A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray spoil Sue Bird's special day as Las Vegas defeats Seattle 89-81
The Aces had all the answers!
(Seattle, WA) - A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray had no interest in celebrating “Sue Bird Day”. The Las Vegas Aces came into hostile territory and defeated the Seattle Storm 89-81. They did it in hostile territory as over 18,000 fans packed Climate Pledge Arena to honor Seattle’s legendary point guard and cheer on the Storm.
The 18,100 fans set a new franchise record for the Storm during their 23-year history surpassing the previous record during the 2004 WNBA Finals (17,072). The 18,100 is also a record for the largest amount of fans attending a sporting event at Climate Pledge Arena.
With the victory, the Las Vegas Aces guarantee themselves a top four spot and home court advantage at least in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs. Vegas still has a chance to finish as the number one overall seed and they have the inside track to land one of the top two seeds. They have a two-game lead over the Connecticut Sun with three games to play.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t pull it off. I thought a couple of key areas in the 2nd half we didn’t take care of the basketball. Not that it was a lot of turnovers but they were at costly times. A’ja Wilson showed up and played really well. That’s what the stars do. Here’s the deal, we’re going to see this team again. Prior to that, we have a very tough Chicago team we need to prep for. We’re going to watch the video, break some things down, and get ready for the next one.” Pokey Chatman told the media in her opening statement after the game.
I spoke to Pokey about the impressive showing by the Seattle fans and her response to WNBA haters that claim nobody watches the league after the team filled over 18,000 seats.
“Man, Haters where you at? It’s crazy they’re hating and nobody’s watching but they’re watching, right? Listen, the game is tremendous. People feel it. That’s always been the niche with women’s basketball at the professional level. You feel it, you take us home with you. You feel like you know Sue Bird because that’s how we market the game it’s very intentional. Haters are going to hate but they can’t deny what’s being built around the world but especially in Seattle around women’s basketball.” Coach answered.
I followed that up by talking with Sue about that. As we spoke about the trolls and haters in a recent Zoom interview earlier this past week.
“Those haters, like I said, they don’t do it to your face. They’re usually in the social media comments. I don’t really consider that group of people to be real in a lot of ways. But what you saw out there was very much real. The support, I actually said this to Holly in the post-game interview. I’ve played here 21 years, I’ve been here 21 years. I know my name has become synonymous in this franchise and a household name in this city and in this community. Even though I take great pride in that, I take great pride in what we’ve accomplished while I’ve played here, and great pride in being a member of this franchise. This isn’t me shying away from the spotlight by any means. My name is synonymous but what I represent is all the players that have played here. All the championships we’ve won. All the coaches that have come through. Everyone that’s come through the front office. Everyone who’s been on staff here, you name it. I’m just that one name. I think today, yes it was in honor of me, people showed up and showed out for sure. It really was amazing! But I really think it was truly a celebration of Storm basketball because I am Storm basketball.” Bird told me.
Breanna Stewart was fantastic scoring a season-high 35 points on 10-18 FG shooting including 4-5 FG from beyond the arc. Stewart also was aggressive drawing fouls and connecting on 11-15 FTA. Stewart also finished with a game-high 10 rebounds capping off an impressive double-double. Tina Charles did most of her scoring in the first half and finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots. Unfortunately for the Storm, they were the only two players to score in double figures in this game.
Sue Bird finished with nine points and six assists in her farewell game. The six assists tied Gabby Williams for a team-high and the nine points were third-best on the team.
Statistically, Seattle was able to play the Aces pretty evenly overall. Surprisingly, the Storm out-rebounded the Aces 39-35. I was stunned to read that in the final box score because as I had watched the game I saw the Aces get offensive rebound after offensive rebound that punished Seattle during those moments.
Las Vegas edged Seattle in field goal shooting as they made 46% (35-76 FG) compared to Seattle’s 44% (29-66 FG). The Storm were slightly better from beyond the arc connecting on 35% (8-23) compared to the Aces 26% (7-27).
The Las Vegas Aces
As mentioned above, A’ja Wilson was really, really good! While Breanna Stewart had slightly better numbers, Wilson proved why she also has a legit claim to the MVP title. Wilson finished with a team-high 29 points on 13-24 FGA. A’ja also had six rebounds. A’ja scored 18 of her 29 points in the first half.
I spoke with A’ja after the game about how they were able to overcome the raucous crowd and pull out the victory.
