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| Dates | August 30 | |||||||||
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| MVP | Cynthia Cooper (Houston Comets) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Comets: Cynthia Cooper (2010) Sheryl Swoopes (2016) Tina Thompson (2018) Liberty: Rebecca Lobo (2017) Teresa Weatherspoon (2019) Coaches: Van Chancellor (2007) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | New York defeatedPhoenix 59-41 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Houston defeatedCharlotte 70-54 | |||||||||
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The1997 WNBA Championship was the championshipgame of the1997 WNBA season, and the conclusion ofthe season's playoffs. TheHouston Comets, top-seeded team of the league, defeated theNew York Liberty, second-seeded team, 65-51 to win the league's inaugural championship.
The Comets' 18–10 record gave themhome court advantage over New York (17–11).
For the playoffs, the top four teams overall in the league were seeded one to four. Top seed Houston played the four seed Charlotte and the two seed New York played number three Phoenix.
| Houston Comets | New York Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| 18–10 (.643) 1st East, 1st overall | Regular season | 17–11 (.607) 2nd East, 2nd overall |
| Defeated the (4)Charlotte Sting, 70-54 | WNBA Semifinals | Defeated the (3)Phoenix Mercury, 59-41 |
TheLiberty won 3 of the 4 games in the regular season series:
June 26 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived February 8, 1998) |
| New York Liberty 62,Houston Comets 60 (OT) |
August 17 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived February 8, 1998) |
| Houston Comets 70,New York Liberty 55 |
Time listed below isEastern Daylight Time.
August 30 7:00pm |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived February 8, 1998) |
| New York Liberty 51,Houston Comets65 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–28, 27–37 | ||
| Pts:Hampton (13) Rebs:Hampton (13) Asts:Weatherspoon (5) | Pts:Cooper (25) Rebs:Jackson (11) Asts:Cooper (4) | |
TheHouston Comets became the first WNBA champions, riding the unstoppableCynthia Cooper and a suffocating defense to a 65–51 victory over theNew York Liberty.
Cooper, the fledgling league's leading scorer who was namedMost Valuable Player earlier in the week, scored 14 of her 25 points in the pivotal second half, when the Comets had a 10–0 burst and held the Liberty scoreless for nearly 6½ minutes.Tina Thompson added 18 points for the Comets, who turned Houston into "Clutch City" again. The city adopted that nickname during the two-year championship reign of theNBA'sHouston Rockets.
Cooper also was namedFinals MVP as the sellout crowd of 16,285 saw the Comets come up with their best defensive effort of the season.
Kym Hampton had 13 points and 13 rebounds andVickie Johnson added 12 points for the Liberty, who picked a bad time for one of their worst offensive displays. A meaningless basket with three seconds remaining byRebecca Lobo—who was limited to nine points—allowed New York to avoid its lowest point total of the season.
Houston, which edged New York for theEastern Conference title and knocked offCharlotte in the semifinals, finished the regular season 18–10. The Liberty, who advanced with a semifinal win atPhoenix, were 17–11.
| 1997Houston Comets Finals roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1997New York Liberty Finals roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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