2000 WNBA Championship
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Dates: | August 24-August 26 | |||||||||
MVP: | Cynthia Cooper (Houston Comets) | |||||||||
Television: | NBC | |||||||||
Referees: | ||||||||||
Game 1: Bell, DeMayo, Zielinski | ||||||||||
Game 2: Corteau, Kirkland, Price | ||||||||||
East Finals: | New York defeated Cleveland, 2–1 | |||||||||
West Finals: | Houston defeated Los Angeles, 2–0 | |||||||||
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The 2000 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 2000 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Houston Comets, second-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the New York Liberty, first-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to none in a best-of-three series. This was Houston's fourth title.
The Comets made their fourth appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Liberty also made their third Finals appearance.
Going into the series, no other team except the Houston Comets had ever won a WNBA championship (1997-1999).
The Comets had a 27-5 record (.844), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Liberty (20-12). It did not matter, however, as the Comets swept the Liberty.
Road to the finals
Houston Comets | New York Liberty | |
---|---|---|
27–5 (.844) 2nd West, 2nd overall |
Regular season | 20–12 (.562) 1st East, 4th overall |
Defeated the (3) Sacramento Monarchs, 2–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (4) Washington Mystics, 2–0 |
Defeated the (1) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) Cleveland Rockers, 2–1 |
Regular season series
The Comets and the Liberty split the regular season series:
Game summaries
All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.
Game 1
August 24 |
Houston Comets 59, New York Liberty 52 | ||
Scoring by half: 29-22, 30-30 | ||
Pts: Cooper (20) Rebs: Swoopes, Thompson (8) Asts: Cooper (5) |
Pts: Phillips (24) Rebs: Phillips (15) Asts: Weatherspoon (5) |
Game 2
August 26 |
New York Liberty 73, Houston Comets 79 (OT) | ||
Scoring by half: 25-27, 39-37 Overtime: 9-15 | ||
Pts: Phillips (20) Rebs: Phillips (7) Asts: Weatherspoon (8) |
Pts: Swoopes (31) Rebs: Thompson (8) Asts: Cooper (7) |
Awards
- 2000 WNBA Champion: Houston Comets
- Finals MVP: Cynthia Cooper
Rosters
2000 Houston Comets Finals roster | |
---|---|
Players | Coaches |
Pos. | # | Nat. | Name | Height | Weight | From | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F | 4 | Arcain, Janeth | ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 5147 lb (67 kg) | Brazil | ||
G | 14 | Cooper, Cynthia | ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 5150 lb (68 kg) | Southern California | ||
F | 23 | Jackson, Tammy | ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 6190 lb (86 kg) | Florida | ||
C | Johnson, Tiffani | ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 6195 lb (88 kg) | Tennessee | |||
G | 3 | Kelley-Gibson, Jawann | ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 5137 lb (62 kg) | Maryland | ||
C | 40 | Lamb, Monica | ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 6206 lb (93 kg) | Southern California | ||
G | 21 | Rizzotti, Jennifer | ft 6 in (1.68 m) | 5146 lb (66 kg) | Connecticut | ||
F | 22 | Swoopes, Sheryl | ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 6145 lb (66 kg) | Texas Tech | ||
F | 7 | Thompson, Tina | ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 6178 lb (81 kg) | Southern California | ||
F | 13 | Valdemoro, Amaya | ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 6160 lb (73 kg) | Spain | ||
G | 4 | Washington, Coquese | ft 6 in (1.68 m) | 5138 lb (63 kg) | Notre Dame | ||
|} |
- Head coach
- Assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (FA) Free agent
- (IN) Inactive
- (S) Suspended
- Injured
|}
2000 New York Liberty Finals roster | |
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Players | Coaches |
Pos. | # | Nat. | Name | Height | Weight | From | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | 22 | Bibby, Jessica | ft 7 in (1.70 m) | 5139 lb (63 kg) | Australia | ||
F | 13 | Farragut, Marina | ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 6190 lb (86 kg) | Spain | ||
C | Firsova, Olga | ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 6215 lb (98 kg) | Kansas State | |||
F | 42 | Francis, Desiree | ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 5193 lb (88 kg) | Iowa State | ||
G | 25 | Hammon, Becky | ft 6 in (1.68 m) | 5136 lb (62 kg) | Colorado State | ||
G | 55 | Johnson, Vickie | ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 5150 lb (68 kg) | Louisiana Tech | ||
C | 50 | Lobo, Rebecca | ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 6185 lb (84 kg) | Connecticut | ||
F | 24 | Phillips, Tari | ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 6200 lb (91 kg) | University of Central Florida | ||
F | 3 | Robinson, Crystal | ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 5175 lb (79 kg) | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | ||
G | 11 | Weatherspoon, Teresa | ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 5161 lb (73 kg) | Louisiana Tech | ||
F | 44 | Whitmore, Tamika | ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 6190 lb (86 kg) | Memphis | ||
F | 23 | Wicks, Sue | ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 6174 lb (79 kg) | Rutgers | ||
|} |
- Head coach
- Assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (FA) Free agent
- (IN) Inactive
- (S) Suspended
- Injured
|}
External links
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