Washington D.C.—In the Mystics playoff win against the Sparks with a 96-64 victory, there’s only three words to get out of that: Beware of Cloud.
For the semifinal second-round, the mystics were forced to host the Sparks in the Charles Smith Arena at George Washington University due to renovation at their home facility, Capital One. Not the typical game they had in mind, but something that was embraced considering the fans were in close proximity. It was “lit” according to the starting guard.
That wasn’t the only thing that was lit about last night’s game.
Clouds’ role in last night’s win, with 13 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, completely overshadowed her buzzer beater in the previous matchup in regular season with the Sparks that clinched them third place in the Eastern Conference.
“Ah the buzzer beater. I mean that was then, and this is now. I was glad to be able to win us that game, but most of all being a part of this game right here. That’s what’s important,” Cloud told Beyond the W.
One of the fourth quarter timeouts, you could see Natasha Cloud standing alone working on her “In my feelings” dance moves, while players on the Los Angeles Sparks were breathing heavily waiting for teammate Nneka Ogwumike to shoot for two after a late foul call.
Last season, Cloud lost her starting backcourt position due to her struggling mentally that caused a result in her lack of consistency on court. Her change in mentality, as a result of meeting with Mystics’ director of performance psychology twice a month and using the skills she was taught, has played a part in her becoming the comeback kid.
“I can only focus on what’s happening right now. If I keep up what I’m doing, then I have nothing to worry about. The thing with these group of girls on this team is that everyone loves competition, so if someone is able to take my spot that means I only have to push harder you know? That’s really all there is to it, but I can only focus on what I’m doing now,” Cloud said.
Cloud wants to stay in Washington, so this change couldn’t have come at a better time. Averaging a career high in points ( 8.0) and assists (4.8), she has been a major asset to the Mystics’ offense ranking them third in scoring in the league.
“I love playing with these girls. Despite anything, that’s what I love.”
