Seattle Storm come up short against Las Vegas but set building blocks for next season

The fifth-seeded Storm were able to overcome their disastrous start to the game, which stood in stark contrast to their Game 1 performance, but could not overcome the connectedness of the back-to-back champions, losing 83-76.

Though Tuesday’s fourth quarter performance was significantly better than Sunday, crunch time once again seemed to highlight the lack of experience this version of the Storm has playing together, an issue that’s been a theme all season. Particularly compared to the several years Vegas’ core has been together, the contrast stood out.

“I think we had some disconnect tonight,” Storm forward and leading scorer Gabby Williams told media postgame.

Acknowledging the role that her late arrival and the injuries to Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor could have played, Williams added, “Vegas, you can feel that they’re very attached. And I think that’s what it takes to win on the road, is when you’re on the court and you’re playing against 10,000 fans, all you have is each other. And I think between injuries, of course, me coming late, that played a big part into [the loss].”

Fellow Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike emphasized not only the years that Vegas’ ‘Core Four’ — A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray — have been together but how many years of postseason experience they have as a group.

“I think [time together made] a big difference. I think that when you look at the composition of their team, not only have they been playing together for a long time, they all have a lot of postseason experience, and when you get to the postseason, it’s just a different level,” Ogwumike said. “And I think that’s something people should pay attention to when they’re watching this postseason. … There’s an intangible to the connectedness and the familiarity of being someone who knows what it feels like to be in these moments that [the Aces] certainly have.”

“You’re playing against the best of the best, and this group, as elite as we are, and veteran as we are, we still hadn’t had these reps together,” Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn said after the loss. “So, [these] playoff reps are going to be very valuable for the group moving forward.”

Gabby Williams comes up big on both ends, again

One player who shined throughout Seattle’s playoff struggles while also building confidence and gaining valuable reps was Williams, the ‘French army knife’ who quickly found herself in Seattle despite joining late in the season. The Olympic silver medalist led the team in scoring Tuesday night with 20 points while adding three assists, five rebounds, one steal and committing no turnovers.

“Thirty-seven heartfelt minutes from her … she’s playing with so much confidence, she gave us such a big boost,” Quinn said. “What she did defensively, I thought she did a solid job on Jackie [Young]. And I thought there was a level of intensity and pride that she was playing with that kind of willed us in those moments that we needed something.

“I’m so happy that she decided to come back with us and continue to put her mark on this league, which is something that I want her to feel good about on her WNBA journey. But we needed her badly and she showed up big. She’s shown up big since she’s came back to us.”

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Experience to build on

Ogwumike recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but the Aces defense forced the former MVP to be uncharacteristically inefficient shooting. Point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, continuing her fantastic post-Olympics form. 

Magbegor was strong in her return from a concussion, scoring an efficient 14 points and adding seven rebounds, but struggled with foul trouble and some conditioning. Loyd struggled scoring for the second game in a row, still looking out of rhythm from her knee injury, but Seattle knows how good she can be when healthy.

Those five starters — Loyd, Diggins-Smith, Magbegor, Williams and Ogwumike — are who Seattle will particularly hope to return next year with increased chemistry from the experience of their first season all together. Magbegor, Diggins-Smith and Loyd are all signed through the 2025 season already. Both Ogwumike and Williams are unrestricted free agents this offseason but have indicated strong desires to return.

“I think a big part of [my strong performances] is just the people that I’m surrounded with while I’m here,” Williams said. “Luckily, I was able to stay healthy to the end of this season, and I think that played a big part in it, obviously, but they have a lot of confidence in me. They know me very well. They know what I need to get better. We have the resources that we need, obviously, with their practice facility for me to be in all the time, so they spend a lot of time with me, and I think that helped.”

Both forwards shared an eagerness for next year after the season-ending loss.

“Definitely excited. I mean, I just got here. I’m sad that this is over, because I really enjoyed my time being here for sure,” Williams said and Ogwumike seconded.

Though the Storm didn’t come close to their ultimate goal of competing for a WNBA Championship, they did go from an 11^th-place finish to fifth and in the playoffs. It is not an insignificant turnaround, but Seattle is hungry for much more and will act accordingly in the offseason.

“I’m on borrowed time, and so I realize the importance of not wasting moments,” Quinn said. “And I feel like, yeah I know big picture we had some success, but I think that this group could have done more, and I feel responsible for that. So, we will continue to build — from an unintentional rebuild to 25 wins is something that we will be proud of, but I’m not satisfied.”

Stathead Stat of the Week

Breanna Stewart had 54 rebounds in the five games of the WNBA Finals. Only two players have had more in a WNBA Finals.

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