Los Angeles Sparks Are WNBA Champs

Jessica Stamp
Mirror contributing writer

   The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the New York Liberty in the WNBA finals two games to zero to take the championship for the second year in a row.
   The Sparks played Game One at Madison Square Garden in New York on Thursday, August 29, winning 71-63. Mwadi Mabika led Los Angeles with phenomenal scoring, tallying 20 points. Delisha Milton followed with 17 points. Lisa Leslie, the WNBA Finals MVP, added 15 points and 9 rebounds. “I think we [have] a philosophy that started about three years ago that championships are won on the road,” Leslie said. “We feel like we have to make the road our home.”
   Los Angeles rookie Nikki Teasley had 11 assists on the night, a WNBA Finals record. New York’s starters struggled to make baskets with reserve guard Becky Hammon leading the Liberty with 18 points. New York’s starting frontcourt, including Tamika Whitmore, Crystal Robinson, and Tari Phillips, combined for only 11 baskets out of 34 shots. The Liberty broke a Finals record themselves, sinking nine 3-pointers, but made just 14-of-38 shots inside the arc, shooting 37 percent.
   The game, however, was in no way lopsided. The Liberty led by 9 early, and halftime saw the teams tied at 35. As time ran out, the Liberty came within three points on two occasions, but Milton hit a jump shot, and the Sparks made 5-of-6 foul shots in the last 33 seconds to take the win.
   The Sparks returned home to the Staples Center on Saturday, August 31, to close out the series and win the title in a thrilling contest.
   Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead only to allow New York back in the game by halftime. The Sparks then took control in the second half. Latasha Byears’ basket pushed the Sparks up to 66-57 with less than three minutes to go. But the Liberty took advantage of L.A.’s early celebration. A Vickie Johnson three-pointer, a field goal by Hammon, and two made free throws brought New York within two. Then, with 18 seconds to play, New York’s Tari Phillips hit a jump shot to tie the game at 66.
   Sparks’ coach Michael Cooper called a timeout. As L.A. inbounded the ball, the Liberty surrounded Leslie, leaving Teasley open on the right wing. Teasley made a clutch three-pointer, putting the Sparks up 69-66 with 2.4 seconds to go. The Staples Center erupted as New York’s last attempt failed to register, and the Sparks became WNBA champions, yet again.
   “It’s a dream come true,” Teasley said. “As a player, you always dream about hitting the big shot to win the game.” Besides scoring the biggest basket of the year, Teasley had 11 points and 11 assists. “She is going to be so much better than what she is now,” Leslie said. “She just hit the game-winning shot of the WNBA championship in her rookie year.”
   Leslie finished with 17 points and with seven rebounds to earn her second consecutive Finals MVP award.
   The Sparks and the Houston Comets are the only two teams who have won a WNBA championship. The Sparks and their male counterparts, the Los Angeles Lakers, have now combined for 5 titles in the past 3 seasons.
   The Sparks had an easy time getting to the Finals, taking care of the Utah Starzz soundly in the Western Conference title series. In the final game of that series, Los Angeles set a WNBA playoff record for scoring, shooting 51 percent on the night and surpassing the previous game high of 101 points.
   Los Angeles was clearly the better team. Utah, in its first Conference final, committed 18 turnovers, resulting in 28 points for the Sparks. History played a role as well. Utah has never won at the Staples Center and has only beaten the Sparks once in twelve previous meetings.
   The New York Liberty had a better track record against the Sparks. In a meeting earlier this season on July 18, the Liberty defeated the Sparks decisively, 72-59. New York also beat the Sparks in their only meeting in 2001.
   The Liberty earned their fourth birth in the WNBA finals and captured the Eastern Conference title by defeating the Washington Mystics in straight games. New York’s playoff experience is now extensive, with four finals appearances in six years, but Los Angeles once again took home the championship.