Can The Storm Get Back To The WNBA Finals

Seattle- Last season, the Seattle Storm struggled to stay consistent with winning close games, due to both their starters Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart out with season-ending injuries. Other players like Jordin Canada, Jewell Loyd, and Alysha Clark stepped up big time and got their team into the second round of the playoffs, but was embarrassed by the Los Angeles Sparks in their last game (92-69).

The Storm will get both Bird and Stewart back this season and with those two on the floor, it will impact the Storm on both sides of the floor. Stewart is a walking bucket. She shoots the mid-range shot at a decent percentage, can finish with the left and right hand and is a great defender. In 2018, Stewart put up monster numbers (21.8) and had 1.4 blocks per game. The Storm struggled last season with stopping defenders in the painted area. With Stewart in the line-up, it will make it difficult for opponents to score easy buckets. Stewart is great at being physical with people she is guarding. Having her in the line-up will take the pressure off of Crystal Langhorne, who struggles times guarding the painted area.

Sue Bird will be back and it looks like this may be her last season before she retires. The future Hall of Famer can still score at will and puts her teammates into position for them to score. Bird brings in a lot of experience, as well as energy to the game. Her teammates feed off the energy. With the unorthodox format of playing this season, due to Covivd-19, fans will not be in attendance, so the team has to feed off of each other.

With COVID being a key factor with certain players opting out to play this season, the Storm looks to be the favorite to win it all. They are the favorite because they will put pressure on defenders because they are always looking to be the aggressor. They have a healthy Bird and Stewart that can expose a mitch-match in a matter of seconds. The Storm has players that can step up when called upon and this season, Bird wants to leave everything out on the floor, before she retires.

It will be intriguing to see if the Storm can get back to the 2018 level that won them their third championship in franchise history.