The Portland Fire may not have made the WNBA playoffs this season, but the team still did a great job — something that would be true whether they were an expansion team playing their first-ever season (they were) or if they'd been in their fifth year of play. The Fire finished out the 2026 season ranked 9th of 15 teams with a 17-27 record.
That 17th win took place this week during their last regular season match, when the Fire hosted the Golden State Valkyries at the Moda Center. The game was thrilling and unexpected — the Fire came back from a 17-point deficit in the first quarter to win the match in overtime.
While speaking to reporters after the game, Sarama credited the win to his team, but also to the team's analyst coach, who did the scouting report ahead of the game. Assistant coach Brittni Donaldson had done the previous scouts on the Valkyries, all of which were fantastic, Sarama added, but this time around he switched it up.
The result was "one of the most detailed scouts I've ever seen," Sarama added. The scouting report was a major reason why the team was able to prepare so effectively for the No. 2 ranked Valkyries, and why they pulled that win off.
That's something that many of the teams who are preparing to begin the playoffs tomorrow will want to pay attention to, especially the teams who have something to prove. The Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, and Dallas Wings all have challenges ahead of them. The Fever will hope to shut out the Las Vegas Aces, who are ranked third in the league and who knocked them out of the second round of playoffs last season. The Mystics and Dream play each other, games that could genuinely go either way. The Wings and the Liberty both face uphill battles (against the Valkyries and the Minnesota Lynx, respectively).
Approaching their opps with perspective from someone who can bring fresh eyes to the matches may be key. Sarama made it clear that all of the scouts done this season ahead of games against the Valkyries were well done, and this last one had the added benefit of someone who might be able to see something that wasn't seen before. Playoffs games often come down to small details that make a huge difference, and a pair of fresh eyes might just be what each team needs to combat regular season fatigue.
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