Could the winner of the 2022 WNBA playoff's most intriguing first-round series between the Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics be more of a threat than its record indicates?
The Storm and Mystics, who finished tied for fourth in the WNBA standings at 22-14 -- with Seattle earning the right to host the series by winning two of three head-to-head matchups during the regular season -- haven't played at the same level over the course of the season as they did while winning championships in 2018 (Storm), 2019 (Washington) and 2020 (Storm again).