2020 Seattle Storm season

Last updated

2020 Seattle Storm season
WNBA champions
Coach Gary Kloppenburg
ArenaOriginally: Alaska Airlines Arena
Angel of the Winds Arena
Rescheduled to: IMG Academy gymnasiums, Bradenton, Florida
Attendance0 per game
Results
Record18–4 (.818)
Place2nd (Western)
Playoff finish2nd Seed, WNBA Champions - beat Las Vegas Aces 3–0 in the Finals
Team Leaders
Points Breanna Stewart – 19.7 ppg
Rebounds Breanna Stewart – 8.3 ppg
Assists Jordin Canada – 5.5 apg

The 2020 Seattle Storm season was the franchise's 21st season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season was originally scheduled to tip off at home versus the Dallas Wings on May 15, 2020. However, the beginning of the 2020 WNBA schedule was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortened season tipped off on July 25, 2020, versus the New York Liberty. [1]

Contents

Due to ongoing renovations at Climate Pledge Arena the Storm will continue to split time between the Alaska Airlines Arena and the Angel of the Winds Arena. [2]

This WNBA season would have featured an all-time high 36 regular-season games. [3] However, the plan for expanded games was put on hold on April 3, when the WNBA postponed its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4] Under a plan approved on June 15, the league was scheduled to hold a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy, without fans present, starting on July 24. [5] [6] Gary Kloppenburg was named the interim head coach for the year, when Dan Hughes announced he would sit out the season due to COVID-19 concerns. [7]

The Storm got off to a hot start, winning their first two games before losing to last' years champions Washington. They then went on a nine-game winning streak, and their record sat at 10–1 halfway through the season. The winning streak was ended by a two-game losing streak, just after the halfway mark of the season. The Storm then rallied for seven straight wins and were 18–3 entering the final game of the regular season. They faced off against the 17–4 Las Vegas Aces. With a win, the Storm could secure the first seed in the playoffs. A loss, would mean the Storm would be the second seed via tie-breaker rules. The Aces prevailed 86–84, and the Storm ended up as the second seed.

As the second seed, the Storm received a double-bye into the Semifinals and would play the higher remaining seed. They faced off against the fourth seed Minnesota Lynx. The Storm swept the series three games to none. The first game was a close one, with the Storm winning by two points, but they won the second two games by double digits to advance to the finals. In the finals, they faced off against the Aces again. The Storm again swept the series, three games to none. No game was very close, with the Storm winning the first two games by thirteen, and the third game by thirty three points. The Storm won their fourth WNBA Championship.

Transactions

WNBA draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/Team/Country
111 Kitija Laksa Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia South Florida/TTT Riga (Latvia)
219 Joyner Holmes Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Texas
331 Haley Gorecki Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Duke

Trades and roster changes

DateDetails
February 10, 2020Traded the 7th pick in the 2020 WNBA draft to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for the 11th pick in the 2020 WNBA draft and F Morgan Tuck. [8]
February 11, 2020Re-signed F Breanna Stewart [9]
February 24, 2020Acquired the Connecticut Sun's 2nd round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft in exchange for F Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis [10]
Signed G Epiphanny Prince [11]
February 25, 2020Re-signed G Sue Bird [12]

Roster

2020 Seattle Storm roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G 10 Flag of the United States.svg Bird, Sue 5' 9" (1.75m)150 lb (68kg)1980-10-16 Connecticut 16
G 21 Flag of the United States.svg Canada, Jordin 5' 6" (1.68m)135 lb (61kg)1995-08-11 UCLA 2
F 32 Flag of Israel.svg Clark, Alysha 5' 11" (1.8m)167 lb (76kg)1987-07-07 Middle Tennessee 8
F 6 Flag of the United States.svg Howard, Natasha 6' 2" (1.88m)165 lb (75kg)1991-09-02 Florida State 6
F/C 1 Flag of the United States.svg Langhorne, Crystal 6' 2" (1.88m)185 lb (84kg)1986-10-27 Maryland 12
G 24 Flag of the United States.svg Loyd, Jewell 5' 10" (1.78m)148 lb (67kg)1993-10-05 Notre Dame 5
F 0 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Magbegor, Eziyoda 6' 4" (1.93m)176 lb (80kg)1999-08-13 Australia R
G 11 Flag of Russia.svg Prince, Epiphanny 5' 9" (1.75m)179 lb (81kg)1988-01-11 Rutgers 10
C 2 Flag of the United States.svg Russell, Mercedes 6' 6" (1.98m)195 lb (88kg)1995-07-27 Tennessee 2
F 30 Flag of the United States.svg Stewart, Breanna 6' 4" (1.93m)170 lb (77kg)1994-08-27 Connecticut 3
F 3 Flag of the United States.svg Tuck, Morgan 6' 2" (1.88m)207 lb (94kg)1994-04-30 Connecticut 4
G 33 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Whitcomb, Sami 5' 10" (1.78m)145 lb (66kg)1988-07-20 Washington 3
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Gary Kloppenburg (UC San Diego)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Noelle Quinn (UCLA)
Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Webb (Seattle)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Game log

