Storm Defeat Sun 97-81 Part 2
Additional thoughts and interviews from Seattle's win against Connecticut.
The Seattle Storm (10-6) handled their business against the Connecticut Sun (2-14) with an impressive 97-81 victory in which they led by 31 points in the 4th quarter. It was a great opportunity for Coach Quinn to rest some of her starters and get some of her younger players, like Dominique Malonga, Zia Cooke, and Mackenzie Holmes, some solid minutes. If you missed the full game recap, you can read that here.
In Part 2, we’ll look ahead to the Storm’s upcoming schedule, a shakeup in the WNBA standings, and discuss some concerns regarding Portland’s WNBA expansion franchise. Plus, I’ve included the post-game press conference video and audio interviews.
Trouble in Portland
Bill Oram of The Oregonian/Oregon Live reported on Friday that the Portland WNBA Expansion franchise had fired their Team President, Inky Son, just a few months after they hired her.
“Son’s sudden ouster raises significant questions about Portland’s WNBA launch which has already been seen as far behind schedule. Only in recent weeks had the team begun hiring support staff and the franchise remains without a general manager to make basketball decisions.”
It’s worth reading the full report, but it certainly sounds like things are pretty shaky with Seattle’s new neighbors down in Portland. It’s unclear if any of this chaos will impact the team’s launch in the WNBA for 2026. The organization recently announced that they’ve received 10,000 deposits for new season ticket holders in the Portland area.
I have to wonder if there is any concern or regret from WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on selecting Portland as the 15th WNBA expansion team. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised Portland is getting a WNBA team back before Seattle got the NBA back.
Other cities that have been mentioned for possible WNBA expansion, but have not officially been selected yet, include Denver, Cleveland, Nashville/Tennessee, and Philadelphia. There have been some reports and strong discussion that Cleveland is expected to become the 16th and newest WNBA franchise, but that has not been made official.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the Connecticut Sun. Shortly before the 2025 WNBA season kicked off, official reports came out that the Sun’s owners were exploring the option of selling the franchise. The team would almost certainly relocate out of Connecticut if that does happen. Whether they go to one of those cities I mentioned above or relocate to Boston is unclear at this time.
The Schedule Ahead
The Storm head out on a 4-game road trip starting this Sunday, June 29th, against the Golden State Valkyries. They’re going to have revenge on their mind as the Valkyries cost Seattle a lot of money and a shot at the Commissioner’s Cup trophy earlier this month. It’ll be an interesting game, as right now the Valkyries sit right behind Seattle in the WNBA standings.
Seattle plays Golden State, Atlanta, New York, and Connecticut on this road trip. They have a great opportunity ahead of them. They can put a little distance between themselves and the Valkyries if they can go 2-2 with a win over Golden State. But Seattle really has the chance to make some noise and move up in the standings with a 3-1 or 4-0 trip.
Atlanta and New York are the two teams directly ahead of Seattle in the standings ladder. Those two teams play one another on Sunday, June 29th, and again on July 13th. The Storm can move into the Top 3 with a strong showing over the next week.
Standings Shakeup
Seattle can make things interesting if they can pick up a few more wins in a row, but the WNBA standings have already been shaken up a bit over the past couple of days. Thanks to the Phoenix Mercury’s six-game winning streak, they’ve moved up from being the 4th seed to the 2nd seed in the WNBA. During their win streak, they’ve picked up two wins over the defending champions, the New York Liberty. That’s allowed them to leapfrog them in the standings. It’s still a bit wild that the Mercury have only lost to two different teams this season, the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm (two times each).
The Atlanta Dream have dropped two games in a row. That’s allowed Phoenix to surpass them and for the Storm to tie their record at 10-6. The Dream have a tough schedule coming up as well, as they’ll face the Liberty twice, Seattle, Golden State, and Indiana. They could move back into the Top 3 or fall to 6th or 7th place, depending on how they perform over those five games.
Another team that has stood out over the past week is the Washington Mystics. D.C.’s team has won three games in a row, including impressive wins against the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces. While they didn’t have to face Napheesa Collier in that game, they still became just the second team this season to defeat the Minnesota Lynx. The Mystics’ win against Las Vegas has currently put them ahead of the Aces in the standings. They are also in a tie for 7th place with the Indiana Fever, and they’re only 1/2 game behind the Valkyries for 6th in the standings.
Right now, there are two teams that are in a playoff spot that I didn’t expect at the start of this season. The Golden State Valkyries (8-7) and the Washington Mystics (8-8). I thought the Valkyries would only win 5-10 games throughout the entire season, and they’ve looked like a legitimate playoff team. Washington’s rebuild is ahead of schedule thanks to the excellent play from rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.
If those trends continue, that’ll be great news for the Storm, as they own the Sparks’ and Aces’ first-round draft picks. Seattle could end up with two Top 5 draft picks in 2026, which sounded unfathomable just a few weeks ago.
Post-Game Press Conference
Player Interviews
Coach’s Quotes
Notes:
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