Alright sports fans, grab your popcorn and take a pew. We've got the Seattle Storm rolling into town against the Washington Mystics. Now, don't raise your eyebrows at me, because while the Storm are looking to batter the on-court with their trove of top performers like Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith, the Mystics aren't just a walk in the park either.
Over at the Seattle camp, one can't overlook how their players have been sprinkling stardust on the court. Jewell Loyd has been as eye-catching as a disco ball throwing up 23.5 points per game over the course of last month, not to mention Skylar Diggins-Smith matching defensive strategy like a Rubik's cube while putting up 22 points per game and Nneka Ogwumike doing her best rebound impression of a rubber ball, coming up with 7.5 per game.
On the other side of this basketball bromance however, the Mystics have had a season that's about as much fun as a sandpaper rubdown. Looking at their record of 6 wins and 21 losses, one might say, they've taken a wrong turn on the road to victory. But if we're to keep the faintest ray of hope burning here, then Shakira Austin and Stefanie Dolson deserve a mention. With Austin netting 12.5 points per game and Dolson not far behind at 14.5, they're doing their best to keep the show afloat.
When we gaze back at these two teams' romantic past, the Storm's round of tug-of-war seems to be ending well with an upper hand in three out of five recent match ups. The Mystics, however, might argue that they take quality over quantity given that their last victory against Seattle was a more recent affair.
Relative recent performances also tell a tale of bittersweet contrast between impressive showings by the Storm, apart from their two recent stumbles, and a pare of losses for the Mystics.
Given everything we have seen so far, I'm taking the raging Seattle tempest to blow the Mystics off course. Albert's prediction: Seattle Storm by 8.