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| Dates | August 30-September 1 | |||||||||
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| MVP | Lisa Leslie(Los Angeles Sparks) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Sparks: Lisa Leslie (2015) Sting: Dawn Staley (2013) Coaches: Michael Cooper (2024, player) Anne Donovan (1995, player) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Charlotte defeatedNew York, 2–1 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Los Angeles defeatedSacramento, 2–1 | |||||||||
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The2001 WNBA Championship was the championshipseries of the2001 WNBA season, and the conclusion ofthe season's playoffs. TheLos Angeles Sparks, top-seeded champions of theWestern Conference, defeated theCharlotte Sting, fourth-seeded champions of theEastern Conference, two games to none in a best-of-three series. This was Los Angeles' first title.
The Sparks made their first appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Sting also made their first Finals appearance.
Going into the series, no other team except theHouston Comets had ever won a WNBA championship (1997-2000).
The Sparks had a 28–4 record (.875), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Sting (18–14). It did not matter, however, as the Sparks swept the Sting.
| Los Angeles Sparks | Charlotte Sting | |
|---|---|---|
| 28–4 (.875) 1st West, 1st overall | Regular season | 18–14 (.562) 4th East, 8th overall |
| Defeated the (4)Houston Comets, 2–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (1)Cleveland Rockers, 2–1 |
| Defeated the (2)Sacramento Monarchs, 2–1 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2)New York Liberty, 2–1 |
The Sparks won the regular season series:
June 2 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived October 6, 2001) |
| Los Angeles Sparks 76,Charlotte Sting 67 |
June 19 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived December 14, 2001) |
| Charlotte Sting 69,Los Angeles Sparks 73 |
All times listed below areEastern Daylight Time.
August 30 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived October 6, 2001) |
| Los Angeles Sparks75,Charlotte Sting 66 | ||
| Scoring by half: 35–39, 40–27 | ||
| Pts:Leslie (24) Rebs:Leslie,Milton (8) Asts:Milton (5) | Pts:Stinson (18) Rebs:Feaster (5) Asts:Stinson (5) | |
| L.A Sparks leads series, 1–0 | ||
September 1 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived October 31, 2001) |
| Charlotte Sting 54,Los Angeles Sparks82 | ||
| Scoring by half: 30–38, 24–44 | ||
| Pts:Sutton-Brown (12) