Team NBS Media
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Sports
    • NFL
      • Dallas Cowboys
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • Washington Commanders
      • New York Giants
      • Carolina Panthers
      • New Orleans Saints
      • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
      • Atlanta Falcons
      • Minnesota Vikings
      • Chicago Bears
      • Detroit Lions
      • Green Bay Packers
      • Arizona Cardinals
      • Los Angeles Rams
      • San Francisco 49ers
      • Seattle Seahawks
      • Kansas City Chiefs
      • Las Vegas Raiders
      • Los Angeles Chargers
      • Denver Broncos
      • Miami Dolphins
      • Buffalo Bills
      • New York Jets
      • New England Patriots
      • Baltimore Ravens
      • Cincinnati Bengals
      • Cleveland Browns
      • Pittsburgh Steelers
      • Houston Texans
      • Indianapolis Colts
      • Jacksonville Jaguars
      • Tennessee Titans
    • NBA
      • Philadelphia 76ers
      • Brooklny Nets
      • New York Knicks
      • Toronto Raptors
      • Boston Celtics
      • Milwaukee Bucks
      • Cleveland Cavaliers
      • Chicago Bulls
      • Detroit Pistons
      • Indiana Pacers
      • Atlanta Hawks
      • Miami Heat
      • Orlando Magic
      • Charlotte Hornets
      • Washington Wizards
      • Portland Trailblazers
      • Utah Jazz
      • Minnesota Timberwolves
      • Denver Nuggets
      • Oklahoma City Thunder
      • Sacramento Kings
      • Golden State Warriors
      • Phoenix Suns
      • Los Angeles Lakers
      • Los Angeles Clippers
      • San Antonio Spurs
      • Houston Rockets
      • Dallas Mavericks
      • New Orleans Pelicans
      • Memphis Grizzlies
    • WNBA
    • MLB
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • New York Mets
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • Washington Nationals
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St Louis Cardinals
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Francisco Giants
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • San Diego Padres
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • New York Yankees
      • Boston Red Sox
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Minnesota Twins
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Houston Texans
      • Texas Rangers
    • NHL
    • NCAA
      • NCAA Football
      • NCAA Basketball
    • Soccer/Futbol
    • NASCAR
    • More Sports
      • Fantasy
      • Esports
      • PGA
      • Big3
      • Boxing
      • UFC
      • Sports Betting
      • Wrestling
  • Entertainment
    • TV
    • Movie
    • Music
  • Lifestyle
  • NBS Shows
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Sports
    • NFL
      • Dallas Cowboys
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • Washington Commanders
      • New York Giants
      • Carolina Panthers
      • New Orleans Saints
      • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
      • Atlanta Falcons
      • Minnesota Vikings
      • Chicago Bears
      • Detroit Lions
      • Green Bay Packers
      • Arizona Cardinals
      • Los Angeles Rams
      • San Francisco 49ers
      • Seattle Seahawks
      • Kansas City Chiefs
      • Las Vegas Raiders
      • Los Angeles Chargers
      • Denver Broncos
      • Miami Dolphins
      • Buffalo Bills
      • New York Jets
      • New England Patriots
      • Baltimore Ravens
      • Cincinnati Bengals
      • Cleveland Browns
      • Pittsburgh Steelers
      • Houston Texans
      • Indianapolis Colts
      • Jacksonville Jaguars
      • Tennessee Titans
    • NBA
      • Philadelphia 76ers
      • Brooklny Nets
      • New York Knicks
      • Toronto Raptors
      • Boston Celtics
      • Milwaukee Bucks
      • Cleveland Cavaliers
      • Chicago Bulls
      • Detroit Pistons
      • Indiana Pacers
      • Atlanta Hawks
      • Miami Heat
      • Orlando Magic
      • Charlotte Hornets
      • Washington Wizards
      • Portland Trailblazers
      • Utah Jazz
      • Minnesota Timberwolves
      • Denver Nuggets
      • Oklahoma City Thunder
      • Sacramento Kings
      • Golden State Warriors
      • Phoenix Suns
      • Los Angeles Lakers
      • Los Angeles Clippers
      • San Antonio Spurs
      • Houston Rockets
      • Dallas Mavericks
      • New Orleans Pelicans
      • Memphis Grizzlies
    • WNBA
    • MLB
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • New York Mets
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • Washington Nationals
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St Louis Cardinals
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Francisco Giants
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • San Diego Padres
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • New York Yankees
      • Boston Red Sox
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Minnesota Twins
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Houston Texans
      • Texas Rangers
    • NHL
    • NCAA
      • NCAA Football
      • NCAA Basketball
    • Soccer/Futbol
    • NASCAR
    • More Sports
      • Fantasy
      • Esports
      • PGA
      • Big3
      • Boxing
      • UFC
      • Sports Betting
      • Wrestling
  • Entertainment
    • TV
    • Movie
    • Music
  • Lifestyle
  • NBS Shows
No Result
View All Result
Team NBS Media
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • NBS Shows
Home Featured Writers

