2010 WNBA Finals
Encyclopedia
The 2010 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010 season
of the Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA) and the conclusion of the season's playoffs
. The champions of the Eastern Conference
, the Atlanta Dream
, faced the champions of the Western Conference
, the Seattle Storm
.
The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation, with the Storm holding home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (28–6) than the Dream (19–15). This was the 1st time the teams have met in the championship round. The Dream made their first ever appearance in the Finals while the Storm made their second appearance, after winning the 2004 championship series
.
This was the second straight year in which neither team advancing to the Finals had been there the previous season. Seattle had not won a playoff series since their Finals victory in 2004, when they defeated the Connecticut Sun
2–1. Betty Lennox
, who played with Atlanta after leaving the Storm (now with L.A.
) was named series MVP in 2004. Only two players remain from the championship roster–all-stars Sue Bird
and Lauren Jackson
. To advance to the Finals, the Storm defeated Diana Taurasi
and the defending champion Phoenix Mercury
2–0 in the Western Conference Finals.
This was the first WNBA Finals appearance for both head coaches. Each coach had been with their respective team since the 2008 season
. Seattle's Brian Agler
had been involved with the WNBA since 1999, when he was head coach of the Minnesota Lynx
. Atlanta's Marynell Meadors
was one of the league's original eight head coaches, leading the Charlotte Sting
to a 15–13 record in their inaugural season. This was the first ever Finals series to feature the two most recent Coach of the Year
award winners; Meadors won the award in 2009 and Agler won in 2010.
This series featured 9 international players (most notably Lauren Jackson
) from 6 different backgrounds. Seattle's roster boasted five foreign-born players hailing from Australia
, the Czech Republic
and Russia
. Atlanta had four, representing Belarus
, Brazil
and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
. This was a WNBA record for the championship series; eight international players were featured in the 1998 Finals
.
The series ended with the Storm beating the Dream in Atlanta in a three-game sweep. This was only the second time in WNBA history that a team won the Finals three games to none (previously done by Detroit
in 2008
).
finished the regular season with a 19–15 record. As the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference
, the Dream eliminated the No. 1 seeded Washington Mystics
in two games during the conference semifinals of the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Dream went on to eliminate the New York Liberty
in two games. In reaching the Finals, the Dream became the second team in WNBA history to do so as a four seed; the Charlotte Sting
(coached by Liberty coach Anne Donovan
) advanced to the 2001 WNBA Finals as a No. 4 seed. Also, the Dream became the second team in Eastern Conference history to reach the Finals after sweeping their opponents in the first two rounds, after the Connecticut Sun
did it in 2005
.
finished the regular season as the Western Conference
champion with a 28–6 record. As the No. 1 seed in the conference, the Storm eliminated the No. 4 seeded Los Angeles Sparks
in two games in the first round; the Sparks had eliminated the Storm from the playoffs in three of the previous five seasons. In the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Mercury
, the Storm won Game 1 but trailed by as many as 19 points in Game 2. They rallied back and Sue Bird
made a 3-pointer with under three seconds left to win the series on Phoenix's home floor. This is the first time since their 2004 championship season
in which the Storm were not eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
made a tiebreaking jumper from the foul line with 2.6 seconds left and the Storm beat the Dream 79-77. Angel McCoughtry
had a last-second try for the Dream, but her long 3-pointer from the left side did not connect.
League MVP Lauren Jackson
had 26 points and eight rebounds for Seattle. Bird finished with 14 points and Camille Little
had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
McCoughtry and Iziane Castro Marques
had 19 points apiece for Atlanta. Sancho Lyttle
added 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Jackson made a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to give Seattle the lead for good at 52-49 and the Storm led by six going into the fourth quarter.
Atlanta trailed by nine in the fourth before rallying, tying it at 77 on Castro Marques' old-fashioned three-point play with a minute left.
Each team had to deal with foul trouble for one of its star players. Seattle forward Swin Cash
picked up two in the first minute of the game and was whistled for her third foul before the half-way mark of the first quarter. McCoughtry had three early fouls and sat out the second quarter; she later missed much of the third quarter after knocking heads with Seattle's Jana Vesela
.
scored 26 points, Swin Cash
added 19 and the Seattle Storm
moved one step closer to the title with an 87-84 win over the Atlanta Dream
in Game 2 of the finals.