Regular season

2020 game log
Total: 18–4
July
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1July 25 New York Liberty W 87–71 Stewart (18) Stewart (8) Bird (5) IMG Academy
0		1–0
2July 28 Minnesota Lynx W 90–66 Stewart (18) Stewart (10) Loyd (6)IMG Academy
0		2–0
3July 30 Washington Mystics L 71–89 Stewart (15) Stewart (10) Clark (4)IMG Academy
0		2–1
August
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
4August 1 Los Angeles Sparks W 81–75 Stewart (21) Stewart (9) Clark (6) IMG Academy
0		3–1
5August 4 Connecticut Sun W 87–74 Stewart (22) Howard (6) Canada (6)IMG Academy
0		4–1
6August 6 Atlanta Dream W 93–92 Stewart (27) Stewart (8) Canada (6)IMG Academy
0		5–1
7August 8 Phoenix Mercury W 74–68 Loyd (20) Howard (10) Canada (10)IMG Academy
0		6–1
8August 10 Chicago Sky W 89–71 Stewart (25) Howard (7) Stewart (7)IMG Academy
0		7–1
9August 12 Atlanta Dream W 100–63 Tied (20) Stewart (9) Canada (10)IMG Academy
0		8–1
10August 14 Dallas Wings W 83–65 Stewart (21) Howard (8) Bird (5)IMG Academy
0		9–1
11August 16 Connecticut Sun W 95–72 Stewart (19) Howard (11) Loyd (5)IMG Academy
0		10–1
12August 18 New York Liberty W 105–64 Prince (16) Howard (11) Bird (7)IMG Academy
0		11–1
13August 20 Indiana Fever L 84–90 Loyd (35)3 tied (5) Canada (6)IMG Academy
0		11–2
14August 22 Las Vegas Aces L 74–82 Stewart (29) Stewart (18) Canada (7)IMG Academy
0		11–3
15August 25 Indiana Fever W 87–74 Stewart (27)Tied (9) Canada (5)IMG Academy
0		12–3
16August 29 Chicago Sky W 88–74 Stewart (21) Howard (15) Canada (9)IMG Academy
0		13–3
September
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
17September 2 Washington Mystics W 71–64 Stewart (16) Stewart (14) Canada (5)IMG Academy
0		14–3
18September 4 Los Angeles Sparks W 90–89 Loyd (25) Stewart (8) Stewart (9)IMG Academy
0		15–3
19September 6 Minnesota Lynx W 103–88 Howard (19) Clark (5)Tied (7)IMG Academy
0		16–3
20September 9 Dallas Wings W 107–95 Tied (23) Stewart (11) Bird (9)IMG Academy
0		17–3
21September 11 Phoenix Mercury W 80–63 Canada (13)Tied (7) Loyd (5)IMG Academy
0		18–3
22September 13 Las Vegas Aces L 84–86 Loyd (30) Russell (11) Canada (5)IMG Academy
0		18–4
2020 season schedule

Playoffs

2020 playoff game log
Total: 6–0
Semifinals
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1September 22 Minnesota Lynx W 88–86 Loyd (25) Stewart (10) Bird (8) IMG Academy 1–0
2September 24 Minnesota Lynx W 89–79 Loyd (20) Stewart (8) Stewart (7) IMG Academy 2–0
3September 27 Minnesota Lynx W 92–71 Stewart (31) Clark (9) Bird (9) IMG Academy 3–0
Finals
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1October 2 Las Vegas Aces W 93–80 Stewart (37) Stewart (15) Bird (16) IMG Academy 1–0
2October 4 Las Vegas Aces W 104–91 Stewart (22) Howard (8) Bird (10) IMG Academy 2–0
3October 6 Las Vegas Aces W 92–59 Stewart (26) Loyd (9) Bird (7) IMG Academy 3–0
2013 playoff schedule

