This time there was no emotional farewell speech from Sue Bird.
The Storm star, who announced her retirement months ago, finished a spectacular 21-year career Tuesday night following a 97-92 loss to the Las Vegas in Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals at Climate Pledge Arena.
“It feels weird,” said a teary-eyed Bird during a postgame interview. “I felt sad about the season and the game. Then I think as the emotions started to come to the surface, that’s also when I knew deep down that that was my last game. It was a combination of those two things. But overall it just feels kind of weird.”
It was the 640th WNBA game — including the postseason — for Bird, who made her league debut May 30, 2002.
The Storm had a 333-247 (.570) regular-season record and 34-26 (.567) in the playoffs during Bird’s career, including 1-3 against Las Vegas in this year’s semis that eliminated the Storm from the WNBA title chase.
The Aces also handed Bird a bitter defeat in her last regular-season home game, which prompted an emotional postgame address from the Storm star, who promised Seattle was on the verge of something special.
Bird kept her word — sort of.
The Storm played four more home games, including a 2-0 sweep of the Washington Mystics in the first round.
Seattle’s playoff prospects soared after an upset win in Game 1 of the semis.
However, the Storm lost three consecutive playoff games for the first time in franchise history because they could not slow Chelsea Gray (31 points and 10 assists Tuesday), A’ja Wilson (23 points and 13 rebounds), Jackie Young (18 points) and Kelsey Plum (15 points).
“That was great basketball,” Gray said. “Each game. It kept you on your toes the entire time. Two bad possessions, and the other team wins. That’s how close, and that’s how these mistakes or these baskets decide a game. It’s the smallest details in the playoffs.
“That was a heck of a series for the sport and for our league. That was great. I had fun. Obviously, it’s not fun when you’re on the other side of it, but when you step back and realize that was a great series and great moment for basketball.”
The Aces’ torrential scoring quartet trumped a sensational performance from Breanna Stewart, who tallied a career-high 42 points and tied the WNBA game playoff record.
Aside from Jewell Loyd (29 points), the rest of the Storm combined for 21 points. Bird finished with eight points and eight assists.
Despite the pedestrian display from the supporting cast, Seattle had chances to extend the series. The score was tied 87-87 until Gray buried back-to-back jumpers for a 92-87 lead with 30.7 seconds left.
Seattle never recovered and lamented late-game defensive breakdowns in the last two games.
“Because this is a series, you can’t help but look back on certain games like Games 2 and 3 where we had miscues,” Stewart said. “We had opportunities, and we didn’t convert on them.
“Jewell and I texted before the game, and we wanted to make sure we left it all out on the court. Like we have everything we possibly could.”
Stewart and Loyd combined for 71 points, which eclipsed their WNBA playoffs record of 65 set in Game 1 of the 2020 WNBA Finals against Las Vegas.
“That’s a championship-caliber team,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “They’re just loaded. And they are special in this arena. They gave us everything they got. Both nights. We said coming in here we wanted to get two. We were not satisfied getting just one.”
The loss not only ends Bird’s storied career but closes the chapter on Seattle’s Big Three (Bird, Stewart and Loyd), which posted an 84-44 record and captured two league titles (2018 and 2020).
“As sad as it is that we no longer have the ability to compete for a championship, what’s more devastating is the fact that we’re no longer going to be on the court with Sue,” Stewart said. “We’re not going to see her in practice. We’re not going to play with her in games. That’s what hurts the most. It’s having that come to reality really quickly.
“That’s the way sports goes. But like Jewell said, it’s been an honor to share the court with her and knowing that not many get to. Usually people only know the Sue Bird they play against or the Sue Bird they see from afar. We know her from up close as mentor, teammate and a friend.”
Loyd and Mercedes Russell are the only players under contract next season, and for the third consecutive year general manager Talisa Rhea will have to remake the roster.
Recently, the Storm eschewed signing and developing younger players — with the notable exception of third-year center Ezi Magbegor — while bringing in experienced veterans, which kept them in championship contention.
Stewart, who is a co-favorite with Wilson to win the WNBA MVP award, which will be announced Wednesday, will be the biggest domino in free agency.
Bird, who turns 42 on Oct. 16, said she plans to pursue business interests in retirement.
“I don’t have second thoughts,” she said. “Of course my body feels good, so that can be tricky. But there’s a reason why I felt comfortable and confident in this being my last year. Being able to say that out loud was a big hurdle, and once I was able to jump over that I knew I did the right thing because of how I felt afterward.
“Am I going to miss basketball? Absolutely. There’s going to be nothing like this. I don’t think I’ll be able to replicate it, and I won’t even try.”
Immediately after the game, she did a quick interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe before walking off a WNBA court for the last time while the crowd chanted: “Thank you, Sue.”
“In some ways it’s a happy thing,” Bird said. “I’m proud of everything we accomplished here, and of course I’m sad. There’s happiness, too. To be able to have a moment like that with the fans and they chant the way they did. I know the tears don’t look like happy tears, but there’s a lot of happiness.”
Coach Noelle Quinn added: “I stayed on the floor and watched her get the love from our fans. I wasn’t here to witness her last regular-season game [because of COVID-19], so I wanted to feel that today.
“It’s amazing what she’s done for the city of Seattle, for this organization and for this team. It’s tough not finishing the season with her riding off on a white horse with the championship. But she’s won enough for the both of us. I’m just proud to be a part of her journey.”
This isn’t how Bird wanted to say goodbye. But she was proud to end her career with the same team that drafted her two decades ago.
“Being able to share this experience with the same fan base and the same community, being a part of their lives and them being a part of mine, it’s a really unique relationship,” Bird said. “With that I feel such ownership for this franchise. I want it to continue to succeed. I want to help it do that because of all that it gave to me. All of the support.”
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