Seattle improved to 21-0 at home this season and is hoping it won't need another game at KeyArena
. The Storm had plenty of reasons to be pleased after winning two rough and ragged games in Seattle.
Iziane Castro Marques
, who kept Atlanta close with 21 points Tuesday night, might have broken her nose for the second time in two months after a first-quarter collision kept her on the bench for a chunk of the second quarter with an ice bag on her nose. Angel McCoughtry
, the Dream's leading scorer, wore a Band-Aid over her left eye, the result of a collision in Game 1 that required stitches.
McCoughtry was off in Game 2, making just seven of 23 shots on her way to 21 points. She tried to salvage the shaky performance, scoring five quick points in the final 30 seconds to help Atlanta close to 87-84.
Cash missed two free throws with 2.2 seconds left but Atlanta could not get off a potential tying shot.
"I just missed some shots. You're going to have bad days," McCoughtry said. "I had good looks. Usually I knock them down. I just didn't knock them down today. I just gotta stay more focused."
, Lauren Jackson
and the Seattle Storm
are champions again.
"I guess now I can be honest," Bird said. "Losing in the first round has been terrible. It's something I took personally and something a lot of us took personally. I judge myself by winning, so to not win in five years really, really hurt."
The Storm made up for the long gap between titles by dominating the 2010 season. Seattle was 28-6 during the regular season - tying the league record for wins - before sweeping each of its three postseason series.
Bird and Jackson are the only players remaining from the Storm's 2004 title team.
"I think the roads have been completely different," said Jackson of the two championships. "After the last six years, it definitely has taken a long time to get here."
Jackson, who had 26 points in each of the Storm's first two wins in the series, had 15 points and nine rebounds and was selected MVP of the finals.
Swin Cash
scored 18 points to lead a balanced offense as Seattle overcame 35 points by Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry
.
The Dream star, who set a WNBA playoff record with 42 points in the Eastern Conference finals clinching win over the New York Liberty, tried to rally Atlanta with nine points in the final 2:30. But McCoughtry and Coco Miller missed 3-pointers in the final 6 seconds, setting off a celebration by Seattle's players.
The Dream rallied in the final minute after trailing 82-70.
McCoughtry's three-point play with 46 seconds remaining cut Seattle's lead to 85-80. Seattle's Tanisha Wright missed two free throws and McCoughtry was fouled by Cash while missing a 3. McCoughtry made two of three free throws to cut the lead to three points with 31 seconds remaining.
Bird dribbled away the shot clock before missing a shot to set up a basket by Atlanta's Iziane Castro Marques
with 6.9 seconds left. McCoughtry immediately fouled Camille Little
, who made two free throws to give Seattle an 87-84 lead. McCoughtry missed a 3-pointer but the rebound went to Atlanta before Coco Miller also missed a last-second 3.
"I think we have grown up quite a bit this season," said Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors
. "Maybe another minute on the clock might have made a difference in the outcome of this game and the same thing with the two games in Seattle."
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #2E8B57; color: #FFC322; text-align: center;" | 2010 Seattle Storm Finals roster
|- style="background-color: #B22222;color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Height !! Weight !!class="unsortable"| !! From
|-
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #6495ED; color: white; text-align: center;" | 2010 Atlanta Dream Finals roster
|- style="background-color: #FF0000;color: white; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Height !! Weight !!class="unsortable"| !! From
|-
2010 WNBA season
The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star...
of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(WNBA) and the conclusion of the season's playoffs
2010 WNBA Playoffs
The 2010 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2010 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....
. The champions of the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (WNBA)
The Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Eastern Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Western Conference...
, the Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...
, faced the champions of the Western Conference
Western Conference (WNBA)
The Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Western Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Eastern Conference...
, the Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
.
The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation, with the Storm holding home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (28–6) than the Dream (19–15). This was the 1st time the teams have met in the championship round. The Dream made their first ever appearance in the Finals while the Storm made their second appearance, after winning the 2004 championship series
2004 WNBA Finals
The 2004 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2004 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Seattle Storm, second-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Connecticut Sun, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to one in a...
.