Standings

#Team W L PCT GB Conf.
1x – Las Vegas Aces 184.818–8–2
2x – Seattle Storm 184.818–8–2
3x – Los Angeles Sparks 157.68235–5
4x – Minnesota Lynx 148.63644–6
5x – Phoenix Mercury 139.59154–6
6x – Chicago Sky 1210.54566–4
7x – Connecticut Sun 1012.45587–3
8x – Washington Mystics 913.40996–4
9e – Dallas Wings 814.364101–9
10e – Atlanta Dream 715.318115–5
11e – Indiana Fever 616.273124–6
12e – New York Liberty 220.091162–8

Notes

x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoffs
Home and Away records not shown, as all games played at a neutral location.
Updated to include results from September 13, 2020
Source

Playoffs

First round
Single elimination
(September 15)		Second round
Single elimination
(September 17)		Semifinals
Best-of-5
(September 20–29)		 WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
(October 2–11)
1 Las Vegas Aces 3
4 Minnesota Lynx 807 Connecticut Sun 2
5 Phoenix Mercury 855 Phoenix Mercury 791 Las Vegas Aces 0
8 Washington Mystics 842 Seattle Storm 3
2 Seattle Storm 3
3 Los Angeles Sparks 594 Minnesota Lynx 0
6 Chicago Sky 817 Connecticut Sun 73
7 Connecticut Sun 94

Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

Statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per gameTeam leaderLeague leader

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Breanna Stewart 202030.445.136.889.48.33.61.71.319.7
Jewell Loyd 222227.944.339.087.52.43.21.50.315.5
Alysha Clark 222228.855.852.280.04.22.71.50.510.0
Sue Bird 111123.449.446.975.01.75.20.60.29.8
Natasha Howard 222221.053.035.077.87.11.01.70.69.5
Sami Whitcomb 22016.544.338.11002.32.00.70.18.1
Jordin Canada 201124.242.49.177.22.35.51.507.9
Ezi Magbegor 22013.356.933.370.42.50.30.50.76.5
Epiphanny Prince 15012.738.633.384.61.21.40.40.14.3
Mercedes Russell 22213.841.00563.20.60.40.43.5
Morgan Tuck 1008.831.322.262.50.60.20.501.7
Crystal Langhorne 1308.241.220502.20.50.10.11.4

Awards and honors

RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Breanna Stewart Western Conference Player of the Week August 3, 2020 [13]
August 31, 2020 [14]
Alysha Clark 1st Team All-Defense September 29, 2020 [15]
Breanna Stewart 2nd Team All-Defense
All-WNBA First Team October 4, 2020 [16]
Finals MVP October 6, 2020 [17]

References

  1. ↑ "2020 Seattle Storm Schedule". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Seattle Storm Unveils 2020 Schedule". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. January 16, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Atlanta Dream Announce 2020 Schedule - Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular Season". April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ "WNBA Announces Plan To Tip Off 2020 Season". WNBA. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  6. ↑ "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Seattle Storm coach Dan Hughes to sit out 2020 season". usatoday.com. The Associated Press. June 29, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Seattle Completes Trade With Connecticut, Acquires Morgan Tuck". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Seattle Storm Re-Signs Breanna Stewart". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Sun Acquire Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis from Seattle". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Seattle Storm Adds Epiphanny Prince in Free Agency". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Seattle Storm Re-Signs Three-Time WNBA Champion Sue Bird". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Stewart, Hines-Allen Earn First Players Of The Week Honors Of The Season". wnba.com. WNBA. August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Thomas, Stewart Earn Player of the Week Honors For Week 5". wnba.com. WNBA. August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Two Atlanta Dream Players And Seattle Storm's Alysha Clark Headline 2020 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. WNBA. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  16. ↑ "A'ja Wilson And Candace Parker Unanimously Selected To 2020 All-WNBA First Team". wnba.com. WNBA. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Breanna Stewart Named WNBA Finals MVP (October 6, 2020)". wnba.com. WNBA. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
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