Seattle Storm Week in Review

Seattle Storm Weekend Review: Found Money

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment

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A big question around the Seattle Storm this season was whether they could succeed when any combination of Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart have an off night.

Last Friday against the New York Liberty, the trio combined to shoot 10-of-33 from the field, and 18 of their 45 collective points came from the charity stripe. Two days later against the Indiana Fever, they were more efficient (12-of-26) but scored 31 points.

Both of those games ended in victory for Seattle, in large part because of contributions they received from unlikely sources.

Sami Whitcomb came off the bench to drop 22 points on the Liberty, while Alysha Clark made her first nine field goals—a team record—en route to a 22-point day against the Fever. Continue reading →

Seattle Storm Weekend Review: Sue Bird Can’t Come Back Soon Enough

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment

The Seattle Storm wrapped up their first weekend of the 2017 WNBA season, splitting their two games. They lost 78-68 to the Los Angeles Sparks Saturday and rebounded with an 87-82 victory over the Indiana Fever Sunday.

Going 1-1 wasn’t a bad outcome for Seattle since the Storm were without Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart against the Sparks and Bird didn’t play against the Fever. Granted, Los Angeles didn’t have the services of Candace Parker, Jantel Lavender or Essence Carson, so the Sparks weren’t exactly at full strength, either.

If anything, the opening weekend offered a strong argument as to why Bird may be the team’s most valuable player. In her absence, the Storm turned the ball over 23 times against Los Angeles and 20 times against the Fever. Seattle averaged the third-most turnovers (14.4 per game) in the league last year, so it wasn’t a surprise Bird’s injury coincided with a spike in that category. Continue reading →