Connecticut Sun close WNBA regular season with 14-game winning streak in ‘remarkable year surrounded by remarkable players’
As the Connecticut Sun were about to kick off their 2021 campaign back in mid-May, head coach Curt Miller sat in Atlanta with “tremendous nerves, a lot of uncertainty, but a lot of optimism.” Without Alyssa Thomas, who tore an Achilles in January, the Sun would have to figure out how to win without their “Engine.” But adding Jonquel Jones, who sat out the 2020 season, back into the mix certainly meant not all hope was lost.
“We didn’t know if our identity was going to work,” Miller said. “We had an idea of what we wanted to do, of what our strengths were, but until it really started to take shape, we didn’t know.”
Things came full circle four months later, as the Sun finished their regular season Sunday with another win against Atlanta, this time 84-64 at Mohegan Sun Arena. And what the Sun achieved from that first game through this weekend is beyond what anyone could have initially imagined:
Securing the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs behind the best winning percentage in franchise history (81%), guaranteeing home-court advantage in the postseason and double-byes into the semifinals.
Finishing the regular season with 14 straight wins, the longest regular season winning streak in franchise history and the fourth-longest in league history. It was also the longest winning streak to end a WNBA regular season.
Getting Thomas back from injury ahead of schedule, two games before the postseason, adding her to a group of players featuring the MVP frontrunner (Jonquel Jones), a potential Most Improved Player (Brionna Jones) and multiple deserving All-Defensive picks (Briann January, Jasmine Thomas, Brionna Jones)
Sporting one of the best defensive and rebounding units in league history. The Sun’s defensive rating of 91.7 is the best of any WNBA team since 2007, while its 56.9 rebounding percentage is the best in league history. Connecticut held opponents to 70 or fewer points in 18 of its 32 games.
Seems like that glimmer of optimism got the last word.
And here’s one thing Miller, his team and the rest of the W now know: Following the Olympic break, the Sun have separated themselves as the best team in the league and are the championship favorites heading into the postseason.
Most expected the Sun to falter without Thomas, so much the centerpiece of what they do on both ends of the floor. But to the team itself, Connecticut’s success — evident early with a 5-0 start despite most veterans missing training camp and when the team later rallied with Jonquel Jones’ five-game absence due to EuroBasket — wasn’t surprising.
“I think we come in every day, we see what’s going on in practice and how hard we’re working and everybody’s locked into the same goals,” Brionna Jones said. “Even though we’re missing a few people here and there, everybody stepped up when they needed to, and that’s the beauty of our team: It can be anybody any night. I think that’s what makes us hard to guard, and that’s made us so successful this season.”
The summer didn’t come without some growing pains, or without the emergence of an Achilles heel. The Sun were swept in three matchups against the Seattle Storm, including the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup championship game. Turnovers continue to be an issue heading into the playoffs.
But the 14 wins to close the regular season — including two over No. 3 seed Minnesota, one over No. 2 seed Las Vegas and one over No. 5 Phoenix — weren’t flukes. Honing its defense- and rebounding-first identity only fueled the players’ blossoming confidence in themselves and each other, reinforced by win after win after win. Complemented by peer accountability and an insatiable appetite to bring home the franchise’s first championship, that confidence is the area of growth Miller has been most pleased with from May 14 to the present. And it was only strengthened as the team found ways to win when some of its stars had subpar nights.
“I think through our success, our confidence has only grown,” Miller said. “We had veteran leadership. We had a really great locker room, but there’s a swagger. There’s a pride, a belief in how we play.”
“It first just starts with us believing in each other,” Natisha Hiedeman said. “Everybody supports and cheers for each other so hard, and that’s just such a good feeling. You just never want to let anybody down. When somebody’s not having a good game or whatever, it could be anybody’s night. We just pick each other up so much. And I think that is a big credit to how our season is going and how much we care for each other.”
Between the high quality of basketball and the group’s togetherness, ”a remarkable year surrounded by remarkable players,” Miller summarized.
When Game 1 of the semifinals rolls around on Sept. 28 at 8 p.m., the Sun can hold faith in the basketball and chemistry that helped get them there. But they know they can only lean on that so much as their quest for a title comes to a head in the face of formidable opponents.
“We’re going to live in this moment and enjoy this incredible ride,” Miller said. “I’m proud of them. But when we get back to work, they know we’re 0-0 and it is not about three games. It’s not about six games. It’s about one game, and we’re going to prepare like crazy for Game 1 of the semis.”
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com.
