Can the Mystics recover, or will the Storm continue to Whirlaway?
Seattle Times: Storm puts it in cruise control to beat Mystics in Game 1 of WNBA Finals
After Jewell Loyd lofted a three-pointer midway in the second quarter, the Storm guard turned and trotted in the opposite direction before the ball splashed through the net.
The roar from KeyArena crowd and the screams from the Seattle bench let her know the shot was good, while simultaneously signaling the end to her four-game shooting slump.
“It just felt really good regardless of if it went in,” Loyd said. “That was when I knew it might be a special night.”
Kevin, ESPN: Storm dominate Mystics, Elena Delle Donne in WNBA Finals Game 1 win
We can talk about my knee after this series,” Delle Donne said. “Excuses are for losers. If I wanted to be 100 percent, I wouldn’t have come back. So I knew coming into this thing I was going to have to figure out a different way to play.”
It didn’t help matters that the Storm used Howard, an All-Defensive First Team pick this season, as their primary defender on Delle Donne — a slight change from how Seattle had matched up in the past.
Howard in the NY Times: W.N.B.A. Finals 2018: When Her Game is Your Game, Too
And so it goes, from a veteran point guard known for sinking big shots (Kristi Toliver for Washington, Sue Bird for Seattle) to an active defender and rim protector whose offense took a vast leap forward this season (LaToya Sanders for Washington, Natasha Howard for Seattle) to versatile defensive stoppers on the perimeter (Ariel Atkins for Washington, Alysha Clark for Seattle).
It should mean a series that comes down to coaching — also a battle between two accomplished veterans in Thibault, the winningest coach in league history, and Dan Hughes, who has more wins than any active W.N.B.A. coach other than Thibault and Brian Agler of the Los Angeles Sparks.
No surprise: In run to WNBA Finals, Storm has no bigger fan than former MVP Lauren Jackson
Washington Post: Mystics come out flat, get blown out by Storm to start WNBA Finals
“Basically, we got our butts kicked in every phase of the game,” Coach Mike Thibault said.
Poor shooting and defensive breakdowns conspired to deal Washington its third loss to the Storm in four meetings. All of those defeats have come on the road, where the Mystics had been performing admirably over the latter portion of the season.
Not on this night, however.
Morning add-on: WNBA Finals Game 1 final score: Mystics melt down in Seattle, lose 89-76
Well, that was ugly. The Mystics were always going to be underdogs if they made it to the finals, but tonight they didn’t look like they belonged in the same league as the Storm in Game 1 on Friday night. Seattle came out strong and Washington had no counterpunch.
Take some time to read this Player’s Tribune piece by Sue: So I Broke My F*cking Nose. It’s like she’s channeling Lobo’s World According to Me” by Rebecca? What, you don’t remember? Sorry, I’m old. But it was on point and funny as sh*t.)
Quick story. It’s 2004 — we’re at the Athens Olympics. And during the Olympics, you know, the women’s and men’s basketball teams, they spend a lot of time together. But I was really young at the time, in my early 20s, and I think at that point I still maybe had internalized this idea that A Lot of Men Hate Women’s Basketball. And what I didn’t realize yet was that that’s only partially true. The truth is, a lot of men who suck at basketball hate women’s basketball. But the guys who can actually play? 99 times out of 100, they respect us. And the guys who are world class — at, say, an Olympic level? If you’re at that level, I’ve found, everyone has one thing in common: They love basketball to their utter f*cking core. Men’s, women’s, whatever.
But like I said, I don’t quite think I knew that yet. So it’s one of the first days of the Olympics, one of the first days of the men’s and women’s teams hanging out together. And I end up getting into a conversation with one of the younger guys on the team, LeBron James. And we’re mostly just small talking, you know, talking about this and that, Athens, the village, the other countries’ outfits, who can even remember. But then, out of nowhere, right as the conversation was ending — he pivoted. He looked at me, and he said, “Hey, y’all are doing your thing this year. Keep it up.” And in my head, I’m thinking, you know — Nah. This is LEBRON. The guy is just being polite. He probably doesn’t even know what team I’m on.
And I think he could maybe read my mind. Because then he paused, and he turned toward me a little more, almost with a wink — and he smiled. And then he added, “Second in the West.”
Nice follow up: How Sue Bird and Kyrie Irving became basketball’s best point guard friendship
Kyrie Irving remembers the first time he met Seattle Storm basketball legend Sue Bird in person. The point guards were sent to autograph basketballs in Brazil during the 2016 Rio Olympics, where both would win respective golds for the American men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Irving said he was star-struck seeing the two-time WNBA champion and four-time Olympic medalist in person. But Bird thought he played it off cool.
“He was so friendly and like ‘Yo, Sue I’m a big fan. I love your game,’” Bird told SB Nation. “You could tell he was excited, which was cool for me. Obviously I’ve seen him play and I’m a huge fan of his game.”
Cool: Beats by Dr. Dre Announces Partnership with the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball
Spokesman-Review: Former Gonzaga standout Courtney Vandersloot reflects on record-breaking WNBA season
Morning add -ons:
Rick Insell pulling for former MTSU Lady Raider Alysha Clark in WNBA Finals
Seattle Times: Out of basketball a year ago, Storm coach Dan Hughes is now on the verge of his first WNBA title
For the Win: Sue Bird (broken nose), Elena Delle Donne (bone bruise) kick off WNBA Finals
Might wanna review this: Kristi Toliver and Jewell Loyd Share Their Scouting Reports for the 2018 WNBAFinals
Sign me up! Moore, Parker And Taurasi Featured In Players Only: WNBA Legends Special
International
Intriguingly tight game: Canada’s Achonwa leads women’s basketball team past Japan in pre-worlds tuneup
NCAA.com: Women’s basketball: Top college players practicing with Team USA
Hartford Courant: USA Basketball Women’s National Team To Play In Connecticut This Weekend
Of note: Women’s basketball recruit first to wear hijab for St. Clair College (Canada)
NCAA
Not just a loss: Tracey Elizabeth Carrington, a former Morgan State standout, Witness in Towson double-homicide case fatally shot in Overlea