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2022 WNBA Playoffs: Waiting four years for rematch, Washington Mystics swept by Storm again

By Tyler Byrum

Waiting four years for rematch, Mystics swept by Storm again originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The more things change, the more they say the same.

Four years ago, the Washington Mystics were swept by the Seattle Storm in the 2018 WNBA Finals. Key figures got injured, and both teams went through a rough patch or two in the time since, but the long-awaited rematch finally came together for the 2022 WNBA Playoffs.

The result, though, was the same. The Mystics were swept – this time 2-0 as opposed to 3-0 – after falling 97-84 in Game 2.

It was the second time Washington allowed any opponent to reach the 95-point mark all season long. In a season where there was such a huge emphasis on the efforts on the defensive side of the ball – compared the offensive focus in 2018 and 2019 – the final game is where the opposing offense had a field day.

“They made a lot of tough shots with a hand in their face and that’s to their credit,” head coach Mike Thibault said postgame. “I didn’t think our defense was that bad for part of it, but every time I looked around, they’re knocking down some big shots. It’s why they have a chance to win a championship. Their offense is really good and they had a good game plan for us. We honed in but it just wasn’t good enough.”

Seattle finished the game with a 55.6% field goal percentage and an astounding 52.2% mark from behind the arc. Of their 35 made baskets, 26 of them were assisted.

Yes, giving up nearly triple digits and 50+ shooting numbers is never good, but there was no confidence the offense could keep pace with the Storm. Seattle jumped to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and things simply couldn’t come together for the Mystics.

Elena Delle Donne struggled by her standards. Ariel Atkins got into early foul trouble which limited her first-half production. Shakira Austin committed a team-high three turnovers from the center position.

Aside from a quick second-quarter burst when three different players drilled a 3-pointer for a 9-0 run, the Mystics felt outmatched. That’s the exact narrative that was surrounding the team back in their 2018 Finals loss.

Many within the organization felt that Finals loss molded the team to put things together for the eventual championship run a year later. Still, Thibault said that matchup was on his mind prior to this series; Seattle prevented him from getting another ring.

And while Thibault was one who was looking for revenge, his players did not share the same sentiment.

“I’m tired of talking about past years. I’m tired of 2018, I’m tired of 2019,” Natasha Cloud said. “Those years don’t matter. It’s 2022 and we just got knocked out in the first round of playoffs. So honestly, respectfully, I don’t give a [expletive] about any year before this.”

Cloud led the team with 21 points, drilling five 3-pointers as the Storm dared her to shoot, seeing the fruits of her labor this year pay off. She performed with Delle Donne unable to get comfortable with Seattle’s defensive look.

The two-time MVP’s 35.7% field goal percentage (5-for-14 FG) was her fifth-lowest mark of the season. She posted 12 points in the game, just four coming in the second half.

A stark contrast from how she carried the team in Game 1.

“I think that as a collective everyone did really well guarding Elena,” Breanna Stewart said, who was just shy of a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. “She’s tough. And she really gets to her spots, can elevate over people and knock down shots, and we just want to make it hard for her.”

“I thought what we did from Game 1 to Game 2, just changing it up, giving her different looks,” Sue Bird described on how they contained Delle Donne. “Game 1 we jammed her a lot. Everywhere. Went under pick and rolls and jammed her a lot as to not disconnect, not have our post player disconnect from her and then when she got it on the block, double teamed her. Today, we switched a lot.”

Washington had a prime opportunity to steal Game 1 of the series. Late-game mistakes cost them the win.

Perhaps it was just a case of a bad matchup for the Mystics. Both teams are extremely well-balanced and play similar schemes.

Had it been any other opponent, you could make the argument Washington doesn’t lose in the first round. There were certainly their fair share of games that the Mystic unnecessarily coughed up this year, costing them positioning.

But at the end of the day, Seattle was better.

“[It] like a little bit like 2018, that they were just a little bit better, all the way around. We couldn’t match the same production that they had,” Thibault said.

The loss ends Washington season well earlier than what was intended. Since winning it all in 2019, the team has yet to win a playoff game, let alone a series.

