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 against Seattle Storm
In the WNBA Championship 2018 finals, the Washington Mystics will play the Seattle Storm. Storm is back in the Finals, eight years after their absence. The team lost Lauren Jackson to retirement, but has restocked its lineup with Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd.
In the regular season, The Seattle Storm was the league leader in 3-point accuracy. With 29.8%, the Mystics came in second. This accuracy continued into playoffs.
Breanna Stewart wins WNBA Finals MVP award
Breanna Stewart, a Seattle Storm guard has won the WNBA Finals MVP trophy. She averaged 28.3 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per match to lead her team to the title. She was recognized for her contributions to the Storm winning the league title in 2020. She was proud of her MVP award, arriving at the media availability postgame with champagne in her hand. She also wore her celebratory goggles, and threw green and gold confetti at Seattle Storm general manager Sue Bird.
A two-time WNBA MVP, Stewart led the Storm to their second championship in less than two years. With 37 points and 15 rebounds, Stewart had an outstanding Game 1 performance. That made her the first player to average 35 points in the Finals. She finished the series averaging 28.3 points and shot 65 percent from the field. Stewart is also a Hall of Fame nominee.
Phoenix Sun's Diana Taurasi wins first WNBA title
Diana Taurasi, a former NBA star, is the leading scorer in WNBA. She has won the MVP award, three WNBA champions and three WNBA league championships. She has five WNBA scoring championships and four Olympic golds medals. She is also a three-time NCAA champion with the University of Connecticut. She also won six Euroleague championships overseas.
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 first player to win a championship with a team from the Western Conference. In 2020, she will be inducted to the league's Hall of Fame.
Seattle Storm's Sue Bird is the one leading Seattle to victory
The Seattle Storm are on the verge of their first WNBA title. Sue Bird is leading them. The Storm won the Western Conference standings with a record of 26-8. The team was led by Bird, who was a top pick in 2001. Bird's offensive efficiency and quickness enabled the Storm to defeat the Washington Mystics from the perimeter. The Storm shot 13-for-26 from three point range and outscored 21 Mystics by 21. The Mystics shot only 8 for 23 from behind the arc in Game 3 and finished the series with a record of 11 for 60.
Bird was the Storm's main star during the playoffs. In Game 5 against the Phoenix Mercury, she came up big in the fourth quarter. Bird, despite wearing a mask because of a broken nose scored just 10 points and drained clutch jumpers in order to send the Mercury home.