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The past, present and future of Seattle Storm basketball fully intersected on July 15. Three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson came back from Australia for her jersey retirement ceremony. Sue Bird, who won two WNBA titles with Jackson, stole the show with her hilarious and touching tribute to her former teammate.And the young duo charged with being the next Bird and LJ -- guard Jewell Loyd and forward Breanna Stewart -- smiled while watching the proceedings. But in their minds, you know the wheels had to be spinning just a little: Might this be us someday? Will we have this kind of legacy?Then, of course, it was back to the everyday work of the WNBA season, and for Stewart, the Rio de Janeiro Olympics too. But the second rendition of the same storyline in Seattle -- two No. 1 picks taken in back-to-back years and becoming a dynamic duo -- is in the early stages of playing out very well for the Storm.Seattle returns to the playoffs after a two-year absence, and as the No. 7 seed will visit No. 6 Atlanta in Wednesdays first-round single-elimination game (ESPNEWS, 8 p.m. ET).The Storm (16-18) won seven of their 10 games after the Olympic break. Stewart (18.3 PPG) and Loyd (16.5 PPG) are Seattles top scorers, and Stewart also leads the team in rebounds (9.3) and blocked shots (1.9). She and Loyd both average 3.4 assists.I think theyre doing great, and its only their first year together, Bird said. They still have a long way to go and so much to learn about their games, and how their games can relate to each other. But for the most part, you can see a lot of it already.Both are extremely athletic, both very dynamic; their highlights are going to be those alley-oop plays to each other. That right there paints of picture of what theyre going to bring.We know Stewart is quite the ace in regards to one-and-done games such as the Storm will face Wednesday. She and the UConn Huskies won four consecutive NCAA titles from 2013 to 16. Three of those came at the expense of Loyds Notre Dame team, which UConn beat in the 2013 national semifinals and the 2014 and 15 finals.Then Loyd opted to forgo her senior season with the Irish and declared for the WNBA draft, going No. 1 in 2015. When the lottery balls fell for the Storm to have No. 1 for the 2016 draft as well, the comparisons to Bird and Jackson began immediately.?Making the handoff actually tangible, is that Bird is still right there as the heart of the Storm, having one of her best seasons at the age of 35. She led the league in assists (5.8) and also had her career high in 3-pointers (72) and shooting percentage from behind the arc (44.4). Shes the Storms third-leading scorer at 12.8 PPG.It might sound too perfect a script. And to be fair, Loyd and Stewart should not always have to be thought in terms of how they relate to the duo that came before them, one of whom is still very much around.But the thing is, Loyd and Stewart dont seem to be worried about how theyre going to live up to such expectations. They get it: Theyre star players who are exciting to watch individually and as a tandem, and the league needs that. They are the present, and most definitely the future.Loyd was the WNBAs Rookie of the Year last season, and Stewart is a lock for that honor this year. In fact, Stewart was a legitimate candidate for MVP as a rookie.Shes fearless; shes not afraid of risks or challenges, Seattle coach Jenny Boucek said of Stewart. Shes a great teammate, and she wants to be coached. As good as she is, there are still areas where she can improve, and she knows that.The same was said last year about Loyd. The jump in her scoring showed how well she put into practice the things that she learned from her rookie year, when she averaged 10.7 points.Having Sue telling me to be aggressive, to keep going -- having her in my ear has made me feel more confident, Loyd said. The work I did overseas helped me, too. I think the game feels a little slower your second year; Im seeing things earlier, reacting sooner. I think my defense is better, and on offense I understand mismatches better and where I can get my shots.And whether this 2016 postseason is very short, or the Storm go on a run, Loyd and Stewart are aware theyve landed somewhere pretty special.Its been really exciting, Stewart said. We played against each other a lot. Now to be on the same team ... obviously shes a great young guard, and its nice being able to grow together. Nike React Element 87 Australia . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Sf AF1 Australia . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. http://www.airforce1shoesaustralia.com/ . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Authentic Nike Air Force 1 Wholesale . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Air Force 1 High Sale . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. CLEVELAND -- Rookie Max Kepler had three two-run homers and six RBI, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 12-5 win over the Cleveland Indians on Monday night.The German-born Kepler homered off All-Star Danny Salazar in the first and third innings and hit another off Cody Anderson in the sixth. His was the 12th three-homer game in the majors this season, and Kepler became the first Twin to homer three times in a game since Justin Morneau in 2007. He also had a single.Joe Mauer was 4 for 4 and homered in the eighth off Andrew Miller, who was making his first appearance with Cleveland after being acquired Sunday from the Yankees.Jose Berrios (2-1) retired 15 straight after a three-run first inning. The rookie right-hander, recalled from Triple-A Rochester before the game, allowed four hits in six innings.Salazar (11-4) lost for the first time since May 22. The right-hander allowed three homers and was charged with six runs in two innings, the shortest outing of his career.Miller received a standing ovation from the crowd of 15,018 when he ran in from the bullpen. He retired Kepler on a groundout, the only other batter he faced.Mike Napoli hit a two-run homer in the eighth for the Indians, whose lead in the AL Central over idle Detroit was cut to four games.dddddddddddd Minnesota is 6-4 this season against Cleveland.Kepler began the season at Rochester but leads AL rookies in homers (14) and RBI (44). He has homered 13 times and driven in 37 runs since June 19.Eddie Rosario led off the second with a home run. Jorge Polanco had a three-run triple in the third and tripled again in the fifth.Jose Ramirezs RBI single and Lonnie Chisenhalls two-run double gave Cleveland a brief lead in the first.Salazar didnt pitch in the All-Star Game because the Indians wanted to rest his arm. He pitched well in beating Kansas City on July 20 after going 10 days between starts, but has allowed 10 runs in six innings over his last two outings.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: OF Byron Buxton (right knee) is considered day-to-day after an MRI revealed no damage beyond an existing bone bruise.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson went six innings and allowed two runs in his last start, a July 28 no-decision against Baltimore.Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco is scheduled to make his 100th career start. He is 5-2 with a 1.61 ERA in his last eight outings. ' ' '