The Storm Snapped The Mystics In Half To Become WNBA Champs

The Seattle Storm completed their sweep of the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night, outclassing their opponent on the road and winning 98-82 to capture their first WNBA title since 2010 and third championship overall.

Game 3 had the occasional tight moment—mainly when the Mystics went on a 16-3 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to five. But eight straight points in the next minute-and-a-half from the Storm put them back in control and buried their overmatched opponents, who struggled to keep the score within single digits for most of the game. Overall, the night was far closer to Seattle’s easy Game 1 victory than their epic, tight Game 2 win.

Sue Bird didn’t hit a field goal until the fourth quarter (though she finished with a double-double), but Natasha Howard and MVP Breanna Stewart carried the scoring load for the Storm. Stewart’s 30 points and eight boards are what you’d expect from a superstar of her caliber gunning for her first title. But Howard’s play was a pleasant surprise, logging a career high of 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting to go with 14 rebounds. On the other side, Washington’s Elena Delle Donne gave a gutsy performance, scoring 23, but the Mystics’ shooting, especially from deep, just couldn’t keep up with the Storm.

The Mystics may still be improving, but in this season’s Finals, there was no doubt about who was the best team, and Seattle’s domination in the series just hammered home how impressive this roster is. Sue Bird, in what very well may have been her final season, got the third title she deserved. And Breanna Stewart, only 24 years old, now has a WNBA title and Finals MVP to add to her ridiculously overstuffed trophy case.