WNBA Finals: Twin Breakthrough

by Jeffrey Newholm
February 6, 2019
in Featured Writers, WNBA
0
WNBA Finals: Twin Breakthrough

While teammate Sami Whitcomb shrieks in triumph, Sue Bird maintains a mask of professionalism. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joshua Huston/NBAE via Getty Images)

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Jeffrey Newholm

After the best preliminary playoffs seen yet in the new format, the Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics advance to the WNBA finals, tipping off Friday night. Behind MVP Breanna Stewart and veteran legend Sue Bird, Seattle clinched the top seed. The Storm then outlasted playoff mainstay Phoenix in a full five games. The Mystics received a huge scare when the superb Elena Delle Donne crumpled to the ground untouched in game two against Atlanta. But the Blue Hen flew to a greater altitude in a game four blowout preceding the clincher in Atlanta. While previous finals pitted long-successful franchises, the 2018 edition provides a fun matchup between cities not used to being good.

True, Delle Donne is a 96% free throw shooter in the playoffs. But would she blink when hacked with the Mystics only up one with the shot clock off? In my mind there was no doubt, but surprisingly there was some in hers, as she recounted after the horn. “Those were a little nerve-wracking, I’m not going to lie. But I just did my same routine, trusted in the process and let it fly”. She swished both, and Washington regained possession after a very poor attempt at a Dream three. Mystics hearts may have skipped a beat on a near jump-ball on the inbound, but the official, anticipating a foul, mercifully whistled it. Delle Donne added two more charity throws to clinch the franchise’s first ever appearance in the finals.

While Washington has never made it this far, the team definitely won’t flop due to the lame “happy just to be here” mentality. Coach Mike Thibault won more games than any other WNBA coach, leaving him, as he stated in an interview, rather sated. Except for one small omission: a league title. Similarly, there’s little to criticize Delle Donne for. Apart from some bad injury luck, the 2015 MVP is unquestionable a 2010’s Mount Rushmore talent. She now has a much better fit in Washington (rather than with the troubled Sky). That’s because she plays closer to her family and with a balanced contributing cast. “Now or never” is too pessimistic for most breakthroughs, but there’s never been a better opportunity than 2018 for Washington.

Holding a 2-1 series lead and a 17 point lead in game four, the Storm seemed destined to reach its first finals in eight years. And then tragedy slammed into Sue Bird’s face in the form an nose-breaking elbow. Nope, not from a crazed fan or dirty Mercury player. It was friendly fire from Stewart. A rather rattled Storm squad managed to completely blow the lead. While the deciding tilt was in Seattle, the Mercury controlled the first three quarters. (Re)enter Bird, broken nose be darned. Bird scored 14 fourth quarter points as the #5 seeded Mercury finally tired. Much like fictitious heroes Rocky and Indiana Jones, Bird never seems to run out of inspiration. While she my not dodge boulders, basketball drama in Seattle is now second to none (who needs the Sonics?)

Basketball, at is best, is about a whole that supersedes any individual. And that’s what makes this Storm team so beautiful. After a few clunky years after drafting Stewart and Jewell Loyd, Dan Hughes demonstrated astute acumen in 2018. Key Arena now hosts a buzzed fanbase that cheers a scoring threat. Seattle shot a league-best 46.8% from the field with a leading 9 threes a game. Stewart added 1.4 swats a game and that wasn’t even best on her own team, as Natasha Howard was second in the WNBA with 2. Some have speculated that the Storm will win multiple titles with this group of players. If so, that’s all the more reason to relish this year, because the first triumph is always the best.

Ratings are multiplying faster than NBS’s Twitter count, and there’s plenty of reasons to maintain focus as the season concludes. The first ever Storm-Mystics final offers all the superstars and competitive spirit any fan could ask for. Unfortunately two games will be up against the NFL executioner. But it’s time to join Seattle and Sue and give football the Bird, because women’s hoops has never been in a more admirable position.

Post Views: 389

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Tags: Breanna StewartElena Delle DonneSeattle StormSue BirdWashignton Mystics
Share196Tweet123
Jeffrey Newholm

Jeffrey Newholm

Hey there! I’m Jeff Newholm and depending on your point of view I’m blessed or cursed that my two favorite sports are outside the limelight. Being a UW-Whitewater grad (winter 2013) my first love was d3 college football, but over the last few years I have picked up a huge interest in woman’s basketball (Uconn being my favorite team as their 90 game winning streak helped show me how good a team can get in the woman’s game). I like all the sports everyone else likes (NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA basketball and football) but those two sports are where I really have a passion.

