This year's WNBA Championship was the first ever to be won by a Pacific Northwest team. The Chicago Sky, a wildcard team, finished the regular season as sixth seed. However, they beat the Phoenix Mercury in Finals. Kahleah Cupper was named Finals MVP.
Washington Mystics against Seattle Storm
The Washington Mystics are set to face the Seattle Storm at the WNBA Championship 2018. After an eight-year absence, the Storm is back in the Finals. The team lost Lauren Jackson to retirement. However, it has restocked its lineup using Jewell Liyd and Breanna Steward.
In the regular season, The Seattle Storm was the league leader in 3-point accuracy. The Mystics were in second place with 29.8%. This accuracy continued into playoffs.
Breanna Stewart wins WNBA Finals MVP award
Breanna Stewart, a Seattle Storm guard, has been awarded the WNBA Finals MVP Award. She averaged 28.3 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per match to lead her team to the title. She won the award because of her contribution to the Storm's league title win in 2020. With champagne in hand, she showed her MVP award. She also wore celebratory goggles and threw green confetti at Sue Bird (Seattle Storm general manager).
A two-time WNBA MVP, Stewart led the Storm to their second championship in less than two years. She had an exceptional performance during Game 1 with 37 points and 15 rebounds. That made her the player who averaged 35 points in Game 1. She ended the series with an average 28.3 points and a shooting percentage of 65 percent. Stewart is also a Hall of Fame nominee.
Phoenix Sun's Diana Taurasi wins first WNBA title
Diana Taurasi is a former NBA basketball player who is currently the leading scorer of the WNBA. She has won the MVP award, three WNBA champions and three WNBA league championships. She has also won four Olympic gold medals as well as five WNBA scoring titles. She also has three NCAA championships won with the University of Connecticut. She has also been a successful player overseas, winning six Euroleague champions.
Diana Taurasi became the most decorated WNBA player after she won her first WNBA Championship. The 22-year-old also began a long, distinguished career. Taurasi is the Western Conference's first champion. She will join the league's Hall of Fame in 2020.
Seattle Storm's Sue Bird leads Seattle to victory
Sue Bird takes the Seattle Storm to their first WNBA champion. The Storm finished regular season with a record 26-2 and was ranked first in the Western Conference. Bird, a 2001 top pick, led the team. The Storm's offense efficiency and quickness allowed them to dominate the Washington Mystics at the perimeter. The Storm shot 13 out 26 from three points and outscored Washington Mystics 21 to 21. The Mystics went 8/23 from behind the arc in Game 3. They finished the series with a record of eleven for sixty.
Bird was the main star for the Storm during the playoffs. She came up big in Game 5 against Phoenix Mercury. Bird, who was wearing a mask from a broken nose, scored just 10 points. The Mercury then drained their clutch jumpers.