This was the first year that a team from the Pacific Northwest won the WNBA championship. The Chicago Sky were a wild card this season, and finished the regular season as the sixth seed, but ended up beating the Phoenix Mercury in the Finals. Kahleah Copper was named Finals MVP.
Washington Mystics against Seattle Storm
The Washington Mystics are set to face the Seattle Storm at the WNBA Championship 2018. Storm returns to the Finals after an 8-year absence. The team lost Lauren Jackson, but has now restocked with Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart.
The league was led by the Seattle Storm in 3-point accuracy during the regular season. 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 won the award for her play, which helped the Storm win 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.
Stewart, a two time WNBA MVP, led the Storm towards their second championship in under two years. She performed exceptionally in Game 1 with 37 points, 15 rebounds and an impressive performance. This made her the first player in the Finals to average 35 points. 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 is a former NBA basketball player who is currently the leading scorer of the WNBA. She has won three WNBA Championships and the MVP Award. 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 has won six Euroleague titles overseas.
Diana Taurasi has become the most decorated WNBA player since winning her first championship. The 22-year-old also began a long, distinguished career. Taurasi is first Western Conference player to win a championship. She will be joining the league's Hall of Fame for 2020.
Seattle Storm's Sue Bird leads Seattle in victory
The Seattle Storm are on the verge of their first WNBA title. Sue Bird is leading them. The Storm finished the regular season with a record of 26-8 and topped the Western Conference standings. Bird was the team's captain and was a top pick for 2001. 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. The Mystics went 8/23 from behind the arc in Game 3. They finished the series with a record of eleven for sixty.
Bird was the Storm’s main star in the playoffs. In Game 5 against Phoenix Mercury, Bird came up big during the fourth quarter. 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.