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Seattle Storm's Tight-Game Woes Could Be Blessing in Disguise Ahead of WNBA Playoffs

The Seattle Storm have not fared well in close games. But after a fourth-quarter comeback clinched a playoff berth, Seattle may have found some momentum, and just in time for the playoffs.
Lou Orlando|
Aug 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Seattle Storm players celebrate after a game against the Washington Mystics at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Aug 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Seattle Storm players celebrate after a game against the Washington Mystics at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Seattle Storm were 36 seconds away from closing out their regular season with yet another devastating loss.

Locked in a Tuesday night clash with the Golden State Valkyries, the Storm hunted a win to secure the final WNBA playoff berth. Yet Seattle found control of their own destiny slipping away in the final minute of the fourth quarter, when Valkyries guard Veronica Burton drained a contested left-wing three to give Golden State a 73-72 edge.

While a loss would not eliminate the Storm from playoff contention, it would make Seattle a helpless observer and gift the Los Angeles Sparks a golden opportunity to leapfrog them for the last spot.

That's of little import now. As the shot clock dwindled, veteran guard Erica Wheeler drilled a pull-up 16-footer, retaking the lead and stamping Seattle's ticket to the postseason.

"What happened tonight, that's greatness," Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike reflected postgame. "We can say that we were able to win a game like this from experience. We've been in a lot of tight games to the end, and over time we've been able to train that muscle."

Two months ago, it seemed unlikely that Seattle's postseason hopes would be on the line in their final regular-season game. The Storm sat fourth in the standings at the All-Star break, with 3.5 games separating them from the playoff cutline.

Yet a disastrous second half, marked by persistent late-game woes, quickly shifted the outlook. From Aug. 1 to Sept. 5, the Storm lost 10 of 16 games. Eight of those losses came by single digits, Seattle squandering fourth-quarter leads with crushing frequency.

There was no lead to squander on Tuesday night. Golden State led by eight entering the final frame, leaving a Storm squad with an ugly habit of faltering late in need of a comeback.

But when it mattered most, Seattle flipped the script, clinching a playoff berth on the back of a 21-12 fourth-quarter advantage.

"Having had so many close games this year, and sometimes it's a call here or a bounce there, we have a lot of experience because of all the games that we went through," Storm head coach Noelle Quinn explained. "The information that we receive during those games, we put it into these moments. It's like studying for a test -- we passed the test today."

It's a test they'll need to pass again in the playoffs. Seattle's extended late-game struggles could prove a fatal flaw, especially in the context of a three-game series. But perhaps Tuesday night's win is exactly the boost needed to spur a stunning postseason run.

Battle-Tested Seattle Storm Can Shine in Playoffs

Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike warms up.
Aug 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) warms up before a game against the Washington Mystics at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Pressure makes diamonds. It also bursts pipes. The Storm are about to find out which.

For better or worse, Seattle has spent the last month simply battling to keep their playoff hopes alive. Contrast that with the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx, who clinched a postseason berth one month ago on August 12.

There's a convincing argument to be made that the Storm are better conditioned for the urgency of the postseason than any other team in the WNBA.

"I think that we've shown that we can be down and fight, and I think that's part of what we do," Quinn expressed. "We don't say die -- we're resilient. We find ways to stay in games."

Since August 1, the Storm have had 12 contests decided by single digits. That's tied for the most in the WNBA, matched only by the Sparks, who were eliminated from postseason contention thanks to Seattle's 74-73 win over the Valkyries.

Granted, Seattle's 4-8 record in such games fueled their second-half slide. But every tight finish trained that muscle, as Ogwumike put it, and on Tuesday night it bore fruit, a brilliant fourth quarter delivering their most important win of the season.

"To be able to do it in what, ultimately, was a playoff environment," Ogwumike stressed. "I think a lot of the games that we played in August felt like playoff environments. I can't help but believe that it will prepare us for what we're gonna be able to experience in the postseason."

Could a clutch win in the regular-season finale be the catalyst that a talented Storm squad needs? It's not out of the question.

While the ultimate goal is simply making it to the dance, there's a stark difference between earning a spot and falling backwards into the playoffs.

"Yeah, that's important," Ogwumike confirmed. "I've been in situations where you're sitting at home hoping that a game goes one way or the other, and quite frankly, that's not how you want to enter playoffs anyway. It's the reality of it, it happens at times, but that's really not how you want to go into a season where it's win or go home, so I'm glad that we were able to earn that."

Ogwumike certainly speaks from experience. The 35-year-old forward will appear in the postseason for the 10th time in her 14-year WNBA career, winning a championship title with the Sparks in 2016.

In fact, there's no shortage of veteran talent on this Storm squad. Ezi Magbegor marks the lone holdover from Seattle's 2020 championship team, but Seattle boasts the third-oldest roster in the WNBA by average age. That includes 11th-year starting point guard Skylar Diggins, who reached the WNBA Finals with the Phoenix Mercury in 2021.

"We have vets on our roster who have been through a lot of different games in this league, and we're gonna continue to rely on that," Quinn acknowledged. "To know that we are capable of playing fast, slow, physical, it is going to matter in the playoffs for sure."

Postseason success will be anything but easy. Greeting the No. 7 seed Storm in the first round are the scorching-hot Las Vegas Aces, who carry a 16-game winning streak into the postseason. Seattle bested the Aces twice in the regular season, but that was before Las Vegas began their ascent up the league standings. A three-game series in which MVP-favorite A'ja Wilson and the Aces own home-court advantage provides little room for error.

But those are the consequences that come from missed opportunities. Had the Storm maintained their first-half pace, or even just protected a few more fourth-quarter leads, they'd find a less imposing foe waiting for them in Round 1. Instead, they'll have to hope Tuesday's clutch gene lingers just a bit longer.

Both Seattle and Las Vegas have displayed impressive resiliency throughout the course of the season. It'll be put to the test in a week's time.

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Lou Orlando
LOU ORLANDO

Lou Orlando is a Fordham University alum, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. At Rose Hill, he covered women's basketball for the university newspaper, the Fordham Ram. In addition to calling games on 90.7 FM. The Brooklyn native enjoys bagels and thinking about random early-2010s athletes, that is when he isn't penning stories for Women's Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI.

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