The Seattle Storm won the 2010 WNBA championship by defeating the Atlanta Dream 87-84 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals in Atlanta's Philips Arena on Thursday night. The Storm swept the Dream 3-0 in the best-of-five series.
The Storm played focused, solid basketball throughout Game 3, running out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and, after the Dream fought back, breaking the game open again late in the second half by holding the Dream without a field goal for more than 6 minutes in the fourth quarter. They survived a scary final minute sequence that saw the Dream miss two potential game-tying three-pointers.
The Storm offensive attack featured balanced scoring with all five starters hitting for double figures. Forward Swin Cash led the way with 18 points, WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson added 15 points and 9 rebounds and point guard Sue Bird tacked on 14 points and 7 assists.
Angel McCoughtry paced the Dream with 35 points in a losing effort. Iziane Castro Marques also added 21 points for Atlanta.
The title is the first for Seattle Storm head coach Brian Agler. The title is the second for Seattle's Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, who each were a part of Seattle's 2004 Championship squad. It was the third for Swin Cash, who won two titles with the Detroit Shock in 2003 and 2006.
2010 WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson was named 2010 WNBA Finals MVP. Jackson averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds in the WNBA Finals. "I just think our team totally dominated the league this year," Jackson said Thursday night as she accepted the award.