Finals MVP: Breanna Stewart (6'4''-F-94) of Seattle S. Most Valuable Player: Breanna Stewart (6'4''-F-94) of Seattle S. Most Improved Player: Natasha Howard (6'3''-F-91) of Seattle S. Sixth Woman of the Year: Jonquel Jones (6'6''-C-94) of Connecticut S. Rookie of the Year: A'Ja Wilson (6'5''-F-96) of Las Vegas Aces Defensive Player of the Year: Alana Beard (6'1''-G/F-82) of L.Angeles S. Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award: Skylar Diggins (5'9''-G-90) of Dallas W. Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Sue Bird (5'9''-PG-80) of Seattle S. Coach of the Year: Nicki Collen of Atlanta D.
Storm surge past Mystics 98-82 for WNBA title - Sep 13, 2018
Sue Bird (5'9''-PG-80, college: Connecticut) and Breanna Stewart (6'4''-F-94, college: Connecticut) fretted following the regular-season opener after the Seattle Storm lost at home to the Phoenix Mercury. "We thought, 'Oh, crap, what kind of year is this going to be?"' Bird reminisced. The answer came nearly four months later with a championship.Stewart led the Storm to their third WNBA title Wednesday night, scoring 30 points in a 98-82 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of the best-of-five series. Natasha Howard (6'3''-F-91, college: Florida St., agency: LBM Management) added career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Storm. Seattle won 26 games during the regular season -- 11 more than the 2017 campaign -- entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, and swept the finals. Stewart was the league MVP and was selected the Finals MVP after averaging 25.6 points in the three games. She scored 17 points in the first half as the Storm raced to a 47-30 lead. "Stewie was just amazing," Storm coach Dan Hughes said. "She truly was the MVP of this league. She truly was the MVP of these Finals. God blessed me with an opportunity to coach her and I will be forever grateful." Bird, also a member of a Seattle's championship teams in 2004 and 2010, was certainly appreciative of the title -- and the growth of the Storm's younger players. Seattle landed Jewell Loyd (5'10''-G-93, college: Notre Dame) and Stewart, both All-Stars in 2018 with Bird, with the No. 1 overall picks in 2015 and 2016 respectively. "Each (championship) is special in its own way, but this one is probably going to have a different meaning for me," said the 37-year-old point guard who had 10 points and 10 assists. "There is probably no comparison to be honest. I didn't know if I'd be playing at this point. Our team went through a rebuild and yes, I decided to stay. Once we got Stewie and Jewel, we knew we'd get to the other side, but how do you know you're going to get to the other side this fast?" The coach sensed something brewing early in his first year with the franchise. Following the Phoenix loss, Seattle won five in a row. "I think this was our year," Hughes said. "All year you could just see the escalation." Elena Delle Donne (6'5''-G/F-89, college: Delaware) scored 23 points for the Mystics. Kristi Toliver (5'7''-PG-87, college: Maryland) had 22 points. "Obviously this finals didn't go the way we wanted it. The great thing is we can still improve. We don't feel like we peaked and this is it for us," Delle Donne said. Washington reached the Finals for the first time in franchise history. "There's been a huge transformation with the culture of this team," said Delle Donne, who was acquired by Washington before the 2017 season. "Last year we were brand new. I didn't know (Toliver's' favourite) beer. That's a pretty important thing to know about Panda. Now I can go to the bar and order her everything she needs. Toliver, seated next to the first-team All-WNBA player, chimed in. "I'm going to need a lot tonight." Alysha Clark (5'10''-F-87, college: Middle Tenn.St.) had 15 points for Seattle. Washington battled Seattle and history. Since the league went to a best-of-five format in 2005, four teams trailed 0-2. Each lost Game 3. The Mystics joined that unwanted club. Poor perimeter shooting contributed. Washington finished 8 of 23 on 3-pointers in Game 3 and 11 for 60 (18.3) in the series. Despite the misfires, Washington rallied from down 18 points to trailing 72-67 with 6:49 remaining. Starting with a Stewart 3-point play, Seattle countered with eight consecutive points and pulled away. "We were up at halftime, but we knew D.C. was going to come back," Stewart said. "It was how we countered that when things got close. That's what really separated us again." This is likely just the beginning for the dynamic 24-year-old forward, who won the NCAA Championship during each of her four seasons at the University of Connecticut. "It didn't feel like my first WNBA finals closeout game," the poised Stewart said. Bird understands her career is nearing the end, even though she remains among the league's best. One of the league's most decorated players also grasps the impact of her latest triumph. "This is probably going to be one of the most defining moments of my career," Bird said. Courtesy of: ctvnews.ca