“It was a playoff atmosphere. Of course, this was a big day for Sue and everyone in the city is going to show out for her. It was great to see that and acknowledge her. But it’s a tough place to play on a regular night. For us to come in, I thought we found ourselves very composed and I didn’t really see that before. Basketball is a game of runs and when you get into a game of runs with Seattle (each one) becomes bigger and bigger and bigger because the way they play is smart, they move! This was the first game that we all huddled in and we were like ‘We’re OK. We’re good!’ - we didn’t get rattled. We kept it within the game and system for us and we came out with a win.” Wilson told me.
While Wilson dominated early in this game, it was Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray who stood out the most in the 2nd half. Plum had nine of her 16 points in the third quarter and Gray scored nine of her 15 points in the fourth. Gray also added a game-high nine assists and six rebounds. Jackie Young was the fourth player to reach double figures with 15 points and six assists.
The Aces outscored Seattle 40-38 inside the paint and 10-8 edge in fast break points. While Las Vegas has struggled to find production off their bench this season, they moved Dearica Hamby back to the bench and their team outscored Seattle’s reserves 14-11. Another key to their victory was that Las Vegas really limited their mistakes only committing six turnovers while forcing the Storm into 14.
Game Breakdown
After an electric introduction, the game got underway. A’ja Wilson was the first player to score. Gabby Williams drove down the lane past her defender for Seattle’s first points. Tina Charles hit a three and Plum was able to get to the rim on the other end. Bird scored her first basket of the game on a mid-range jumper and the crowd erupted with cheers. A putback layup by Tina Charles put the Storm up by there. Breanna Stewart split a pair of free throws to extend Seattle’s lead.
A’ja Wilson hit a corner three and then got by all her defenders to finish uncontested at the rim. It capped off a 7-0 run by Las Vegas to put the Aces back up 13-10.
Charles scored again to end the Aces’ run. She was the majority of Seattle’s offense throughout the first quarter as Jewell and Stewie were struggling with their shots.
Las Vegas led 19-18 after one.
Riquna Williams nailed a corner three to extend the Aces’ lead to four. Charles scored seven-straight points including a big three. Dearica Hamby hit a pair of free throws and got an easy layup on a beautiful cut to the rim. Chelsea Gray also scored a nice short jumper in transition.
Wilson checked back in and drove through all of Seattle’s defense like a hot knife through butter to finish for two more. Bird, who also had recently checked back in, hit a corner three. Gray got another short jumper and Wilson hit a silky smooth jumper near the foul line. Bird drove baseline and found a cutting Gabby Williams for the layup.
Jackie Young hit her first basket of the game late in the first half. Then followed that up with a three off another A’ja Wilson offensive rebound. It gave the Aces their largest lead of the first half up seven (39-32).
The Storm would finish the first half on an 11-5 run to close the gap to one. Stewart and Magbegor combined to score all 11 of those points. Stewart hit a big three and also got a questionable foul awarded to her at the end of the first half where she made two out of three free throws. Becky Hammon (rightfully) nearly got a technical foul called on her. She had every right to be upset with that call as the relay showed no real contact against Stewart.
At the end of the first half, the Storm trailed by one (44-43). A’ja Wilson dominated the first half for the Aces as the only player to score in double figures. She had 18 points on 8-14 FG attempts. Seattle was led by both Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart who each had 14 points through the first two quarters.
Las Vegas shot 43% (16-37 FG) in the first half but just 20% (3-15 FG) from beyond the arc. Seattle was held to just under 40% (15-38 FG) but they were a little more effective shooting 29% (4-14) from the three-point line. Seattle held a very small advantage in rebounds 22-20 and assists (10-9).
Kelsey Plum got the scoring going in the 2nd half as she was able to drive past Loyd. Kiah Stokes managed to get an offensive rebound away from everyone else and found Jackie Young who hit the pull-up jumper. Some of those offensive rebounds were absolute killers against Seattle. Charles was able to recover an offensive rebound for Seattle to score the Storm’s first points of the 2nd half.
Plum got another layup after Chelsea Gray stole a telegraphed pass from Bird. Gray then sank another mid-range jumper. Stewart and Riquna Williams exchanged three-point baskets.
After Gabby stole the ball and took it all the way for two. Kelsey Plum answered back with another three. Every time Seattle tried to make a run the Aces would answer back. Stewart was able to draw another foul from beyond the three-point line and once again made two of three.
Epiphanny Prince scored five important points late in the third period knocking down a big three and drawing a foul. Gray found Wilson wide-open late to finish uncontested at the rim to end the third period with Las Vegas leading 68-63.
A’ja scored again for Las Vegas to put them back up seven. Sue Bird was able to poke the ball free and received the outlet pass to finish for two on the fast break. Seattle got another stop and found Stewie in the corner for three. It cut the Aces’ lead back down to two at 70-68 and forced Vegas Coach Becky Hammon to call a timeout. The Storm would never get any closer.
