WNBA Finals

The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), held in early September and played under a best-of-five playoff format. The team winning the Eastern Conference Finals earns one of the two seeds in the championship round, with the other going to the team that wins the Western Conference Finals. This event has been played at the conclusion of every WNBA Playoffs, the first being held in 1997.

History

The WNBA Finals were originally a single championship game to decide the WNBA champion. However, in 1998, after the addition of two teams, the WNBA Finals were turned into a best-of-three games series. In 2005, the WNBA Finals adopted a best-of-five format.

Highlights

*The 2003 Finals was best known for rekindling a heated rivalry between the two teams' head coaches, Los Angeles Sparks head coach Michael Cooper and Detroit Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer. Both coaches were fierce NBA competitors who played in the NBA Finals against each other in 1988 and 1989.

*In 2001, the #4 seed Charlotte Sting was the lowest seed ever to make the WNBA Finals.

*2006 marked the first time that a #1 seed did not participate in the WNBA Finals. Detroit and Sacramento were both 2 seeds.

*The New York Liberty have the most Finals appearances (4) without winning one.

*The Detroit Shock are the 3rd team to win multiple championships (following Houston and Los Angeles respectively). However, they are the first team to win non-consecutive championships.

*2006 marked the first time that the team with the best point-differential in the regular-season didn't win the WNBA Finals or even advance to the WNBA finals. The Connecticut Sun had the best point differential in '06 but was ousted by the Shock in the Eastern Conference Finals.

*The Detroit Shock hosted the three largest crowds in Finals History (22,076 in Game 3 of 2003 WNBA Finals, 19,671 in Game 5 of 2006 WNBA Finals and 22,076 in Game 5 of the 2007 WNBA Finals)

*The 2007 game-five win by the Phoenix Mercury marked the first time in WNBA history that a team won the Finals while playing on their opponent's home court.

*In 2008 the San Antonio Silver Stars became the first team in the history of the WNBA Finals to be swept in a five game series.

Finals appearances

The statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual games won and lost.*Folded following 2006 season

Active franchises with no Finals appearances

*Atlanta Dream Founded in 2008.
*Chicago Sky Founded in 2006.
*Indiana Fever Founded in 2000.
*Minnesota Lynx Founded in 1999.
*Washington Mystics Founded in 1998.

ee also

*WNBA Playoffs
*
*WNBA Coach of the Year
*WNBA Finals MVP
*WNBA MVP
*WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
*WNBA Most Improved Player
*WNBA Rookie of the Year
*Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award

External links

* [http://www.wnba.com/ WNBA.com]