With four All-Stars, the Seattle Storm have one of the more top-heavy rosters in the WNBA. Nevertheless, the Storm are in danger of falling out of the playoff picture. They have fallen all the way to the final playoff spot and are only half a game ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks.
The reason for the Storm’s recent fall from grace has been a string of close losses. Noelle Quinn’s squad lost eight of its last ten games. Six of those losses were decided by four or fewer points. The Storm just haven’t been able to execute down the stretch and win close games lately. No team has played more clutch games, and no team has lost more. The Storm have an 11-13 record in clutch games. The only other teams with ten or more losses in the clutch are the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics.
The team’s inability to win close games doesn’t bode well for the Storm’s chances to win in the playoffs—if they manage to stay in the playoff picture.
Games should continue to be close from now on
With the season coming to an end and the standings being as close as they are, games will continue to be decided by small margins. Six of the last ten games across the league were decided by six or fewer points and only three by 15 or more points. That probably won’t change as teams continue to give it their all to close out the playoff race. The Storm will have to win some close games to secure a playoff spot, just like they did against the Atlanta Dream.
Once the playoffs roll around, that pressure doesn’t go away, though. The postseason is a showcase of all the best teams in the league. Games matter more, and, with that, every possession becomes more important, and games are often decided in the clutch.
Last year, twelve of the twenty-two total playoff games were decided by less than ten points. Only one game was decided by more than 15 points. Out of the twelve close games, six ended with a margin of five or fewer points.
The Storm are running out of time in the regular season
After a ten-point loss to the Atlanta Dream last week, Noelle Quinn said that the Storm were running out of time and the team was well aware of it. That issue becomes more pressing with every game.
The Storm only have nine games left in the regular season and few chances to move up in the standings. They still have to face the Lynx and Liberty once each, as well as the Sparks and Valkyries. The latter two games will be crucial for the final playoff standings.
If the Storm cannot climb in the standings, they will have to face the Minnesota Lynx in the first round. The Storm beat the Lynx once this season, handing the team its first loss. Nevertheless, that is a matchup the Storm should want to avoid at all costs—even though moving up in the standings only to face the Dream or Liberty could be just as detrimental.