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Gene Wang
A sports journalist covering football and basketball at local and national colleges
Well before the final signal of the third game of the WNBA final on Wednesday night, Seattle Storm's coronation had begun.
The result was all but settled in the second quarter, when striker Breanna Stewart pushed the storm to a double-digit lead over the Washington Mystics at EagleBank Arena.
The MVP of the league title can be the best player in the world. She was certainly the best player in this five-game winning streak, winning WNBA finals after scoring 30 points in a 98-82 triumph to complete a sweep.
[Svrluga: Mystics’ season ends with a loss in the WNBA Finals, but it feels like the start of something]
When Washington closed in five minutes with 6:35 in the fourth quarter, Stewart collected a pass, turned and made a jump at the touch. She made the bonus shot, and Natasha Howard followed with a lay-up to return to 10.
"God has blessed me to coach Breanna Stewart," said Seattle coach Dan Hughes, who won his first WNBA championship.
Fairfax, Virginia – September 12: The Seattle storm celebrates after winning the third game of the WNBA final between the Washington Mystics and the Seattle Storm at George Mason University on September 12, 2018, in Fairfax, VA. The Seattle storm swept the Washington Mystics in three games by winning the title. (Photo by John McDonnell / The Washington Post)
Stewart, who scored 4 of 5 points at three points, was far from being a single player on a stacked list this season. Teammates Storm, Jewell Loyd and Sue Bird, join the United States to train for the FIBA World Cup. At 37, she remains the best leader in the league.
Stewart and Loyd, meanwhile, are 24 years old. Howard, who made his way into the painted area of the series, is 27 years old.
"They are the defending champions," said Mystics coach Mike Thibault. "They are young. They are really talented. They are smart and know how to play with each other. Teams will have to find ways to make a difference and have as much firepower as they do. "
Which raises the question: If Bird continues to play at a level that few goalies have in the history of the sport, how many more titles could there be in Seattle?
[[[[WNBA Finals: Match 3 Game Score: Storm 98, Mystics 82]
"You never know," said Bird, "so being here is just amazing – a team so fun, a fun team to play, and we made the right choice, and it feels really good to be sit here now.
An important variable favoring a potential Storm dynasty is its youth, given the age of progress in its most difficult competition in the league.
The most recent WNBA dynasty, the Minnesota Lynx, winners of four of the last eight titles, have players other than the Maya Moore wing who have surpassed their most productive days.
Leader Lindsay Whalen announced her retirement after losing the Lynx in the quarterfinals. Sylvia Fowles is 32 years old. Seimone Augustus, just like Fowles, a former Olympian, is 34 years old. Striker Rebekkah Brunson is 36 years old.
"They remind me of the core of Minnesota when they started in the race," said Kristi Toliver, Mystics goalkeeper, about the Storm.
[Washington Mystics swept up by the Storm in first trip to WNBA Finals]
The 2016 WNBA Champions 2016 Los Angeles Sparks still have former league MVP Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike, but the consistent points guard game has been somewhat on the move since Toliver left for the Mystics via Free agency.
2014 WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury had Diana Taurasi, but one of the few players in the conversation to have won 36 in June. Leading striker DeWanna Bonner is 31 years old.
That leaves Brittney Griner, 27, the most feared center in the world, but who knows how long she will have Taurasi by her side.
Even with this list of WNBA personalities, many at the Hall of Fame, active this year, the Storm has consistently recorded the WNBA's best regular season record, 11 more than in 2017.
"We have work to do, but if you ask me," Have we reached a ceiling? "No," said Hughes, "There is still growth in this team, and now we have been very lucky in terms of health, I remember talking to Gregg Popovich, and I tried to think about the championships, and one of the things he said is that you have to be lucky, you must be in good health and you must have the players you need. "
"We have been fortunate to be a healthy team in many ways, but yes, I think this team still has the potential to stay or be even bigger where it is."
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