Rally falls short as Storm lose to Mystics on Sue Bird’s jersey retirement day

On a day the Storm raised her No. 10 into the rafters inside Climate Pledge Arena, Sue Bird sat courtside while her former team stalled at 10 points for 7 minutes , 44 seconds, stretching from the first quarter into the second.

This was an unwelcome, unintentional tribute.

It was also temporary.

Trailing 63-42 entering the fourth quarter Sunday, the Storm ripped off a momentous 17-0 run and trailed just 68-65 with 2:48 left. But Seattle (1-6) missed its last five shots and fell to Washington (5-3) for the second consecutive game, 71-65.

With the franchise’s best player sitting in a bright green suit across from her former bench, the Storm fell a few shots short.

“We just weren’t locked in to our game plan initially,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “But maybe there were some nerves in understanding the magnitude of this moment and this day. But I didn’t think it was that (as much as) the communication aspect. The focus wasn’t quite there.”

With 4:44 left in the first quarter, Jewell Loyd sunk a 3-pointer to cut the Mystics’ lead to 12-10. Washington responded with a dominant 20-0 run over the next nearly eight minutes, dampening a daylong celebration. Besides Bird, Storm legends Lauren Jackson, Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes were all in attendance. Former Sonics standouts Detlef Schrempf and “Downtown” Freddie Brown were spotted as well.

The Storm could have used all of them to help close the gap.

But Loyd, Ezi Magbegor, Kia Nurse and Co. made an admirable effort.

As did Seattle’s fans.

“(The crowd) helped a ton,” Quinn said. “At times there was a lot of noise, so maybe our coverages weren’t as clean, but the energy level and momentum the crowd gave amped up our energy as well.”

After trailing 46-21 at halftime, the Storm used a 20-7 run to cut the lead to 53-41 with 3:48 left in the third quarter. But even without injured star Elena Delle Donne, Washington (5-3) again bounced back, closing the quarter with a momentum stifling 10-1 sprint.

The Mystics were led by point guard Natasha Cloud, who poured in 19 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds.

“She’s steady,” Quinn said. “She’s a point guard that’s been in this league. She’s a champion. She plays at a high level. She starts it on the defensive end, but this year she’s super confident in her 3-point shot, and her shot in general. So she has a balanced attack and she’s a tough match up.”

And yet, the Storm again rose to the occasion, as a near-capacity crowd of 13,213 attempted to will a win. Seattle ripped off a 17-0 run over the first six-plus minutes of the fourth quarter to close the gap to 63-59, before an Ariel Atkins runner temporarily stopped the bleeding. Seattle’s Kia Nurse and Atkins then traded 3s, before Storm guard Ivana Dojkic took a flagrant foul and calmly drained three free throws to cut the deficit to 68-65.

That’s the closest they would come.

Loyd – who, despite missing Friday’s game with a foot injury, entered the day averaging a league-leading 28 points per game – shot just 6 for 22 (1 for 8 from deep) but led the Storm with 16 points and five assists. Magbegor (13 points, seven rebounds), Nurse (12 points, four rebounds), Dojkic (12 points, four assists) and Jordan Horston (10 points, 5 rebounds) landed in double figures as well.

“On the nights that Jewell isn’t so efficient, we have to find ways to find multiple scorers,” Quinn said. “Obviously we’re leaning a lot on Ezi as well from that viewpoint. But if we can have some balance, that’s super helpful for our offense.”

It goes without saying (or writing) that Quinn’s offense could have used Bird – a 13-time all-star and four-time WNBA champion who set league records for victories (333) and assists (3,234) in an incomparable 21-year career.

But after the game ended, plenty was said.

In a jersey retirement ceremony that surpassed three hours, Jackson, Cash, Megan Rapinoe and Macklemore all spoke. Rapinoe, in fact, did more than that – crooning Tina Turner’s “The Best” as an introduction.

And before her No. 10 banner rose to the rafters and golden graffiti came tumbling down, Bird held court for an hour and a half, and closed by saluting Seattle’s fans.

“For me to feel seen and safe here … whether it was the ball in my hands on the court or it was me in the community, I could always be my ever-evolving self,” she said.

“As I said, Seattle wasn’t always home, but that’s exactly what it became. That’s in large part to all of you. I may have given you rings, some fun moments, some game-winners, probably some bonehead moves you didn’t like too …

“While I may have given you all of those things, you guys gave me a home. A home. And there’s no greater gift. The Seattle sports community is so special, and I am beyond honored to be a part of it forever, hanging in the rafters.”

While Sunday’s game – and Seattle’s 1-6 start, for that matter – are evidence of the gulf between past and present, that banner should bear witness to many more wins in the years to come.