Prior to their Wednesday night 101-78 victory over the Portland Fire, the Chicago Sky were on a six-game losing streak and had managed just one victory in their last 11 games. But when the win finally came, it was a dominant 23-point statement that had been a long time coming.

Speaking in the postgame press conference, which the Chicago Sky shared on their YouTube channel, veteran guard Natasha Cloud pointed out what the team did right offensively. In her view, the Sky’s improved decision-making, quick offensive reads, and overall preparedness made the difference.

“Just our decision-making, I would say,” she said during the presser when asked what she liked most about how the offense operated.

“I think that we were quick to like a 0.5 mentality. If we didn’t have a kick out or a shot, we were penetrating, getting to the teeth of the defense, finding, spraying out, making sure that the ball gets inside just as much. When that ball goes in and it gets doubled, we were prepared for that. We knew where our cuts were going to come from. We were just on the same page and on the same string tonight.”

In Natasha Cloud’s view, this Sky team had always had it in them to perform at that level. And even though it has not really translated to as many wins as they would have wanted, there has always been potential.

“So again, just a testament to this team, to our connectivity that stretches much beyond the court. It might not always show up in wins in those columns, but we are here. We’ve been in most games, and it’s just nice to finally finish one out in our favor,” she added.

One thing the Sky have struggled with this season is how many times they’ve come close to winning games but fallen short. They have lost two games by a single point against the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty, with the latter coming down to a buzzer beater. They also suffered an overtime loss against the Indiana Fever. And games like their seven-point loss against the Atlanta Dream were decided in the final minutes.

After finally getting a dominant win, they now sit at a 5-12 record this season. Their next game is also against Portland. If this Wednesday night win is any indication, then the next game is an immediate opportunity to string wins together for the first time in a long while.

Natasha Cloud reveals Sky’s plan to sustain momentum

Natasha Cloud also revealed in the postgame press conference that the team is focused on getting back-to-back wins against the Portland Fire, who they will be playing again on Friday night.

“That’s our focus tomorrow. We’re going to get in, we’re going to do film, we’re going to stay committed to our process and our journey. And then we’re going to face a great Portland team again. And it’s always hard to see a team twice back to back, but we’re going to be prepared for it,” said Cloud.

Natasha Cloud is also very much aware of the fact that they’ll face the Las Vegas Aces, but as she said, the Sky are taking things one game at a time.

“And then, yes, we have another game uh against the Aces who are playing really well right now overall. But we’re just going to take it one day at a time. I think that’s been like a little bit of our focus here of late is just simplifying things and not adding so much pressure,” she said.

The Aces have lost just two of their last 10 games and have amassed a winning record of 13-5 so far. It will also be two consecutive games against the Aces and a significant challenge. So getting another win against the Portland Fire will be a big confidence boost.