After impressive rookie year, Shakira Austin says she ‘did nothing crazy special’

By Tyler Byrum
After impressing, Shakira Austin says she 'did nothing crazy special' originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonBy all accounts, Shakira Austin had a stellar rookie season with the Washington Mystics. Expectations were not only met but surpassed within the first week of the season. After being named a starter in just her second game, Austin recorded a double-double against future Hall-of-Famer Sylvia Fowles.The rookie assumed the starting center job permanently not long after that and was the fifth-leading scorer on the team. That was fifth behind a two-time MVP, a two-time All-Star, the WNBA's leader in assists and a budding star in Myisha Hines-Allen.Yet, despite all of the success that has come her way following her No. 3 selection in the 2022 WNBA Draft, Austin believes that's nothing compared to what she's capable of on the basketball court."I think I started off at a pretty good base for a rookie year," Austin said at the end of the season. "Personally, I feel like I haven't done too much, nothing crazy special. But that alone just motivates me to come in and show that I have a lot more to offer and that I can do a lot more for a team."Her point guard Natasha Cloud and those at the top of the sport share those sentiments. For as good as Austin was in 2022, there's more to come in 2023 and beyond.Cloud said that she can already tell Austin is "going to be one of the best bigs to ever come through this league."Already, she's assuming a role among the elite. Following the conclusion of the season, there was no downtime for the 6-foot-5 center. Las Vegas was her destination to join Team USA's training camp for the FIBA World Cup. A roster she would make, joining fellow bigs Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones for a Gold medal. Gaining that respect and being able to produce how Austin did is something she's proud of, considering the expectations placed on her before the season started."Just my ability to create for myself," Austin responded when asked what she was proud of this season. "I think coming in this year, there wasn't really an expectation for me to do much for the team and I came in and I established myself. Like I stayed within the role I was given, no plays were called for me, I was told to be a defender and a rebounder and I came in and still tried to make as much impact as I could within that."The Mystics frankly didn't need the 15 points and 4.3 3-point attempts per game she averaged in her final year at Ole Miss in the 2022 WNBA season. A core of Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins, Cloud and Hines-Allen was supposed to supply the offense. Mix in Alysha Clark coming back from her Lisfranc injury and the addition of Elizabeth Williams, and there was already a lot of firepower and talent on the roster. Still, Austin's role of cleaning up the glass as a rebounder and providing post defense were areas she thrived. With Williams overseas for the better part of the first month of the season, along with Delle Donne and Clark missing games, Austin proved herself in the time she was given. It was clear, she should be in the starting group.After May 20, she started every game for Washington. The minutes were granted but the play design to fit her talent wasn't. Washington kept the focus, and rightfully so, around the trio of Delle Donne, Atkins and Cloud. Austin was there for offensive rebounds and to take advantage of an opponent using an ill-advised defensive switch. Schematically, the coaching staff said no plays were run for the talented 22-year-old. In her first season, she finished with 8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, along with four double-doubles. Her 54.7% field goal percentage led the team. She was the runner-up to the Dream's Rhyne Howard in Rookie of the Year voting."I think the rookie season is definitely a great opportunity to just go out there and shock people," Austin said. "I think this year, I wasn't really able to shock them as much as I wanted, but I was just able to be as efficient as possible. So they can't really scout a great IQ player, a high IQ player who just knows how to cut and is aggressive and plays with high energy. I just think that's what I came in and did and, like I said, you can't really scout too much about that."There's no lack of confidence from Austin. Nothing really surprised her in her transition to the highest women's professional basketball league in the world. She knew the quality of basketball and pace would improve from the NCAA. She also expected- er rather welcomed - the physicality in the WNBA.Next year, Washington - with its revised organizational structure - will have a full season to prepare how they want Austin integrated into the offense. As with most players, her role should expand in Year 2. Mike Thibault, who is now in a general-manager-only role, agrees that Austin has a lot more to contribute. But, he wants to see what she worked on with Team USA and also while playing overseas in Israel. "It's not all gonna come at once. She would like to be more involved in the offense, which I think she will be, but part of that is the individual work she's been doing on her game, on her shooting routine. Part of it for her is just being a better student of the game and not that she's not, she has great basketball instincts, but it's a whole new world going from college to the pros," he said after the season."The hardest thing for her is that she's going to now go overseas for four months and we don't get to see her every day. And, how do you have the discipline to maintain the workouts that you want to do? She's got to check in with our coaches. We may send a coach over there to spend some time with her. But we'll have videos of her and we'll have FaceTime chats with her to kind of stay on plan," Thibault continued.It's clear that the future is bright for both Austin and the Mystics. That was the goal when they won the rights to the No. 1 pick before the 2022 WNBA Draft and traded back to third for Austin. Now, Washington has a dynamic post player who could develop into a star for the organization's new chapter. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to maximize Austin's current potential and the Mystics' current franchise player into another run at a championship."She has she's barely scratched the surface in my opinion," Thibault said.
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