Seattle Storm win their second WNBA championship in the last three years
The Seattle Storm capped off one of the most dominant postseason runs ever seen with a 92-59 win over the Las Vegas Aces to win their fourth championship overall and their second in the last three years.
The Storm was able to gain a nine-point lead heading into halftime but it wasn’t until the third quarter as they outscored their opponent 32-14 in the single quarter that their separation from Las Vegas became apparent.
Brianna Stewert led the scoring attack by the Storm by putting up 25 points on 10-14 shooting to go along with four rebounds. She was named the WNBA finals MVP following the game after averaging 28 points per game, including a dominant 37 point performance in game one of the series.
Going back to their last finals appearance in 2018, Stewart set a record by scoring 20 or more points in six straight finals games. This was her second time receiving the honor of finals MVP.
“I wanted to win a ring, that was the priority. Whatever else comes, comes,” Stewart said in her postgame interview.
Storm head coach Gary Kloppenburg had high praise of Stewart as well, especially following 2019 where she was sidelined for the entirety of the season after tearing her achilles.
“She’s just one of those generational players that comes through once in a while that can face adversity and even get stronger because of it and that’s what we saw of her,” Seattle coach Gary Kloppenburg said. “She missed a whole year and came back as a better player in every category on both sides of the ball. Testament to her work ethic and desire to be such a great player.”
Seattle sports great Sue Bird was able to finish her 19th season with her third championship. She has spent her entire career in Seattle and this past season cements her as a sports legend in the city.
Bird is still contributing in a very effective way, as well after averaging 11 assists per game in the finals.
“It doesn’t feel real we just won and that I was able to contribute the way I did,” said Bird. “Something when it’s all said and done that I’m incredibly proud of.”
Sue Bird did not give a concrete answer on whether she would be back next year for her 20th season.
“Interestingly enough, it’s never a day of decision. I just kind of start working out and see how I feel,” she said. “I wish I could give you more. If the way I feel right now, if I go through my offseason and continue to build on that in a good way I don’t see why I won’t be playing next summer.”
Besides the possibility of losing Bird, the Storm will return their core group of players who have now won a WNBA record 11 straight finals games. I do not want to jinx it, but this very well could be just the start of a dynasty in Seattle after showing that they are the top dogs of the league.
