Coach Curt Miller on Connecticut’s Journey to the Finals: ‘Everybody Has Stories Across This League’
The Connecticut Sun are headed to the WNBA Finals after beating the former champion Chicago Sky, 72-63 on Thursday.
The journey to get to the championship stage has been challenging for Coach Curt Miller and the Sun. They lost Jasmine Thomas to a torn ACL early in May. Miller’s mom passed away in August. During the series-clinching Game 5, the Sun fell behind 10 points. But as it has been all season, Connecticut’s grit and resilience helped them defy the odds.
That resilience, DeWanna Bonner’s refusal to back down from Kahleah Copper specifically, was the catalyst to Connecticut reeling off a game-defining 18-0 run that helped them upset the defending champs and stamped their ticket to their
“Everybody has stories across this league,” Miller said per ESPN. “Ours — it just seemed like one thing after another that we had adversity this season in and out of that locker room. It’s remarkable that this group just refused to use it as excuses.”
Chicago’s elimination guarantees there will not only be a new champion, but whoever wins will be winning their first-ever title. A new coach will also win their first-ever championship as well.
When Connecticut takes on the Las Vegas Aces, they’ll be taking on the top seed of the playoffs led by DPOY and recently crowned two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Sixth Player of the Year and All-Star guard Kelsey Plum, fellow All-Star and SPOY Dearica Hamby, the most dangerous closer in the playoffs, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young, the reigning Most Improved Player. Don’t forget rookie Coach Becky Hammon, who won Coach of the Year two weeks ago.
“Not many people will pick us against Vegas either, and that’s OK,” Miller said. “We’re going to prepare and try to make it a Connecticut Sun style of game.”
The Sun and Aces start the WNBA Finals on Sunday at noon on ABC.