This was the second straight year in which neither team advancing to the Finals had been there the previous season. Seattle had not won a playoff series since their Finals victory in 2004, when they defeated the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
2–1. Betty Lennox
Betty Lennox
Betty Bernice Lennox is an American professional basketball player most recently playing for the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA. Her nicknames include "Betty Basketball," "Betty Big Buckets," and her most popular nickname "B-Money."-Childhood:Betty grew up in the small town of Grant, OK. Daughter of...
, who played with Atlanta after leaving the Storm (now with L.A.
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
) was named series MVP in 2004. Only two players remain from the championship roster–all-stars Sue Bird
Sue Bird
Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
and Lauren Jackson
Lauren Jackson
Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...
. To advance to the Finals, the Storm defeated Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...
and the defending champion Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
2–0 in the Western Conference Finals.
This was the first WNBA Finals appearance for both head coaches. Each coach had been with their respective team since the 2008 season
2008 WNBA season
-Season Highlights:*Candace Parker becomes the second and third player in WNBA history to dunk in a regular season game.*A fight breaks out between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock resulting in four ejections and ten suspensions....
. Seattle's Brian Agler
Brian Agler
Brian Agler is a basketball coach, currently the head coach of WNBA's Seattle Storm. He has been the head coach of two other professional women's teams, and won two professional titles as coach....
had been involved with the WNBA since 1999, when he was head coach of the Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
. Atlanta's Marynell Meadors
Marynell Meadors
Marynell Meadors is a women's basketball coach at the college and professional level. She is currently the head coach and general manager of the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association and was one of the original eight head coaches when the WNBA started in...
was one of the league's original eight head coaches, leading the Charlotte Sting
Charlotte Sting
The Charlotte Sting was a Women's National Basketball Association franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it was one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007....
to a 15–13 record in their inaugural season. This was the first ever Finals series to feature the two most recent Coach of the Year
WNBA Coach of the Year Award
The Women's National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the league's inaugural season. The winner is selected at the end of regular season by a panel of sportswriters from the United States, each of whom casts a vote...
award winners; Meadors won the award in 2009 and Agler won in 2010.
This series featured 9 international players (most notably Lauren Jackson
Lauren Jackson
Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...
) from 6 different backgrounds. Seattle's roster boasted five foreign-born players hailing from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Atlanta had four, representing Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
. This was a WNBA record for the championship series; eight international players were featured in the 1998 Finals
1998 WNBA Championship
The 1998 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 1998 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Houston Comets, top-seeded team of the league, defeated the Phoenix Mercury, third-seeded team of the league, two games to one in a best-of-three series...
.
The series ended with the Storm beating the Dream in Atlanta in a three-game sweep. This was only the second time in WNBA history that a team won the Finals three games to none (previously done by Detroit
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
in 2008
2008 WNBA Finals
The 2008 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2008 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, three games to none in a...
).
2010 WNBA Playoffs
| Seattle Storm | |Atlanta Dream | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 28–6 (.824) 1st West, 1st overall |
Regular season 2010 WNBA season The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star... |
19–15 (.559) 4th East, 5th overall |
|
| Defeated the (4) Los Angeles Sparks Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began... , 2–0 |
Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (1) Washington Mystics Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'... , 2–0 |
|
| Defeated the (2) Phoenix Mercury Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises... , 2–0 |
Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) New York Liberty New York Liberty The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league... , 2–0 |
|
Regular season series
The Storm won the regular season series:Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta DreamAtlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...
finished the regular season with a 19–15 record. As the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (WNBA)
The Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Eastern Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Western Conference...
, the Dream eliminated the No. 1 seeded Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
in two games during the conference semifinals of the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Dream went on to eliminate the New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
in two games. In reaching the Finals, the Dream became the second team in WNBA history to do so as a four seed; the Charlotte Sting
Charlotte Sting
The Charlotte Sting was a Women's National Basketball Association franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it was one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007....
(coached by Liberty coach Anne Donovan
Anne Donovan
Anne Donovan is an American retired basketball player and the current head coach of the women's basketball team at Seton Hall University. She was formerly an assistant coach, then interim head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA...
) advanced to the 2001 WNBA Finals as a No. 4 seed. Also, the Dream became the second team in Eastern Conference history to reach the Finals after sweeping their opponents in the first two rounds, after the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
did it in 2005
2005 WNBA Finals
The 2005 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Sacramento Monarchs, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Connecticut Sun, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, three games to one in a...
