For the first time since 2002, the Portland Fire hit the court for a WNBA game on Wednesday night.
The team competed against the Seattle Storm at the Climate Pledge Arena, and while they ultimately lost the preseason game, 91-81, head coach Alex Sarama told reporters that there are plenty of reasons to be excited about what the Fire will be able to do this season.
The Fire were without several players due to either injury or overseas commitments, but managed to rally and present a solid first look at what Sarama refers to as Constraints-Led Approach (CLA).
In conversations with reporters during training camp, Sarama has emphasized that CLA is less his system than it is a set of guiding principles that are meant to keep his team from playing “rigid basketball.”
Instead, the Fire are expected to be strong offensively, to hit big shots, and, most importantly, to create their own moments as the game progresses. Here’s how that worked out for the team last night, and what they can do as they work toward their first win.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast & Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis.
Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you listen to your podcasts and make sure to subscribe!
Turnovers, fouls, and free throws were a problem
The Fire had 11 fouls in the first quarter, which gave the Storm an early opportunity to run the score up. Though things balanced out for the Fire in the second quarter and they then went into the locker room down by only two, it’s clear that Portland will need to find a remedy to solve this problem quickly.
This seemed top of mind for Sarama while speaking to reporters after the game, but he also pointed out that there was something to be proud of in that, too.
“I think the way in which we lost the possession game, I think 28 second-chance opportunities they had and our 13 missed three throws, I think it’s very encouraging that it was a 10-point game despite of that,” he explained. “So much we can take out of that, so much we can get better as a group.”
Tightening up the team’s defense is crucial. “I thought defensively some really solid stretches if we take out the defensive rebounding, I thought our pick and roll covers were really disruptive,” he added. “Our full core pressure really got us back in that game in the end of the second. So lots of positives from that one.”
Sarah Ashlee Barker, who was drafted to the Fire as part of the team’s expansion draft this month, agreed. “It’s preseason. I think that you’re gonna see things come together,” she said. “And so obviously, we’re just gonna keep getting at it. Look at the film, come together as a team. But I think one thing that we were really proud of is in those sloppy moments, we stayed together and that’s the most important thing.”
She continued: “And so being able to stay together and understand that this is like where we can have a season in camps and training. So we know that it’s gonna be a journey and a process, but staying together is the most important thing.”
The Fire are disruptors
As Sarama noted, the team managed to disrupt the Storm throughout the game. In fact, the stretches where they went ahead (the Fire even went on a pretty ferocious 12-2 run in the third) were largely due to the fact that the Storm seemed to momentarily lose the ability to track the Fire on the court.
That seems to be a clear sign of Sarama’s CLA system working. If players are creating their own moments, no two games will be alike. Once the Fire are a little more comfortable as a whole, this could make for a dynamic experience for everyone — the players, coaches, and fans.
The team’s history is special
For many of the players, having the opportunity to wear the Fire jersey and be a part of the franchise’s return is monumental.
“Obviously, just the history behind it with being able to run a Portland jersey for the first time and see us as a new franchise, it was a lot of fun … just playing another team and competing was a lot of fun,” said Barker, who was added to the Fire in the team’s expansion draft.
Teammate Luisa Geiselsöder agreed: “I think we’re all proud, we’re really, really proud. It’s an honor to put on that Portland jersey. We all want to wear it with pride, we want to show what Portland is. We want to show how the fans are behind Portland. We want to play for the Portland fans. We just want to show that identity, we want to show the happiness. And we want to show the support that Portland has in women’s sports, women’s basketball, especially, we just want to put it on the court and we want to show that to the world.”
The Fire are here to enjoy the game
Finally seeing the team in action after years of build-up was rewarding, Sarama said. The team returned to the WNBA after folding in 2002 and with an entirely new league, lineup, and philosophy — something that was developed during the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations between the WNBA and the WNBPA.
“Yeah, it was a great feeling. I think kind of like five minutes into the first, to see what our players relaxed. I felt, one of the highlights that I felt as a staff, we wanted to shout out the whole staff, like our assistants, our performance team, for our first ever game as a first, well, I shouldn’t say first ever. For the rebirth of the Portland Fire, incredible. Everyone was executing their job, so really proud of the whole group and the staff we have,” he enthused.
Ultimately, Sarama felt “encouraged” by how his team performed. “I think it gives us, as soon as we watch the film back, it’s going to give us a really clear idea of what we want to hit these next few days of practice,” he explained.
The Portland Fire will next face the Los Angeles Sparks on May 3 before playing their first-ever regular-season game against the Chicago Sky at home on Saturday, May 9.
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is available now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible.