Posted by Dan on September 29, 2008
2008 WNBA Playoffs Recap – September 27 – No. 1 San Antonio Silver Stars 67, No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks 66
Western Conference
No. 1 San Antonio Silver Stars 67, No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks 66
SAN ANTONIO – There are only a handful of things that you can do in less than a second. Win a WNBA playoff game is one of them. Sophia Young hit a jumper as time expired to keep the San Antonio Silver Stars’ season alive as the top seed in the Western Conference beat the Los Angeles Sparks, 67-66.
The third and deciding game will be played on Sunday at the AT&T Center. San Antonio, who has won a league-best 27 games this year, had the second-best home record in the league and is 16-3 at home. Los Angeles hasn’t won in San Antonio since the middle of the 2006 season.
Los Angeles, which has been to more conference finals, seven, than any other team in the WNBA, is 2-1 in game three during the Western finals. However, that one loss did come on the road versus Houston in 1999. The Sparks two victories came at the Staples Center.
This was the first Western Conference finals that the franchise has won. They were swept last season by Phoenix and their only other appearance came in 2002 when the team was located in Utah. That year they were swept by Los Angeles and the following season the franchise moved to San Antonio.
After only scoring 24 points in the second and third quarters, the Sparks found themselves down nine points and their margin was actually 14 at one point. Los Angeles quickly turned the tide in the fourth quarter and took the lead.
The Sparks opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run with Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton Jones scoring all 12 points. A pair of Parker free throws at the 5:08 mark gave the Sparks their first lead since the second quarter when they squandered the seven point lead they had after the first quarter.
Parker nailed two more from the charity strip to stake LA to a three-point lead, but Becky Hammon hit a three-pointer a minute later to tie the game at 60-60. Parker and Milton-Jones – who scored all 20 of Los Angeles’ fourth-quarter points – each hit a pair of baskets to put the Sparks out in front, 64-60 with 1:33 to play.
Hammon hit another three-pointer and Young canned a pair of free throws with only 11 seconds remaining give San Antonio a one-point lead, 65-64. Tameka Johnson missed the potential go ahead basket with just over a second-left to play, but Milton-Jones was there for the put back. After a San Antonio time-out put the ball at half court, Young took the inbounds and put up a prayer that banked off the glass and won the game.
Young led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the double-double. Two other players reached double digits for San Antonio with Hammon tossing in 19 and Ann Wauters adding 11.
Fifty of Los Angeles points came from three players, headed up by Parker as she scored 19 points and pulled in 17 rebounds. Lisa Leslie also had a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards. The duo also combined for seven blocks. Milton-Jones was next at 14 points.
The two teams were very close with San Antonio holding a slight advantage in all the shooting categories: FG (40%-35.6%), 3PT FG (38.5%-31.6%) and FT (82.4%-72.7%). Los Angeles kept it close with rebounding advantage, 39-31, including 12 offensive boards.
Posted by Dan on September 26, 2008
2008 WNBA Playoffs Recap – September 24 – No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks 85, No. 1 San Antonio Silver Stars 70
Western Conference
No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks 85, No. 1 San Antonio Silver Stars 70
LOS ANGELES – Through the first quarter of game one in the WNBA Western Conference Finals it appeared that the top seeded San Antonio Stars had broken out of the offensive funk that plagued them during the first round. Then the second started.
The Silver Stars jumped out to a quick 26-17 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. The rest of the way San Antonio only scored 44 points as it dropped an 85-70 decision to the number three seed Los Angeles Sparks. The game was played on the USC campus because of a scheduling conflict with the Staples Center.
Game two is Saturday night in San Antonio at the AT&T Center. Despite having the second-best home record in the league, the Silver Stars dropped their first home playoff games to Sacramento and needed overtime to finish off the Monarchs.
This is the second year in a row that San Antonio has found itself trailing in the Western Conference Finals. Last season they lost their first game to Phoenix, who swept them and went on to win the WNBA Championship.
The victory was the Sparks’ first in the conference finals since the 2003 season when they beat Sacramento in the game three. Los Angeles lost in three to Detroit during the WNBA Finals.
After the Sparks found themselves down nine points following the first quarter, Los Angeles started the second quarter on a 9-2 run to pull within 28-26 on a pair of Marie Ferdinand-Harris free throws. Candace Parker hit a pair of baskets during a 2:23 stretch with the second giving LA a 35-34 lead.
The two teams would trade baskets until WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Lisa Leslie took control of the game. She scored six-straight points to ignite an 11-0 run by Los Angeles to close the half with the Sparks leading 48-39.
