Sue Bird and Seattle Storm cap long journey back to WNBA title
A few years ago when point guard Sue Bird was considering where to spend the end of her WNBA career, some close to her suggested leaving Seattle. The Storm were in a rebuilding period, so why not seek another title elsewhere? Maybe back closer to her home in New York? Bird gave it some thought, but in every conversation, she found herself defending the Storm.
"Why can't we do it here again?" she'd say.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
Turns out, she was right. Bird and the Storm completed a sweep of Washington on Wednesday night, winning Game 3 of the WNBA Finals 98-82 and giving the oldest player in the league her third championship.
Add that to Bird's two NCAA titles at UConn, four Olympic gold medals, three world championship golds and four EuroLeague championships. She will be 38 in October, but she has made time slow down. Her commitment to a rigidly monitored diet, exercise and rest has added years to a Hall of Fame career. Seasons that Bird, the Storm, the Seattle fan base and WNBA followers in general cherish.
"We didn't have this target on our backs and this pressure looming all year," Bird said of the 2018 journey. "We have just been figuring it out as we've gone. As it turns out, we're pretty good. And here we are."
Bird had 10 points and 10 assists Wednesday as Seattle became the sixth WNBA team to win three titles. Breanna Stewart led all scorers with 30 points, and Natasha Howard had 29 points and 14 rebounds. Stewart was named the WNBA Finals MVP after winning the same honor in the regular season.
"It doesn't feel real yet, honestly," Stewart said after the game. "What we did as a team for these past four months ... we had a goal and that was to win a championship.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
"Every one of us, 1 through 12, the coaching staff ... helped us reach this point. We're the champs!"
The Storm won their first WNBA title in 2004 under coach Anne Donovan, when Bird and center Lauren Jackson, both former No. 1 draft picks, were 23 years old. Their second championship came under coach Brian Agler in 2010, when Jackson had her last fully healthy season in the WNBA and won the last of her three MVP awards.
