In 2004, Sue Bird played her first WNBA Final in just three seasons of her career. Sixteen years later, she is still helping with the Seattle Storm Chase title and is still one of the league’s best point guards. It didn’t take long for her to prove it on Friday night, making history in Game 1 of the 2020 WNBA Finals. Bird scored just two points, but she turned down 16 assists in Storm’s 93-80 win, setting a new career high and setting a WNBA playoff record.
Within minutes of the game, the bird came out of the pick-and-roll and found a huge open jewel Lloyd on its wing. The young guard buried a 3-pointer for the first points of the game’s storm, and Bird’s first aid. From there, it was off. He helped 10 in the first half alone, and kept rolling after the break.
Within minutes of the second half, Bird, along with Breana Stewart, demanded another pick-and-roll. Stepping out of the driving screen, Bird left a simple pocket pass between the Las Vegas Aces defenders, setting Stuart with a wide-open mid-range jumper. Stewart caught nothing but a net, giving Bird his 12th assist of the game, setting a record for most assists in a game of finals.
Bird, however, was not, and in the middle of the fourth quarter she improved on her historic historical game. After playing a catch with Lloyd, Bird saw Stewart down on the block, and he whipped from inside. Again, Stuart paid him, hitting a turnaround jumper to give Bird his 16th assist in the game. That set a new WNB playoff record, and Bird’s career was high.
Bird is also an all-time assistant leader, registering 2,831 in a WNBA-historic career. She has about 1,000 more assistants than nearby active player Diana Tourasi.
