor, plus they have homecourt advantage, and a ton of momentum. They've only lost two games since the Olympic break back in July/August. Another complex layer? This could be the last game of Diana Taurasi's legendary career, although she has not made a decision for sure yet. Emotions will be high, but the Lynx are on a mission to get the Finals. Minnesota are the favorite, but you can't count Taurasi out, even at 42 years old, and she could pull some heroics to secure a game three in Phoenix later this week.

1 story to monitor in the WNBA: Watch for Awards!

The WNBA released the news that A'ja Wilson had won MVP in the early hours of Sunday morning. Possibly trying to avoid another year of the results being leaked ... ? Either way, it seems like the strategy with awards this year will be to try and drop them when folks least expect them.

The next award to be announced could be Rookie of the Year, which seems like it could be another unanimous decision. Yet, there are still a lot of awards that voters have had mixed opinions on. Most Improved is one that has been highly debated. DiJonai Carrington and Bridget Carleton both have great cases, but Dearica Hamby won the Associated Press Most Improved nod. With the definitions of these awards so ambiguous, it's hard to come to a clear conclusion. Carrington and Carleton are both having breakout years, but Hamby is a multi-year All-Star and 6WOTY...

Defensive Player of the Year is going to be a fun one as well. A'ja Wilson has a case to win it alongside MVP, but MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier is also up there. Voting for this one may be a little closer than MVP voting was.

Either way, it's always a fun time of year to celebrate players and their accomplishments. Expect these announcements to drop at random times over the next few weeks if MVP was an indication of any patterns.