The First Round of the playoffs stands concluded at the Michelob ULTRA Arena. Result? The Aces handed an 83-76 defeat to the Storm and have headed to the semi-finals with a sweep. On the other hand, the Storm are now left with the pieces to put together and understand what went wrong in their effort to make it count. As a result, the Storm head coach Noelle Quinn recounted her team’s shortcomings while she made stern observations in the post-game presser.

Indicating the weak links on the Storm’s roster, Quinn said, “There were some players, I don’t think it was everyone…it kind of became a little bit contagious,” and expressed her thoughts after Seattle’s back-to-back playoff defeats.

She further assured, “I will be better. Our team will be better. Effort will never, ever be a thing for us again,” while she was processing their early exit from the playoffs.

Trailing 10 points back in the first quarter, the Storm did get a narrow 2-point lead in the third over the Aces. Amidst the strong defensive tug from the Aces, Seattle’s front-runner, Gabby Williams gathered 20 points and 5 boards, while Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points and grabbed 10 boards to it.

Returning from Game 1 absence due to concussion, Ezi Magbegor scored 14 points and 7 rebounds with Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd being limited to 13 and 9 points respectively. They were fighting hard going 9-0 in the second quarter to reach 39-38 and held Las Vegas without a field goal for more than 4 minutes. However, the 3x MVP, A’ja Wilson brought back the heat. Hence, the Aces posed a strong offense while also holding onto their defense.

So, where did it leave the Seattle Storm after they have been kicked out of the playoffs?

Noelle Quinn and the aftermath

Looking back in time, it was Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson who pushed Seattle into a 23-7 deficit only 5 minutes into the game. Plum chipped in 10 while Wilson added 7 points. More so, what hurt Seattle was Las Vegas taking upon rebounds as they had a 45-30 advantage and 10-7 at the offensive end.

“A couple of those possessions, we were able to get a stop. But they got one or two offensive rebounds, and those are kind of deflating,” said Coach Quinn. Then, the Aces further onto the next 4 points, which the Storm couldn’t make up.

On the other hand, Nneka Ogwumike put the Storm’s overall performance in words and said, “We find ourselves in those challenging pockets and we do what we can to gain some level of control or tempo of the game. I think how we finished tonight, we fought. No matter what, it’s going to be a learning experience … You have to respect that, especially every single possession down to the wire.”

To sum up, since the All-Star break, Seattle’s starters had become the team’s, as Noelle Quinn put it, “Achilles heel.” Moreover, the Storm didn’t seem to be in that sync on the floor, rather a disconnect could be felt with them. Not to mention, their hottest shooter Jewell Loyd could not find her shots yet again. Hence, both their defense and offense weren’t in a flow. Now that they are out of the postseason, they do need to work on a lot of stuff including that.

As for the Aces, they are gearing up for the 2023 Finals rematch with the Liberty next.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger