Storm's struggles make title sweeter

ATLANTA — This is a tale of dominance. And of struggle. Because you can't savor every sweet flavor of this triumph without acknowledging the sour now buried beneath it. The contrast only makes it more remarkable, more astounding, more delectable.

The Storm, the runaway best team in the WNBA this season, didn't just win a championship Thursday night. They crumpled up all that old pain, hurled it high into the air, and perhaps it'll descend in Seattle looking like confetti for the parade.

The Storm, the only team in WNBA history to sweep through seven playoff games en route to a title, thrived because of a kind of toughness developed over the six years since hoisting its first trophy. This isn't some random, star-aligned feat. It's the culmination of lessons learned, disappointments outlasted and strategies redefined.

The Storm — the team that four fans bought and rescued from relocation three years ago, the team that suffered five consecutive first-round playoff exits before this season, the team once burdened by injuries and desperate for change — stands atop the league now. Try to budge them. They won't move.

Those struggles made this franchise ball its hands into fists. In 2010, they swung with purpose. No wonder there's a new champ.

Fittingly, the Storm clinched ecstasy after ample strain. They finished a three-game sweep of the pesky Atlanta Dream with an 87-84 victory at Philips Arena that remained in doubt until two potential tying shots flew off the mark. For the Storm, the W's in the box score always looked easier than the sweat it took to get them.

"You not only took Seattle by storm, but you've taken this country by storm," WNBA president Donna Orender said while presenting the championship trophy.

Overall, the Storm won 35 of 41 games this season. Their 28-6 regular-season record, a winning percentage of .826, is the best of any professional sports team in Seattle history. They are measurements of pure dominance, but in the end, the Storm should be known for their resolve.

They rarely gave away games, quarters, or even possessions because the past taught them so much about letdowns. They had no tolerance for that. Not anymore. They were too determined, too strong-minded. They're probably not the best team the WNBA has ever known, but nobody will tell them that to their faces.

"I guess now I can be honest, right?" Storm point guard Sue Bird said. "Losing in the first round has been terrible, and having people write about it and talk about it, it's something that I took very personally, that a lot of us took very personally. I judge myself as a player based on winning, and to not win in five years, really, really hurt.

"So to be sitting here now, and with the playoff disappointment and the ownership change and everything that's gone on I mean, I can't even describe it. And I know this is going to last for a full year, so that's the best part."

This is a victory for Bird and Lauren Jackson, the two superstar holdovers from the 2004 title team, who endured all those playoff disappointments and injuries and questions about their ability to lead.

This is a victory for coach Brian Agler, who rebounded from a career malaise to take this job and rebuild this team and restore his reputation as one of the most brilliant minds in the game.

This is a victory for the Storm owners — Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, Anne Levinson and Ginny Gilder — who proved that local, independent WNBA ownership can work despite the challenges.

This is a victory for Swin Cash, who overcame a back injury after arriving in Seattle, and for a roster full of underappreciated players. This is a victory for pro basketball in Seattle, which is still reeling from the loss of the Sonics. This is a victory for an entire city still recovering from the Great Sports Collapse of 2008.

You're winners again because they're winners.

"It's been years of letdowns and people putting question marks by your name," Cash said earlier this season of the team's motivation. "As a competitor, there are two ways you can respond to it: Let them be true or compete to prove them wrong. We're so competitive that, even if you aren't a competitive person, you have to get on board."

Jackson considers this the finest season of her career. It's not because she won the MVP again and made a comeback from stress fractures in her back. It's because of the chemistry and team spirit the Storm showcased. It inspired her.

"I wish it would all start over again because it's been so much fun," Jackson said of this season. "I don't think I've ever been a part of a team that I've enjoyed as much as this.

"I'm going to go to sleep dreaming about this moment and this day."

Many will do the same.

The old wounds have healed. The past produced the present. Dominance was born of struggle.

The 2010 Storm: Overpowering, yet resilient.