.
Seattle Storm
The Seattle StormSeattle Storm
The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
finished the regular season as the Western Conference
Western Conference (WNBA)
The Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Western Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Eastern Conference...
champion with a 28–6 record. As the No. 1 seed in the conference, the Storm eliminated the No. 4 seeded Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
in two games in the first round; the Sparks had eliminated the Storm from the playoffs in three of the previous five seasons. In the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
, the Storm won Game 1 but trailed by as many as 19 points in Game 2. They rallied back and Sue Bird
Sue Bird
Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
made a 3-pointer with under three seconds left to win the series on Phoenix's home floor. This is the first time since their 2004 championship season
2004 WNBA Finals
The 2004 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2004 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Seattle Storm, second-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Connecticut Sun, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to one in a...
in which the Storm were not eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Game 1
Sue BirdSue Bird
Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
made a tiebreaking jumper from the foul line with 2.6 seconds left and the Storm beat the Dream 79-77. Angel McCoughtry
Angel McCoughtry
Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is a professional basketball player who completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA Draft and is considered its franchise player...
had a last-second try for the Dream, but her long 3-pointer from the left side did not connect.
League MVP Lauren Jackson
Lauren Jackson
Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...
had 26 points and eight rebounds for Seattle. Bird finished with 14 points and Camille Little
Camille Little
Camille Little is a professional basketball player. In 2007 she began her career in the WNBA with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She played college basketball at North Carolina.-High school:...
had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
McCoughtry and Iziane Castro Marques
Iziane Castro Marques
Iziane "Izi" Castro Marques is a Brazilian professional basketball player. The six-foot forward is a mainstay of the Brazil women's national basketball team, and a starting small forward on the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.The undrafted Castro Marques was signed by the Miami Sol as a free agent out...
had 19 points apiece for Atlanta. Sancho Lyttle
Sancho Lyttle
Sancho Lyttle is a professional basketball player born in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with Spanish citizenship. She is currently a power forward in the WNBA for the Atlanta Dream. Through her career, she has scored 1,505 points, collected 1,041 rebounds, and has 200 assists, 242 steals, and...
added 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Jackson made a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to give Seattle the lead for good at 52-49 and the Storm led by six going into the fourth quarter.
Atlanta trailed by nine in the fourth before rallying, tying it at 77 on Castro Marques' old-fashioned three-point play with a minute left.
Each team had to deal with foul trouble for one of its star players. Seattle forward Swin Cash
Swin Cash
Swintayla Marie Cash , better known as Swin Cash, is an American WNBA player who plays for the Seattle Storm. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002...
picked up two in the first minute of the game and was whistled for her third foul before the half-way mark of the first quarter. McCoughtry had three early fouls and sat out the second quarter; she later missed much of the third quarter after knocking heads with Seattle's Jana Vesela
Jana Veselá
Jana Veselá is a Czech professional basketball player in the WNBA. She also plays for Ros Casares Valencia.-External links:*...
.
Game 2
League MVP Lauren JacksonLauren Jackson
Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...
scored 26 points, Swin Cash
Swin Cash
Swintayla Marie Cash , better known as Swin Cash, is an American WNBA player who plays for the Seattle Storm. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002...
added 19 and the Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
moved one step closer to the title with an 87-84 win over the Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...
in Game 2 of the finals.
Seattle improved to 21-0 at home this season and is hoping it won't need another game at KeyArena
KeyArena
KeyArena at Seattle Center , is a multipurpose arena, in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition...
. The Storm had plenty of reasons to be pleased after winning two rough and ragged games in Seattle.
Iziane Castro Marques
Iziane Castro Marques
Iziane "Izi" Castro Marques is a Brazilian professional basketball player. The six-foot forward is a mainstay of the Brazil women's national basketball team, and a starting small forward on the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.The undrafted Castro Marques was signed by the Miami Sol as a free agent out...
, who kept Atlanta close with 21 points Tuesday night, might have broken her nose for the second time in two months after a first-quarter collision kept her on the bench for a chunk of the second quarter with an ice bag on her nose. Angel McCoughtry
Angel McCoughtry
Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is a professional basketball player who completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA Draft and is considered its franchise player...
