Storm surge past Mystics 98-82 for WNBA title

It was the first WNBA Finals appearance for the No. 3 seed Mystics, who finished the regular season at 22-12. This year, she played a starring role.

The outcome had been decided long before Breanna Stewart allowed herself a small smile with just under a minute to go in the Seattle Storm's 98-82 triumph Wednesday, the win that completed a sweep of the Washington Mystics and crowned Stewart's Storm team WNBA champions.

"Our team went through a rebuild, and yes, I chose to stay, and once we got Jewell and Stewie, we knew we would get on the other side, but how do you know you're going to get on the other side this fast".

Show us how you've been supporting the Seattle Storm this season. She came off the bench for IN in 2015, and for Minnesota IN 2016 and '17.

Bird is now celebrating her third championship with the Storm.

Stewart upped her points per game once the playoffs rolled around, and Bird and Loyd each had signature scoring performances en route to the trophy.

"When Seattle came onto our scope, I had this general feeling that God said this is the place you should be", Hughes said.

Bird was visibly emotional on court after her team won, holding back tears as she hugged her teammates.

Howard is a native of Toledo, Ohio, and Hughes was once an assistant coach at the University of Toledo when Howard's father played there.

It was Stewart and Howard who went off tonight.

But it didn't look as if it was ever going to happen when Hughes retired after the 2016 season.

The answer came almost four months later with a championship.

Stewart was named Finals MVP.

"We thought, 'Oh, crap, what kind of year is this going to be?'" Bird reminisced.

"She was the flawless complement to Breanna Stewart".

"Just the fact that she is so versatile", Stewart said. "All year you could just see the escalation". "If I'm exhausted, she can guard [Elena] Delle Donne, and if she's exhausted, I can do it".

"That's the Breanna Stewart I remember", Auriemma said.

Toliver, seated next to the first-team All-WNBA player, chimed in.