Related Posts

WNBA

Nathan’s WNBA Power Rankings Going into Week Two

by Nathan Snell
May 30, 2025
0

By: Nathan Snell Two weeks into WNBA basketball, we have seen some exciting games so far. As a disclaimer, the...

Unrivaled

3 Things To Look Forward To In First Unrivaled Season

by Nick Andre
January 17, 2025
0

By: Nick Andre This week begins a new era for Women’s Basketball. Thanks to WNBA All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa...

WNBA

Three Top Performances Through First Half of the 2023 WNBA Season

by Nick Andre
July 17, 2023
0

By: Nick Andre WNBA All-Star Weekend is official as the world witnessed the best players take center stage in Saturday...

Seattle Storm

Jewell Loyd: The New Franchise Star for The Seattle Storm

by Nick Andre
May 18, 2023
0

By: Nick Andre The Seattle Storm are heading towards a new chapter in their franchise. After two decades of championship...

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

  • raymond reddington

    The Blacklist: Raymond Reddington Was Indeed Katarina Rostova

    35180 shares
    Share 14072 Tweet 8795
  • Keep Russell Wilson Out Of Atlanta For Personal Reasons

    9083 shares
    Share 3633 Tweet 2271
  • Karen Read Shouldn’t Face A Second Trail

    2732 shares
    Share 1093 Tweet 683
  • Karen Read’s Defense Is Too Strong

    2589 shares
    Share 1036 Tweet 647
  • The Free Karen Read Movement Is Growing

    2334 shares
    Share 934 Tweet 584

Team NBS Media Mission Statement

“With a gift for story telling and solid content creation, we are Team NBS Media. A talented team from across the globe bringing passion and professionalism. Join the squad. “

teamnbs
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Team NBS Media Opportunities

Team NBS Media © 2022

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Sports
    • NFL
      • Dallas Cowboys
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • Washington Commanders
      • New York Giants
      • Carolina Panthers
      • New Orleans Saints
      • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
      • Atlanta Falcons
      • Minnesota Vikings
      • Chicago Bears
      • Detroit Lions
      • Green Bay Packers
      • Arizona Cardinals
      • Los Angeles Rams
      • San Francisco 49ers
      • Seattle Seahawks
      • Kansas City Chiefs
      • Las Vegas Raiders
      • Los Angeles Chargers
      • Denver Broncos
      • Miami Dolphins
      • Buffalo Bills
      • New York Jets
      • New England Patriots
      • Baltimore Ravens
      • Cincinnati Bengals
      • Cleveland Browns
      • Pittsburgh Steelers
      • Houston Texans
      • Indianapolis Colts
      • Jacksonville Jaguars
      • Tennessee Titans
    • NBA
      • Philadelphia 76ers
      • Brooklny Nets
      • New York Knicks
      • Toronto Raptors
      • Boston Celtics
      • Milwaukee Bucks
      • Cleveland Cavaliers
      • Chicago Bulls
      • Detroit Pistons
      • Indiana Pacers
      • Atlanta Hawks
      • Miami Heat
      • Orlando Magic
      • Charlotte Hornets
      • Washington Wizards
      • Portland Trailblazers
      • Utah Jazz
      • Minnesota Timberwolves
      • Denver Nuggets
      • Oklahoma City Thunder
      • Sacramento Kings
      • Golden State Warriors
      • Phoenix Suns
      • Los Angeles Lakers
      • Los Angeles Clippers
      • San Antonio Spurs
      • Houston Rockets
      • Dallas Mavericks
      • New Orleans Pelicans
      • Memphis Grizzlies
    • WNBA
    • MLB
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • New York Mets
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • Washington Nationals
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St Louis Cardinals
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Francisco Giants
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • San Diego Padres
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • New York Yankees
      • Boston Red Sox
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Minnesota Twins
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Houston Texans
      • Texas Rangers
    • NHL
    • NCAA
      • NCAA Football
      • NCAA Basketball
    • Soccer/Futbol
    • NASCAR
    • More Sports
      • Fantasy
      • Esports
      • PGA
      • Big3
      • Boxing
      • UFC
      • Sports Betting
      • Wrestling
  • Entertainment
    • TV
    • Movie
    • Music
  • Lifestyle
  • NBS Shows

Team NBS Media © 2022

-
00:00
00:00

Queue

      Update Required Flash plugin
      -
      00:00
      00:00
        %d