This year's WNBA championship was the first time a team from the Pacific Northwest has won the title. The Chicago Sky were considered a wild card in this season's WNBA season. They finished the regular season sixth, but beat the Phoenix Mercury to reach the Finals. Kahleah Cupper was named Finals MVP.
Washington Mystics vs. Seattle Storm
In the WNBA Championship 2018 finals, the Washington Mystics will play the Seattle Storm. After an eight-year absence, the Storm is back in the Finals. The team lost Lauren Jackson due to retirement but has restocked its lineup by Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell L.
The Seattle Storm led the league in 3-point accuracy in the regular season. The Mystics were in second place with 29.8%. This accuracy was evident in the playoffs.
Breanna Stewart wins WNBA Finals MVP award
Seattle Storm guard Breanna Stewart has won 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. She received her MVP award by arriving to the postgame media accessibility with champagne in her hands. She also wore her celebratory sunglasses and threw green/gold confetti at Sue Bird as Seattle Storm general manger.
Stewart was a two-time WNBA MVP and led the Storm in their second consecutive championship in less that two years. She was outstanding in Game 1, scoring 37 points with 15 rebounds. She became the first player to average 35 point per game in the Finals. She scored an average of 28.3 and shot 65 per cent from the field for the series. Stewart is also an inductee to the Hall of Fame.
Phoenix Sun's Diana Taurasi wins first WNBA title
Diana Taurasi was a former NBA player. She is now the leading scorer at the WNBA. She is the MVP award winner and has won three WNBA championships. She is also the proud owner of four Olympic gold medals, five WNBA scoring titles and five WNBA scoring title. She also has three NCAA championships won with the University of Connecticut. She has also played overseas, winning six Euroleague championships.
Diana Taurasi became the most decorated WNBA player after she won her first WNBA Championship. The 22-year old also won her first WNBA championship. This was the beginning of a long, successful career. Taurasi was the first player to win the championship with a Western Conference team. In 2020, Taurasi will be inducted into the league's Hall of Fame.
Seattle Storm's Sue Bird leads Seattle towards victory
Sue Bird has led the Seattle Storm to their WNBA championship. The Storm finished the regular season at 26-8. They also topped the Western Conference standings. Bird, who was a top draft pick in 2001, was the team's leader. Bird was a top pick in 2001 and her offensive efficiency combined with her quickness allowed Storm to dominate Washington Mystics' perimeter. The Storm shot 13 of 26 from three-point range, outscoring the Mystics 21 points. In Game 3, the Mystics only shot 8 of 23 from behind-the-arc and closed the series with an impressive 11 for 60.
Bird was the Storm’s main star in the playoffs. She came up big in Game 5 against Phoenix Mercury. Although she was wearing a mask due to a broken nose, Bird had just scored 10 points and drained clutch jumpers to send the Mercury home.