It’s August, and the Seattle Storm are officially out of playoff contention. This one hurts, no joke. We’re riding a brutal 11-game losing streak , our *second* one this season, by the way. Our last taste of victory? July 6. Feels like ages ago, doesn’t it? As we get ready to host the Chicago Sky on Monday night, it’s tough to find much confidence, especially since the Sky already handed us a loss earlier in this very streak.
The Gut Punch of Getting Close
While other teams, like the Toronto Tempo, are suffering through complete blowouts, our pain is different, man. The Tempo have dropped eight straight, haven’t won since July 12, and their losses average almost 18 points. Their offense, which used to be explosive, has completely stalled with a meager 100.9 rating, down from 109.3. Their defense? Spiked to a dreadful 123.9. They recently lost 97-83 to tie the 5th longest skid for an expansion team in Year 1. For us, it’s not about getting blown off the court. We recently dropped another one, 93-100, against the Portland Fire. But here’s the kicker: we’ve been competitive in the majority of these 11-straight losses, only to come up short down the stretch, game after game after game. Our worst defensive showing in this streak was by 12 points, one of only four double-digit losses. The real gut punch? Four of these losses came by five points or less. Four! Talk about agonizing.
Why Hope Isn’t Totally Lost (Even Post-Elimination)
Seriously, how many times have we watched our squad fight hard for three quarters, only to see it slip away in the final minutes? The numbers tell a crucial story: our offensive and defensive ratings during this 11-game slide aren’t demonstrably worse than our season averages. This isn’t a team that’s completely imploded; it’s a team battling inexperience, and the late-game execution issues that come with it. That’s what’s been dooming us to defeat. It’s still distressing, for sure, seeing all those ‘L’s. But you know what? We can still be somewhat encouraged. We’ve shown we can hang with teams, we just haven’t figured out how to close.
What’s Next for the Emerald City?
So, what now for our Storm? Monday night, 10 p.m. ET on USA Network, we host the Chicago Sky. Yeah, we’re out of the playoff race. But this game isn’t about standings anymore. It’s about pride. It’s about our squad learning to turn those incredibly frustrating, close losses into actual wins. It’s about showing the Emerald City faithful that this team has grit and can finish. Let’s rally behind them and cheer for every single late-game execution play, because that’s what we need to see happen. We bleed green and blue, and we’ll be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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