“Despite the loss.”
You will very often come across this qualifier when looking at a Natasha Cloud postseason stat line over the last two seasons.
It is not necessarily a bad thing, being a player praised for their efforts despite the rest of their team being unable to provide as much of a punch. But for two years in a row, Cloud has been the key for her respective clubs – the Washington Mystics and the Phoenix Mercury – having any sort of potential to win close bouts against better teams.
In Game 1 of the Mercury’s matchup with the powerhouse Minnesota Lynx, Cloud looked unstoppable late in the contest. She was getting downhill with a quick gather and step past her defender at the top of the key, and she was hitting threes. She was distributing the ball well off of screens from Brittney Griner and Natasha Mack, setting up Phoenix’s other top performers in Kahleah Copper and Diana Taurasi.
In Game 2, she cooled off a bit, going for 16 points but racking up 10 assists and five boards. Cloud still looked great, despite the loss.
smooooooooth criminal pic.twitter.com/jIdvMbN5WO
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 26, 2024
She was embodying the most formidable version of herself known to the WNBA – Playoff Tash. Unfortunately, it just was not enough. And that was the exact case from last season with the Mystics as they clashed with the New York Liberty.
Last season, Cloud managed to push the Mystics into OT in Game 2 of their Round 1 series versus the Liberty. With 33 points, nine assists, six boards, and incredible defense on Sabrina Ionescu, she was this close to getting underdog Washington to an elimination game against the eventual-Finals runners up.
In the 2022 postseason, Cloud averaged 18.5 points per game (PPG), six rebounds per game (RPG), three assists per game (APG), and 1.5 blocks per game (BPG). During the Mystics’ championship run in 2019, she averaged 13.1 PPG, 6.2 APG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.1 steals per game (SPG). She has been on one when the lights are brightest for years, but she has yet to get back over that trophy hump since 2019.
In response to Cloud being described as the heart of the team by one reporter after Phoenix was swept by the Lynx on Wednesday night, Mercury Head Coach Nate Tibbets said she “brought a certain vibe and toughness” to the Mercury, which was a necessary addition to a team that was seeking to bounce back from a nine win season in 2023 headed into this year.
“She is helping re-establish the culture and who we want to be. She’s a gamer. The bigger the game, the more she’s gonna step up. I just love coaching her,” added Tibbets.
Griner added to the praise for Cloud, echoing Tibbets in labeling her the energy of the Mercury.
“It starts with her and ends with her. She’s gonna bring us together. We need that leader out there,” Griner said after the Game 2 loss. “I don’t see anybody that works as hard as she does, and cares about every detail.”
Moral victories are a tough pill to swallow, and that is especially so for a player like Cloud. Any competitor willing to wear their heart on their sleeve when battling for their teams’ season will feel the sting of a loss more than anyone else on the court. This season, though, Cloud just seemed content to ball out for a new city, a new club, and a new system.
Despite the loss of Game 2 and this series, she seemed at peace with how she managed to both lead Phoenix this regular season and in a competitive second half during Game 1 of this series.
“I love playoff time. You play a 40-game season, you work your ass off to get into the playoffs, this is what it’s all about,” said Cloud after Game 1. “When these game lights come on these playoffs, I’m just extremely focused. I’m an underdog, so I love coming into these games when we’re expected to lose, and just go out there and hoop.”
Hoopers like Cloud, who thrive in big moments, are few and far between. With Cloud signed through next season and with Phoenix potentially having some Taurasi-sized shoes to fill in their backcourt to plug in alongside Cloud, the Mercury have just one shot to be smart about how they capitalize on Playoff Tash in 2025 and beyond.
