Culture is a huge topic and buzzword in sports, and the WNBA is no exception. But the word culture can mean a lot of different things to different teams, and certainly to different coaches.
The Portland Fire's head coach Alex Sarama was asked about the team's culture after they secured their second win against the Liberty. This one happened Monday night at the Barclays Center, and the Fire won the game 81-74. That's a solid margin of victory by any standards, and an exceptional performance for a team who are coming into pretty much every game as the underdogs.
Sarama noted that "culture is a buzzword," and for the Fire, it's about something that's a lot more real, and something that can be felt at practice and on the court. "It's not about me going in there with rah-rah speeches," he told reporters. "It's not about that."
Instead, the Fire's culture is about the values that they all decide to focus on, individually and as a group. "It's how we hold each other accountable to achieving high standards," Sarama also said.
The Fire's culture is also one of winning
And, as it turns out, the team's culture has a lot to do with winning. Tonight's win was the team's second on the road, and also their first back-to-back win so far this season. Those are two big achievements for a team that many believe is tanking this season (and begs the question: if the Fire are tanking, have they told the players that? Because it certainly doesn't seem like it).
The team's culture is also one of playing hard and and refusing to let up, which ultimately results in strong fourth quarters when their opponents are exhausted. The system isn't perfect yet, but the team's upcoming slate of home games should give a glimpse into whether this will hold true when they're back in Portland.
The Fire will use tomorrow to travel, and will be back home at the Moda Center on Wednesday, May 27, to host the Connecticut Sun. They won their first game against the Sun on May 18 but just barely (the final score was 83-82) — this time around, the Fire is stronger, has a more cohesive roster, and will be prepared to defend the Fire Pit more aggressively.
After that, the team hosts the Atlanta Dream (who are currently leading the league in standings) on May 29 and the Indiana Fever on May 30. Both games will present challenges, but if the Fire keeps this up, they'll be more than capable of meeting them.
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