The second half started with San Antonio scoring the first two baskets to cut the lead to five, 48-43, at the 8:05 mark. The Sparks answered with a quick run of their own as Ferdinand-Harris hit a pair of baskets to push the margin to 11. The lead would remain around 10 for the rest of the quarter.
The Silver Stars worked to cut the lead to six, 74-68, on a lay up by Erin Buescher at the 5:05 mark. Unfortunately, San Antonio would only make one of its last eight shots as the Sparks closed the game on an 11-2 run.
Leading all scorers was Leslie as she poured in 22 points to go along with seven points and four assists before she fouled out for the second playoff game in a row. Posting her first career playoff double-double was Parker with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Ferdinand-Harris and Tameka Johnson equaled Parker’s 14 points.
A starter in the first three games, Johnson came off the bench against San Antonio.
She added five assists and Shannon Bobbitt had five more. The knock on LA has been is front court, but Johnson and Bobbitt have risen to the occasion at home. The challenge for them will be to get it done on the road.
During the opening round the Silver Stars had the top scoring tandem in the Becky Hammon and Sophia Young as they both averaged 19 points. In game one they were held to combined 25 points. Ann Wauters led San Antonio with 18 points and Vickie Johnson had 10. The Silver Stars’ starting five accounted for 89 percent of the team’s scoring.
Los Angeles was on fire from the floor, hitting 52.9 percent (36-68) to the Silver Stars’ 40.3 percent (25-of-62). The Sparks also dominated San Antonio on the boards, 37-21, and in the assist category, 27-16.
Posted by Dan on
WNBA Playoff Preview
Western Conference
No. 1 Seed San Antonio Silver Stars vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks
Season Series: Tied 2-2
In Los Angeles: Sparks Lead 2-0
In San Antonio: Silver Starts Lead 2-0
Last Meeting: September 5, San Antonio Won 75-58 in San Antonio
Playoff Schedule:
Thursday, September 25 @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. TV: NBA-TV
Saturday, September 27 @ San Antonio, 3 p.m. TV: NBA TV
If Necessary Sunday, September 28, @ San Antonio, 5 p.m. TV: ESPN2
This Season Series:
During the four meetings this year between the two teams, the home team prevailed in all four. In each instance, one of the games was close and the other was virtually a blow out. The Sparks are averaging 66.5 points per game in either venue so where the difference has been is with the Silver Stars. San Antonio averaged 76.5 ppg. at home against Los Angeles, but only scored 57.7 ppg in the Staples Center. If the last two games are any indications, the Sparks may have a tough time scoring points against the Silver Stars regardless of the location the game as they managed just 58 points in each contests.
About the Silver Stars:
The number two defensive team in the WNBA during the regular season, the Silver Stars have gone away from the formula that got them the league’s best record during the playoffs. In the regular season San Antonio gave up only 71.1 points per game, which ranked less than half a point behind the league leader Seattle. During the playoffs the Silver Stars are giving up a tad under 10 points more per game as Sacramento scored an average of 81.0 ppg. during the opening series. This wouldn’t be an alarming fact except that the Monarchs rated ninth out of 12 teams in scoring offense. To make up for the lack of defense, San Antonio has countered with more offense as it has scored 79.3 ppg, which is more than five points above its regular season average.
San Antonio had the best record during the regular season, 24-10, thanks to a five-game winning streak to end the year. This is the Silver Stars second-straight trip to the conference finals and the only second appearance since the franchise moves to San Antonio from Utah. While in Utah the team only made two playoff appearances (2001-02) with a conference final berth that last year.
About the Sparks:
Similar to its opponent, the Sparks are giving up more points in the playoffs than they are scoring. The difference is Los Angeles is playing much better defense than it did during the regular season. The Sparks were right in the middle of the league at 74.21 ppg. on defense, but during their first playoff series they held Seattle to 65.6 ppg. However, the number four scoring team at 76.4 ppg, LA has been 12 points below that number in the playoffs. The main culprit for this is a 50-point outing in game two.
Through all the teams that have come in gone in the Western Conference, Los Angeles is the one team that has been in the hunt nearly every year. The Sparks have been in nine of the last 10 WNBA Playoffs with last year’s no-show breaking a streak of eight-consecutive playoff appearances. Los Angeles won back-to-back titles in 2001-02 and played for it all again in 2003.
The Match Up
Much like it was for Los Angeles in the opening round of the playoffs, the Western Conference finals will come down to whether its front court, led by super rookie Candace Parker and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Lisa Leslie, can carry the team. The Sparks have no true point guard, coach Michael Cooper has gone with point guard by committee, and this will a tough task as once again they face a tough back court match up with the Siler Stars, led by four-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon. The Sparks advantage inside should be very prevalent when it comes to rebounding. Los Angeles led the league at 37.7 rebounds per game during the regular season while San Antonio was next to last at 32.1. Both teams’ rebounding production as dipped during the playoffs, but Los Angeles still has a big advantage at 32-to-24.