Led by Maya Moore, Team Parker tops Team Delle Donne to win WNBA All-Star Game - Jul 29, 2018
Lynx star Maya Moore (6'0''-SG-89, college: Connecticut) said she's routinely asked if she has room for all of the awards she's won in her basketball career. She'll have to make space for another trophy after her performance on Saturday. Moore won her third straight All-Star MVP award to lead Team Parker past Team Delle Donne 119-112 in the WNBA All-Star Game. "Thank you for your concern for my storage space," Moore deadpanned after she was asked the question again after she scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists to win the MVP award on her home court. "It's crazy, it really is, to just be fortunate enough to continue to be in positions to win, to be playing well, to be healthy," said Moore, who joined Lisa Leslie as the only three-time MVPs of the game and became the all-time scoring leader in All-Star history, passing Tamika Catchings' mark of 108 points. Allie Quigley (5'10''-G-86, college: De Paul) of the Chicago Sky also scored 18 points, and Skylar Diggins (5'9''-G-90, college: Notre Dame) of the Dallas Wings added 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Team Parker. Team Delle Donne's Kristi Toliver (5'7''-PG-87, college: Maryland) of the Washington Mystics led all scorers with 23 points, including 7-for-11 shooting on 3-pointers. Rookie A'Ja Wilson (6'5''-F-96, college: S.Carolina) of the Las Vegas Aces added 18 points. Toliver made five 3s in the final five minutes of the game as Team Delle Donne came back from a 14-point deficit. But Moore drilled a 3-pointer of her own with 1:26 to play, pushing Team Parker's lead to six and all but sewing up the MVP award. Eschewing the traditional East-vs.-West format for the first time, the league let captains Elena Delle Donne (6'5''-G/F-89, college: Delaware) of the Mystics and Candace Parker (6'4''-C/F-86, college: Tennessee) of the Los Angeles Sparks choose up sides from a pool of the top players in All-Star voting. That allowed for the rosters to be heavily dominated (16 of the 22 players) by the Western Conference, home of six of the top seven teams in the league standings. "You're not going to make a bad pick," Parker said of the process. "Everybody who's out here is here for a reason, so it was just about having fun and playing with players you haven't ever played with." Allie Quigley beat a field of six participants to win her second straight WNBA 3-point contest at halftime. After she and McBride tied with 18 in the head-to-head finals, Allie Quigley caught fire in a redo, scoring 29 of a possible 34 points and sending the crowd -- and the sidelines -- into a frenzy. "How did we follow the 3-point contest?" asked Parker, who called it her personal highlight of the day. "We had some of the best shooters in the world competing. To have to make 21 to even get into the top two, to then have a shoot-off, to then have Allie hit 29? ... That was awesome." Wings star Liz Cambage capped off the contest with a dunk, becoming the sixth different player to do it in the All-Star Game. "I was going to pull up and take a 3, but Candace said I should dunk it, so I did," said Cambage, a 6-foot-8 post who set a WNBA single-game scoring record earlier this year with 53 points. With talk of adding a skills contest to next year's festivities, Allie Quigley playfully suggested Cambage push for a dunk contest, a suggestion that the gregarious Australian shut down instantly. "Girl, I'm getting old now. I'm not in my early 20s [anymore]," said Cambage, who turns 27 next month. Four players from the hometown Lynx were selected for the game, two on each roster, creating a festive atmosphere with the crowd cheering loudly for both sides throughout the game. Moore and Rebekkah Brunson (four points, five rebounds) played for the winning side, while Seimone Augustus (6'0''-SF-84, college: LSU) (14 points) and Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85, college: LSU) (two points, six rebounds) played for Team Delle Donne. The second quarter began with the league's career leaders in scoring (Diana Taurasi (6'0''-SG-82, college: Connecticut)), rebounding (Brunson) and assists (Sue Bird) on the floor. But youth was served with Wilson scoring eight straight points for Team Delle Donne. Wilson, the No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina, was the only rookie selected for the game and scored 12 points in the second quarter to lead all scorers at halftime. "It was kind of bittersweet to see them win," Fowles said. "But for us to have four All-Stars on this team, on our home floor, in front of these amazing fans, it meant everything." WNBA president Lisa Borders announced that the 2019 All-Star Game will be played in Las Vegas, home of the Aces, who relocated from San Antonio after last season. The Aces, who were represented by Wilson and guard Kayla McBride, reached the All-Star break only 1 games out of the final playoff spot. Courtesy of: espn.com
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