Mystics star Natasha Cloud’s emotional reaction after heartbreaking OT loss vs. Liberty

With their backs against the wall, Natasha Cloud and the Washington Mystics weren’t about to go down without a fight against the New York Liberty, the team that posted the second-best record in the WNBA this past season. Despite facing heavy odds, Cloud and the Mystics made it a close-run thing throughout the game, even pushing the contest to overtime. Alas, in the end, the Liberty won out, with their plethora of weapons performing well enough to combat Cloud’s impressive 33 points, six rebounds, and nine assists.

Cloud is one of the most competitive players in the league, and coming up short in that fashion — a 90-85 loss in overtime — will never be easy for a player like her to deal with. And the Mystics guard clearly took this defeat — and subsequent playoff exit — to heart.

In her postgame presser, Natasha Cloud was fighting back tears as she answered questions about how much the franchise means to her and how much this recent defeat stings.

“I’ve been in DC for eight years. This is the only team that looked to me coming out of college. It’s the only coaching staff that believed in me. Went through a lot of growing pains throughout my career. To be where I am today, I’m really proud,” Cloud said, via Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post.

Even as Natasha Cloud relishes playing the part of the villain for the Mystics, she knows that she has only done that with the Mystics franchise’s best in mind.

“I can be the villain,” said Cloud, with a sheepish smile on her teary-eyed face. “That can sometimes reflect badly on myself and the organization. […] So to have the support of the Mystics organization through and through has been a blessing for eight years,” Cloud added.

Given how strong the relationship is between Natasha Cloud and the Mystics organization, it stands to reason that the two sides would come to an agreement to a new deal this coming offseason with the guard’s contract set to expire. And perhaps the Mystics end up reloading with the intention of putting up an even better fight this time next year.