Storm clinch home court, beat Lynx 96-69
The Seattle Storm secure the 4th seed after destroying Minnesota.
The Seattle Storm took care of business on Friday evening dismantling the Minnesota Lynx 96-69 which allowed them to secure the 4th overall seed and home-court advantage in their first-round matchup against the Washington Mystics.
In case you missed it, I put out a Public Service Announcement on Twitter that I had a schedule conflict Friday evening and would not be able to watch the Storm game or interview players and coaches after the game. Because of this, I won’t be writing a full-length recap for this game as I usually do after each and every game. But I did want to take a few minutes to cover the basics and send that out to everyone because this was an important win.
After losing to the Las Vegas Aces last Sunday, the Storm needed to win two out of their final three games in order to lock up the 4th overall seed. Fortunately, they did just that defeating the Chicago Sky in an epic 111-100 victory on Tuesday and then dominating the Minnesota Lynx 96-69 on Friday. Their playoff seeding is completely set in stone. They can’t move up any higher and they can’t fall. Just as they did a year ago, the team finished 4th overall in the WNBA standings.
The good news is the WNBA got rid of all single-elimination games in the playoffs this year. The first round will be a three-game series with Games 1 and Games 2 taking place at the higher seeds’ home gym. The Storm will host the Washington Mystics on Thursday, August 18th at 7:00 PM and on Sunday, August 21st at 1:00 PM. Elena Delle Donne and Alysha Clark come to Seattle in what is sure to be a hard-fought series. It is also the first time these two teams have matched up in the playoffs since the Storm swept the Mystics in the 2018 WNBA Finals. Can they do it again?
Looking back at Seattle’s win on Friday night, it was the usual suspects who stood out. Tina Charles led the team with 23 points on 9-16 FG shooting and nine rebounds. Jewell Loyd was also effective connecting on 8-14 FG including 4-6 FG from beyond the arc and tallied 21 points in the win. It was announced by the team’s PR that Loyd set a new franchise record for made three-pointers in a single season with 76. MVP hopeful, Breanna Stewart, finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Briann January had one of her best games of the season scoring 11 points on 80% FG shooting and dishing out five assists.
In Sylvia Fowles’ final home game in Minnesota, she still proved she’s one of the most talented centers in the WNBA. Fowles had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Aerial Powers led the team in scoring with 18 points including 7-8 from the FT line. Bridget Carleton added 11 points off the bench.
The loss for the Lynx hurts their playoff chances but hasn’t eliminated them. They can still reach the post-season by defeating the Connecticut Sun and hoping the Chicago Sky beat the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
Additional Analysis
Should the Storm Rest Players?
As written above, the Storm are locked into the 4th overall seed. This means their game on Sunday at Las Vegas is essentially meaningless now. It is too bad that they weren’t able to beat Vegas last Sunday. Had they done that, then this final game on the 14th would have determined which team finished ahead of the other. But instead, the only thing that defeating Vegas will do is knock them out of the #1 seed which I’m honestly not even sure is something the Storm should want to do.
This is some Galaxy Brain thinking but hear me out... Because the Storm weren’t able to secure a Top 3 seed there’s no real easy path to the WNBA title this year. They’re going to have to defeat the Washington Mystics in the first round (which is not a given). Assuming they get past them, they’re either going to face Las Vegas or Chicago in the 2nd round. If they face Chicago in the 2nd round, then if they managed to win that series they would face the Aces or Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Finals.
The reason the Storm might want to play the Aces sooner rather than later is that Dearica Hamby recently injured her knee which is expected to take 2-4 weeks to heal. If you face the Aces in the 2nd round, there’s a pretty good chance Hamby won’t be available to play.
Even though Hamby hasn’t been stellar in recent weeks she can still be a menace on the defensive end. She especially helps their rebounding and their transition game. Earlier this year, Hamby had 19 rebounds against Seattle. The Storm would have a better chance of taking down the top-ranked team if they get to play them without Hamby. Especially because the Aces’ one minor weakness is a lack of depth overall. Losing one more key piece might be the difference in a playoff series.
If Chicago finishes with the number one seed and the Storm manage to beat them and then face Las Vegas in the WNBA Finals, it is much more likely that Hamby would have returned to game action by then.
Back to the question at the beginning of this topic, should the Storm rest their players on Sunday? I think they should. Especially after what happened last year where Breanna Stewart suffered a non-contact injury just three games before the end of the regular season.
I could envision a scenario where they rest Stewart and Bird on Sunday and get prepared for Washington next Thursday.
Apparently, Coach Quinn was asked about resting players after the win in Minnesota and she indicated they likely wouldn’t. But we will see…
Updated Playoff Scenarios
Thanks to Dano Mataya for the handy breakdown of the playoff scenarios after Friday night’s results. After picking up huge victories on Friday, the Phoenix Mercury and the New York Liberty now both have over an 80% chance to make the playoffs. They currently hold the final two playoff spots and can automatically get in if they win or the teams below them lose. Check out the table below for all the details!
I have a hard time seeing any of these four teams knocking Las Vegas or Chicago out in the first round. I’d give Phoenix the best chance if Skylar Diggins-Smith was playing but right now that’s a big uncertainty. Diggins-Smith was temporarily suspended, missed Friday’s game, and will also miss her team’s season finale.
Jersey Count
Stop the count! If the season ended today the Seattle Storm would have a winning record while wearing all three jersey combinations. That is because they picked up another win while wearing their traditional Green and Gold “Explorer” uniforms. They improved their record to 5-4 while wearing that set and the team’s overall record is now 22-13. They can’t catch any of the Top 3 teams - Las Vegas (25-10), the Chicago Sky (25-10), and the Connecticut Sun (24-11).
Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 7-3
Explorer: 5-4
Heroine: 10-6
Overall Record: 22-13
Notes:
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Photo Credits to Neil Enns/Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography Team
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I think you're right about resting, but the caveat I admit to is the Storm are playing their best basketball all season and I would HATE to see that groove disrupted. Loyd is finally clicking, their offense is finally performing to Storm standards re assists, and Tina Charles has finally got the system down. Also, Gabby IS 🔥 right now. I worry about losing that momentum if they rest. Also, I think the psychology of an all out destruction of the Aces at this moment would go a long way to messing with the heads of every player in their path. If they are in a position to let the bench play in the third or fourth then fine, rest the starters then. But if not, it's too important for the whole team to show up and show out before the playoffs.
Appreciation for your playoff scenarios. Will definitely miss your commentary on Friday’s game.
Plus: great game by the Storm last night! It was especially gratifying to see Tina do what she does so well. We appear to be jelling at the right time.