Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the WNBA daily as we try to heal from this pandemic.
The Seattle Storm started their title defense by beating their Finals opponents from last season.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP.)
The Las Vegas Aces were the sexy pick by many pundits to win the 2021 WNBA championship. It’s not a bad pick by any means but I kind of wondered if some people forgot about the defending champion Seattle Storm.
The Storm made sure we remembered them. After their ring ceremony, they got off to a sluggish start against the Aces. Las Vegas seemed ready to go as they got two important players back who were missing from the Wubble: Elizabeth Cambage and Kelsey Plum. Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson even started off the scoring with a three-pointer; in social media, A’ja has been shown to expand her range. The Aces got off to a 15-6 start.
Then Seattle got going. Ezi Magbegor and Jewell Loyd led a run that got the Storm the lead. Then Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird had an assault from the perimeter. Katie Lou Samuelson would punctuate that with another three to give the Storm a 9-point lead at the half.
Coming off the break, Seattle immediately scored 10 straight points to shut the door on Vegas.
It’s very clear that Stewie is still next-level; she finished with 28 points and 13 boards. Sue is still a fantastic floor general; she had 11-5-8. Loyd went for 22 points. Veteran acquisition Candice Dupree scored 12. And it’s still unfair that Jordin Canada is a back-up point guard (6 assists) when she can be an EASY starter anywhere else. This team is still one to be reckoned with and I still think Breanna Stewart right now is the best in the women’s game.
The path to the championship goes through the Seattle Storm. And going through that kind of storm isn’t an easy path by any means.
Bullet Passes
Again, I’m not putting down anyone who picked the Aces (who is still my niece’s favorite team despite Kayla McBride leaving for the Lynx). It’s just going to take some time to gel. Not only did they get Cambage (16 points) and Plum (11 points) back but they also got Chelsea Gray (7 points) off free agency. She was mostly invisible today but once she gets acclimated, watch out.
Candace Parker had an excellent debut with her new team, the Chicago Sky. She ended with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. I had mentioned Courtney Vandersloot, Diamond DeShields, and Allie Quigley as ladies to watch out for in Chicago in my preview but I can’t forget Kahleah Copper, who was their second leading scorer last season. She led the Sky in scoring on Saturday afternoon with 19 points.
The Sky clamped the Mystics to a dreadful 25 percent from the field. The Mystics certainly missed Elena Delle Donne. It was nice that they got back Tina Charles (who didn’t play last season) but she went 5 for 16 from the field. The sad part is that 5 for 16 looked solid compared to the rest of her teammates.
WNBA Scoreboard
May 15, 2021
Watch This Play
Parker’s first basket was a beauty as she gets the rock coming off the screen. Nice jump pass by Copper.
First Chicago bucket for @Candace_Parker 💥#CountIt pic.twitter.com/6DqjgyGcgU
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 15, 2021
Parker is going to be a gamechanger for Chicago.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the WNBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.