Players To Watch:
All eyes will be focused on Los Angeles’ star power in the middle with Parker and Leslie. After scoring only 21 points in the first two playoff games of her career, Parker had 20 to help LA eliminate Seattle. Leslie continues to show why she is one of the best players to ever play the game, averaging 12 points and 9.6 rebounds per game including a pair of double doubles. Forward DeLisha Milton-Jones scored 11 points in each of the first two games with the Storm, but disappeared in game three. Guards Kara Brown and Maria Ferdinand-Harris played well in game one at home, but were no where to be found on the road. They’ll need to step up their production if LA is to advances.
Just as all great players do, Becky Hammon has stepped up her play in the playoffs. She is averaging a playoff-best 19.3 ppg. Right behind her is forward Sophia Young at 19.0 ppg., including a 27-point outing in game three against Sacramento. Her offense may suffer as she’ll have a tough assignment in the post against Parker and Leslie, but given the strength of San Antonio’s back court they might not need her scoring. San Antonio has relied heavily on its starters with the opening five averaging 67.3 of its 79.3 ppg. This could become a big factor of the Silver Stars get into foul trouble.
Prediction:
When a good defensive team doesn’t play defense you’ve got a problem. It would be one thing if San Antonio was facing the best offense in the league, but it wasn’t. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is playing great defense right now. They were also able to go and win on Seattle’s home court against the best defensive team in the league and the Storm had the best record in the league at home. Parker is over her opening playoffs jitters and I see her leading this team into the finals. Los Angeles in three.
Posted by Dan on September 24, 2008
2008 WNBA Playoffs Recap – September 23 – No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks 71, No. 2 Seattle Storm 64
Western Conference
No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks 71, No. 2 Seattle Storm 64
SEATTLE – Not even the best home record in the WNBA could help the Seattle Storm. Rookie Candace Parker reminded Los Angeles fans of another spectacular rookie during the playoffs as she scored 20 points to help the No. 3 Sparks beat the No. 2 Storm, 71-64, in the opening round of the playoffs.
This was the third time the two teams have met in the playoffs with LA winning all three. In 2006 the Sparks won game three on their home court. Los Angeles swept the series in 2002. Seattle has been bounced out of the playoffs in the first round for the fourth year in a row.
The Sparks have won three of the four game three contests in their history, but this was the first time that they prevailed on the road. For the second time in four years Seattle lost a game three on its home court and they have lost all three of the game threes.
The Sparks advance to their second Western Conference Finals in the last three years. They are trying to make their first WNBA Finals since the 2003 seasons.
Los Angles will face the number one seed in the West, the San Antonio Silver Stars with the series starting on Thursday. This will be the first meeting between the two in the playoffs since the Silver Stars moved to San Antonio from Utah.
The home team won all four games of the regular season series. While the series starts in LA, it will shift back to the Lone Star State for the final two games.
Throughout the game Los Angeles kept building its lead. Seattle was only down three after Camille Little hit a pair of free throws with 1:04 left in the half. The Sparks answered with a pair of baskets, including a bucket by Temeka Johnson with seven seconds left, to send the visitors into the locker room up 42-35.
Los Angeles held Seattle to just 10 points in the third quarter to push their margin up to 59-45 with just 10 minutes left. The lead was down to 10, 61-51, at the 5:43 mark when the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Lisa Leslie had to go to the bench with her fifth foul
This allowed Seattle to get back into the game as they went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 61-58 on a pair of baskets by Sue Bird. Another Bird jumper got the Storm back within three, 65-62, but a pair of turnovers on Seattle’s next two possessions forced the Storm to foul. Los Angeles hit all six of its free throws in final 30 seconds and Seattle could only muster a pair of points the rest of the way.
After scoring 21 points in the first two WNBA playoff games of her career, Parker scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. She also grabbed five rebounds and had four assists. Before she fouled out, Leslie had 15 points and seven rebounds. Marie Ferdinand-Harris added 12 points and DeLisha Milton-Jones grabbed a tied for the game high at eight rebounds.
Tanisha Wright had her best playoff game of the series, tying Parker for the game-high with 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Little was next with 17 points and Bird added 16 plus five assists.
Neither team was particularly accurate with the Sparks holding a slim 41.9 percent (26-of-62) to the Storm’s 38.1 percent (24-of-63). The difference was the foul line as Los Angeles made more free throws, 18-of-25, than Seattle took, 13-of-15.
