1999 WNBA Championship
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| Dates | September 2-5 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Cynthia Cooper (Houston Comets) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Comets: Cynthia Cooper (2010) Sheryl Swoopes (2016) Tina Thompson (2018) Liberty: Becky Hammon (2023) Rebecca Lobo (2017; did not play) Teresa Weatherspoon (2019) Coaches: Van Chancellor (2007) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | New York defeated Charlotte, 2–1 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Houston defeated Los Angeles, 2–0 | |||||||||
The 1999 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 1999 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Houston Comets, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the New York Liberty, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to one in a best-of-three series. This was Houston's third title.[1]
The Comets made their third appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Liberty made their second Finals appearance.
Going into the series, no other team except the Houston Comets had ever won a WNBA championship (1997 and 1998).
The Comets had a 26–6 record (.813), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Liberty (18–14).
Road to the finals
| Houston Comets | New York Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| 26–6 (.813) 1st West, 1st overall |
Regular season | 18–14 (.563) 1st East, 4th overall |
| Received a bye | Conference Semifinals | Received a bye |
| Defeated the (2) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–1 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (3) Charlotte Sting, 2–1 |
Regular season series
The Comets and the Liberty split the regular season series:
July 3
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Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived August 24, 1999)
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| New York Liberty 50, Houston Comets 65 |
August 8
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Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 5, 2001)
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| Houston Comets 71, New York Liberty 74 |
Game summaries
All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.
Game 1
September 2
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Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived April 22, 2001)
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| Houston Comets 73, New York Liberty 60 | ||
| Scoring by half: 29–20, 44–40 | ||
| Pts: Cooper (29) Rebs: Thompson (7) Asts: Cooper (6) |
Pts: Witherspoon (18) Rebs: Wicks (11) Asts: Weatherspoon (10) | |
Game 2
September 4
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Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived April 22, 2001)
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| New York Liberty 68, Houston Comets 67 | ||
| Scoring by half: 23–37, 45–30 | ||
| Pts: Robinson (20) Rebs: Hampton (9) Asts: Weatherspoon (5) |
Pts: Thompson (16) Rebs: Swoopes, Tzekova (6) Asts: Cooper (6) | |
With Houston leading 67–65 over New York and the Liberty out of timeouts with only 2.4 seconds remaining on the clock after Tina Thompson's jumper, New York would have to go the length of the court if they had any hope of winning. Kym Hampton inbounded the ball to Teresa Weatherspoon who took a couple dribbles and let the ball fly 50 feet away from the basket. To the awe and ire of the Houston fans, the ball smacked off the backboard and banked into the basket and the Liberty won the game 68–67. The lasting image of this moment is Weatherspoon falling over on the ground smiling as her teammates mob her from the bench.
Game 3
September 5
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Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived September 18, 2000)
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| New York Liberty 47, Houston Comets 59 | ||
| Scoring by half: 25–33, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: Wicks (11) Rebs: Wicks (9) Asts: Robinson (3) |
Pts: Cooper (24) Rebs: Jackson (11) Asts: Henning (2) | |
Awards
- 1999 WNBA champion: Houston Comets
- Finals MVP: Cynthia Cooper
Rosters
| 1999 Houston Comets Finals roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1999 New York Liberty Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
- ^ Thompson, Jack (May 30, 2000). "WNBA Champs Pick Up Where They Left Off". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest 418997955. Retrieved August 22, 2024.