SEATTLE — It was one of those nights where an extra marine layer of tension hung in the air as the Storm's season, and Sue Bird's career, hung in the balance. But eventually, that tension gave way to the melancholy that always attaches itself to a legendary player walking away from the game.
It took 40 minutes of intensity, brilliance and absurd stress, an epic back-and-forth struggle with the highest of stakes, before the outcome was determined. And for the Storm, who had the will but not the way, the ending came with stark finality.
The Storm on Tuesday were eliminated, 97-92, by the Las Vegas Aces, who took the best-of-five series in four games. But outside of the Aces locker room, perhaps, that will not be the bullet point, nor the lasting memory, when this game is recalled, as it is certain to be.