, the Dream's leading scorer, wore a Band-Aid over her left eye, the result of a collision in Game 1 that required stitches.
McCoughtry was off in Game 2, making just seven of 23 shots on her way to 21 points. She tried to salvage the shaky performance, scoring five quick points in the final 30 seconds to help Atlanta close to 87-84.
Cash missed two free throws with 2.2 seconds left but Atlanta could not get off a potential tying shot.
"I just missed some shots. You're going to have bad days," McCoughtry said. "I had good looks. Usually I knock them down. I just didn't knock them down today. I just gotta stay more focused."
Game 3
After losing in the first round of the playoffs five straight years following their first title, Sue BirdSue Bird
Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
, Lauren Jackson
Lauren Jackson
Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...
and the Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
are champions again.
"I guess now I can be honest," Bird said. "Losing in the first round has been terrible. It's something I took personally and something a lot of us took personally. I judge myself by winning, so to not win in five years really, really hurt."
The Storm made up for the long gap between titles by dominating the 2010 season. Seattle was 28-6 during the regular season - tying the league record for wins - before sweeping each of its three postseason series.
Bird and Jackson are the only players remaining from the Storm's 2004 title team.
"I think the roads have been completely different," said Jackson of the two championships. "After the last six years, it definitely has taken a long time to get here."
Jackson, who had 26 points in each of the Storm's first two wins in the series, had 15 points and nine rebounds and was selected MVP of the finals.
Swin Cash
Swin Cash
Swintayla Marie Cash , better known as Swin Cash, is an American WNBA player who plays for the Seattle Storm. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002...
scored 18 points to lead a balanced offense as Seattle overcame 35 points by Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry
Angel McCoughtry
Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is a professional basketball player who completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA Draft and is considered its franchise player...
.
The Dream star, who set a WNBA playoff record with 42 points in the Eastern Conference finals clinching win over the New York Liberty, tried to rally Atlanta with nine points in the final 2:30. But McCoughtry and Coco Miller missed 3-pointers in the final 6 seconds, setting off a celebration by Seattle's players.
The Dream rallied in the final minute after trailing 82-70.
McCoughtry's three-point play with 46 seconds remaining cut Seattle's lead to 85-80. Seattle's Tanisha Wright missed two free throws and McCoughtry was fouled by Cash while missing a 3. McCoughtry made two of three free throws to cut the lead to three points with 31 seconds remaining.
Bird dribbled away the shot clock before missing a shot to set up a basket by Atlanta's Iziane Castro Marques
Iziane Castro Marques
Iziane "Izi" Castro Marques is a Brazilian professional basketball player. The six-foot forward is a mainstay of the Brazil women's national basketball team, and a starting small forward on the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.The undrafted Castro Marques was signed by the Miami Sol as a free agent out...
with 6.9 seconds left. McCoughtry immediately fouled Camille Little
Camille Little
Camille Little is a professional basketball player. In 2007 she began her career in the WNBA with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She played college basketball at North Carolina.-High school:...
, who made two free throws to give Seattle an 87-84 lead. McCoughtry missed a 3-pointer but the rebound went to Atlanta before Coco Miller also missed a last-second 3.
"I think we have grown up quite a bit this season," said Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors
Marynell Meadors
Marynell Meadors is a women's basketball coach at the college and professional level. She is currently the head coach and general manager of the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association and was one of the original eight head coaches when the WNBA started in...
. "Maybe another minute on the clock might have made a difference in the outcome of this game and the same thing with the two games in Seattle."
Awards
- 2010 WNBA Champions: Seattle StormSeattle StormThe Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
- Finals MVPWNBA Finals Most Valuable Player AwardThe Women's National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the league's inaugural season....
: Lauren JacksonLauren JacksonLauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...
(Seattle)
Rosters
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;"|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #2E8B57; color: #FFC322; text-align: center;" | 2010 Seattle Storm Finals roster
|- style="background-color: #B22222;color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Height !! Weight !!class="unsortable"| !! From
|-
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #6495ED; color: white; text-align: center;" | 2010 Atlanta Dream Finals roster
|- style="background-color: #FF0000;color: white; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Height !! Weight !!class="unsortable"| !! From
|-