The consensus from Tulsa last night: the Shock were just a little bit hungrier than the Seattle Storm.
“Tulsa has played hungry all year long," said Storm coach Brian Agler. "They work hard, they play hard, they try to make things happen, and tonight they did. They really took advantage of their opportunities.”
One area that "hunger" shows up is on the offensive boards -- while the Storm beat the Shock on the offensive boards 7 to 2 in the first half exerting a strength on one of the Shock's weaknesses, the Shock played relatively even on the offensive boards in the second half at 2 to 2. The turnovers were still the most significant factor throughout the game, but the shift in offensive rebounds demonstrates that the Storm were being outhustled and outworked, as stated by point guard Sue Bird in the video above.
“We didn’t settle down and just play defense," said Storm forward Camille Little. "They were getting offensive rebounds and loose balls. It’s hard to stop any team when they get those extra opportunities.”
For more on the game, see Kevin Pelton's link roundup at StormTracker, the official blog of the Seattle Storm.