Gray and Wilson scored back-to-back baskets to put the Aces back up six. After Bird missed a three, Gray was able to convert an AND1 to give the Aces their largest lead of the game up nine.
Stewart continued to do everything she could to try and will her team to victory scoring 14 points in the 4th quarter by herself. Sue Bird was the only other player to score for Seattle during the final 10 minutes.
Seattle battled back cutting the lead back down to four. But Chelsea Gray and the Aces would not relent. Vegas always had an answer.
With about 35 seconds left in the game, Gray found Plum in the corner open for a three. She nailed it and put the nail in Seattle’s coffin putting the Aces up nine with less than a minute to go.
I spoke with Wilson after the game about how they were always able to meet that moment against Seattle and never let up.
“It’s all a part of the game. Understanding that this game is a game of runs. You can’t get too high with your highs or too low with your lows. We just honed in on what we do best and stayed within ourselves. We weren’t trying to do too much. Not trying to save the day and get 500 points in a single possession, that’s not going to happen. Like I said, we were very composed throughout this game for 40 minutes and that’s always good to see.” A’ja told me.
When talking with Pokey after it was over, I asked if there was any frustration with the fact that Vegas always had an answer every time they made a run. It felt like every time Seattle was on the verge of taking the lead Las Vegas would come down and hit two or three big shots in a row.
“Frustration? That would be disrespectful to their talent. Let me qualify that. You have to keep heat on those types of players. They are top players on one of the top teams. That’s why you have to continue to apply pressure and continue to mix things up. But yeah, it’s tough when you’re right there. I can go back without watching the video and replay it in my mind. Chelsea made some really tough ones. I mean, Gabby was extended, she’s laying out, and the shot clock is running down. That’s what tough players and good players do. You have to take the other ones away. They stepped up and made big plays and that’s what the stars do.” Chatman told me.
Additional Analysis
Sue Bird Day
The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, officially declared August 7th, 2022 as “Sue Bird Day” in a proclamation.
More than the final score. More than which players had the most stats. Sunday’s story was all about Sue Bird. And rightfully so! We can argue whether Sue Bird is Seattle’s greatest athlete of all time or not (she is). Frankly, if she was a man there wouldn’t even be a debate at all. What no one can deny is that she is Seattle’s greatest winner. No other player in any of Seattle’s professional sports has won four championships.
Bird was honored before the game, during the game, and after the game. She had family there, former teammates, and more than 18,000 fans adorning her with praise.
It was not her jersey retirement ceremony or a prepared speech but Bird took to the mic after the game to share some thoughts and words on what this day meant to her.
There will be more time down the road to discuss the greatness of Sue Bird. Whether she’s the WNBA’s GOAT or just one of the best players in league history; she is Seattle’s GOAT and she deserved every single second of this day.
One member of the media spoke with Sue about her impact on women’s sports in the Seattle area and how her career has really helped create a large, supportive group for female athletes in this region. Bird talked a bit about her legacy and her post-retirement plans after the game in her response.
“Something I feel very passionate about as I retire and go into retirement is hoping that women’s athletes don’t have to fight for scraps. We always talk about how we only get a little bit of the pie and how we’re trying to build that pie so we’re not fighting for scraps. To know that I was already doing that as an active player is something I’ll hold close because it’s literally what I want to do when I retire.” Bird said.
The Disappearing Act of Jewell Loyd
From Seattle’s perspective, the biggest on-the-court story was the noticeable lack of production from All-Star guard Jewell Loyd. Loyd is an extremely talented player who occasionally suffers from inconsistent play. In a game that Seattle desperately needed to win to give themselves the best chance of making a deep playoff run - she was nowhere to be seen. Loyd finished the game with just a single point on 0-6 FG shooting in 30 minutes of action. Loyd’s only point came off of a Dearic Hamby technical foul.
Breanna Stewart took 18 shots and Tina Charles took 16. They combined for 34 shot attempts which were more than half of the team’s field goals. They were highly effective as both players shot 50% or better from the floor. Even though Loyd struggled in the first half going 0-4 FG the larger concern was that she took just two field goal attempts in the entire 2nd half; including NONE in the 4th quarter.
After the game, Seattle media spoke to acting Head Coach Pokey Chatman regarding the lack of production from Loyd and if Las Vegas did anything specific to take her out of her game.
