Storm continue to find rhythm in 81-65 win over Fever
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – For the third time this season, the Seattle Storm defeated the Indiana Fever. The July 17th win would be Seattle’s fourth in a row, pitting them just a game behind the Las Vegas Aces for second in the Western Conference. Seattle’s defensive grinded out another great lock down performance, while MVP candidate Breanna Stewart led the Storm on offense. With the win, Seattle continues to inch towards their potential of a title contender, and they seem to be finding their rhythm at the right time.
Seattle’s defense has been their calling card all season long, setting the tone for the type of game that they want to play. Storm basketball in 2022 has been play tough, attacking defense, and your offensive firepower will wear your opponent down. Seattle likes to play in transition as well, that combined with their stamina makes them a very tough team to keep up with. This formula worked for Seattle in this game, with the added factor of their bench, which has improved their play as of late. Tina Charles discussed her impact off of the bench, while teammate Breanna Stewart reflected on what Charles brings to the team.
“It’s not what I see on the court, it’s just who I am. That’s just preparation meeting opportunity, that’s all it is. Regardless of the situation, I am going to try and be as dominant as I can. I try to take advantage of every opportunity, and I love to score. I think everybody knows that, so I was just taking advantage there”
“Tina brings a lot; everyone knows that she is an amazing player and one of the best in our league. The way that she can really affect and change a game is big, but if I’m being completely honest the thing that she has brought has just been confidence. I could see the confidence that the rest of the team gets and thriving off of what she brings”
Storm forward Breanna Stewart, nicknamed the Queen, is gunning for more gold this season. While Stewart already has plenty of hardware including two WNBA titles, two WNBA Finals MVPs, she’s looking to add a second league MVP award. Stewart led the way for the Storm in this game, totaling 25 points and flirting with a double-double thanks to eight rebounds. Simply put, Seattle has gotten performances like these out of Stewart regularly, as she leads the league in points per game, and is second in steals per game and offensive efficiency.
Earlier in the season, prior to Tina Charles being signed, it seemed like Seattle may have found their footing as they had won eight of their ten games from May 18th through June 14th. The addition of Charles stirred controversy at first, as some were worried that adding her so late into the season could mess up the chemistry in the Storm locker room. Charles has been finding her rhythm with Seattle, mentoring budding star center Ezi Magbegor, and the Storm have won six of their last seven. Seattle is clicking at the right time, it’s up to them to keep it up and potentially lock up the top seed in the West.
The Storm get back to business on July 20th as they travel to battle the defending champions. Seattle will tipoff against the Chicago Sky in a unique 9AM PST start time. A marquee matchup against one of the best franchises in the WNBA and the defending league champs gets an early start time, but the action won’t be sparse. A big matchup for two teams coming into the game with four game win streaks and considering the cream of the crop in the WNBA.