The W Genesis: The Arrival of Sue Bird
In the early 2000s, the WNBA was adding more stars. The NCAA was filled with highly talented players who were projected to provide longevity once they entered the next level. Look at the UConn Huskies’ roster during that time. Head coach Geno Auriemma was a master at recruiting the right talent who had a bright future ahead of them.
Everyone shone bright when the Huskies won two NCAA Championships in 2000 and 2002. However, Sue Bird was the player who shone the brightest. I understand that Bird wasn’t the dangerous scorer the way that her peers were. However, there was something magical about the way she played. As a pass-first point guard, Bird could put the ball on a string and create opportunities for her teammates. She was phenomenal at reading the floor and positioning her team successfully in a half-court offense.
The future was bright the second everyone heard of the name “Sue Bird”. The Syosset, New York native built a name for herself as she led Christ the King to a State Championship during her junior season. Winning continued to follow Bird as she later won two titles at UConn before heading to the WNBA. Winning was a standard for Bird from her early days of playing basketball. She carried that same mentality over to her professional career and later became a legend.
In 2002, the Seattle Storm were building for the future. They were the new kids on the block and wanted to establish themselves as the young risers of the WNBA. In the previous year, the Storm drafted a sensational center named Lauren Jackson from Australia with the first overall pick. Meanwhile, the front office believed the best thing was to add a point guard who could initiate the team offense. As Seattle secured the first pick again, they had their mind set that they wanted Sue Bird to be the franchise’s floor general.
This situation sparked a new beginning for Bird. Many fans expected her to be in a position where she could help take the Storm to the next level. Nobody was expecting Seattle to win a title right away. However, they were heading in the right direction based on their draft picks. Bird’s rookie season showed that she was one of the best things to happen for Seattle. Despite the ups and downs, she instantly became one of the best floor generals in the WNBA.
Bird’s Rookie Season
Bird was locked in heading into her first game against the New York Liberty. As they faced a championship contender, she knew that the opposing team’s defense would be physical and tenacious. As a point guard, it’s important to prepare for matchups like this. It was best that Bird not only placed herself in the best position to succeed but her teammates as well.
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What made Sue Bird special was the way she could be impactful both with and without the ball in her hands. As the floor general, Bird was excellent at running half-court sets. She was surrounded by quality shooters and post players whom she could direct in the right spots for quality shots. Without the ball, Bird was excellent on catch-and-shoots as her movement was spectacular by using screeners to create open space. Bird recorded 18 points along with six assists and three steals in her WNBA Debut against the Liberty. The unfortunate part was the Storm coming up short as they lost 78–61 on their home floor.
If I were to grade Sue Bird’s first WNBA game, I would give it a B. Although she led the team in scoring, a difference maker in the game was her five turnovers. Bird was still adjusting to the way defense was played in the WNBA. Luckily, she found a way to make adjustments by taking better care of the basketball and limited extra opportunities for the opposing team.
As the season progressed, Bird continued to show flashes of the star player she was projected to be. A few games later, she scored a season-high 27 points in a huge win over the Minnesota Lynx. Early on, it was difficult to find ways to slow down Bird as she impacted the game in different ways. Throughout the season, the Storm had their ups and downs as a young team finding their footing. However, their successes allowed them to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Playoff Bound
Bird continued to display great performances as the Storm looked to secure their playoff spot. She had five 20+ point performances on the year as well as 23 games with at least five assists. Another notable performance that stood out was her 17-point 10-assist performance on August 1 against the defending champion Los Angeles Sparks. Once again, the performance was another example of Bird’s versatility. Although she didn’t shoot the ball well, she remained assertive in putting pressure on the defense with her attacking. Anytime Bird made a drive, she either drew a foul or found an open teammate. Because of Bird’s passing, Seattle had two other players score in double-figures en route to an 81–76 road victory.
Bird finished the season averaging 14.4 points along with six assists and 1.7 steals. She became an All-Star in her rookie season and finished second in assists behind Ticha Penicheiro of the Sacramento Monarchs. Although Bird finished second in the Rookie of the Year race behind Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever, she was still one of the leading factors in helping Seattle clinch their first-ever playoff seed.
Being a leading factor in helping a franchise make their first Playoff appearance is a huge milestone. Bird’s first playoff test was against the defending champions. Although they had success against them in the regular season, the postseason was a different atmosphere. The Storm had no answer for Lisa Leslie as she dominated both ends of the floor. While the Sparks were on a mission to repeat, the Storm had no answer as they were swept out of the series.
Conclusion
Despite being eliminated early from the playoffs, the Seattle Storm remained optimistic for what was ahead. Sue Bird displayed a phenomenal rookie season and was only going to get better as her career progressed. She was only getting started on a luxurious career that was going to take place.