“Listen, this time of the year, when you play a team three times. You mix it up. What you do as a coach and as a player, you go back and see ‘Did I miss a shot because I was guarded? Was it a bad shot?’ so you evaluate it a little bit differently. I thought she had some good looks that just didn’t go down. That’s not to take anything away from Vegas. It’s a 12-team league, sometimes they’re going to switch if she’s involved in a ball screen with Stewie. Sometimes they’re going to try to bully her and go over the top - she’s well prepared for that. I thought she had a couple of good looks and they just didn’t go down.” Chatman stated.
While it occasionally seems like Loyd has struggled a bit this season, she’s still putting up similar numbers we’ve seen throughout her career. I think part of the reason it can feel like Loyd is having a disappointing season is that she literally had the best season of her career last year. In 2021, she averaged a career-high in points (17.9 PPG), a career-high average in assists (3.8 APG), and her second-best season in rebounds (4.0 RPG).
This season, Loyd is averaging 15.4 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.7 RPG. More notably, she is having the worst shooting season of her career shooting below 40% for just the second time in her career (38%). Even with some disappointing numbers, Loyd has still reached double figures in 25 of the 33 games this year. And has eclipsed 20 points or more in 10 of her 33 games (more 20-point games than single-digit games).
Sunday’s performance was disappointing. My bigger concern was that she stopped shooting or being aggressive on offense. Jewell has never been the type of player who lets a few missed shots get in her head. That’s part of what has made her great throughout her career. Some players tend to shy away from shots after missing a few and become very passive. Loyd is normally the complete opposite of that. Shooters shoot! And Seattle needs Loyd to keep shooting.
If the Storm have any chance of making a deep push in the playoffs they will need more than Breanna Stewart. They will need Jewell Loyd to be Jewell Loyd. And that is one of the best shooting guards in the WNBA.
Stewie vs A’ja - MVP Battle
Despite the loss, Sunday’s contest between the Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces was just a real fun basketball game to watch. Both teams battled back and forth and each team had big-time performances from star players. In a game that featured several All-Stars and Olympians, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that the two that stood out the most were A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
If the previous era had Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi as the faces of the league. This new era of WNBA basketball has Stewie and A’ja. Both have already won the Most Valuable Player Award in their young careers with Stewart winning in 2018 and Wilson in 2020. And once again, both of these players are the front runners to win the award again at the end of the 2022 season.
Stewart leads the WNBA in scoring (21.9 PPG), is 11th in rebounding (7.2 RPG), third in steals (1.7 SPG), and 11th in blocks (1.0 BPG).
Wilson is arguably even more well-rounded as she’s 5th in scoring (19.5 PPG), 2nd in rebounding (9.4 RPG), 1st in blocks (2.0 BPG), and 16th in steals (1.4 SPG). Wilson has also won WNBA Player of the Month in two out of the three months during this WNBA season.
Las Vegas is likely to finish the season with a Top 3 record and could still finish number one overall (they’re currently 2nd). Seattle is more likely to finish 4th or 5th. That could be another feather in the cap for Wilson as voters make their picks.
Watching Sunday’s contest between the Aces and the Storm, I think you can make the argument that Las Vegas has the better team and A’ja has the better surrounding cast. She certainly did on Sunday where Plum, Gray, and Young all did major damage to the Storm, and Stewie was only backed up by Tina Charles.
You can make the argument that Breanna Stewart has had to do more this season with less help. But it’s not like Seattle’s roster is filled with scrubs. Bird, Loyd, and Charles are all multi-time All-Stars and Olympians. And Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor, and Stephanie Talbot are also Olympians for their respective countries.
A’ja has had a little more to work with but she’s also led her team to better results this season. I don’t have a vote but I expect Wilson will win the award this year. And unlike 2020, she might also win the WNBA Championship.
Jersey Count
The Storm were back in their “Rebel” Black jerseys. They’ve played the best when wearing them this season but weren’t able to overcome an extremely talented Las Vegas Aces team. They fall to 7-3 on the season while wearing the black uniforms. Seattle finished with a 13-5 home record. The team falls to 20-13 overall and remains just slightly ahead of the Washington Mystics (20-14). Seattle trails the Chicago Sky (25-8), the Las Vegas Aces (23-10), and the Connecticut Sun (22-11) in the standings.
Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 7-3
Explorer: 3-4
Heroine: 10-6
Overall Record: 20-13
Up Next
An important game against the defending champions, the Chicago Sky. The game is Tuesday, August 9th, at 5:00 PM (Seattle time). Because the Washington Mystics lost to the LA Sparks on Sunday, the Storm now need to win two out of their final three games to clinch home court advantage in the first round. If they aren’t able to pick up two more victories, they will almost certainly be traveling to Washington D.C. and may not even get a single home playoff game this year.
Notes:
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Photo Credits to Neil Enns/Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography Team
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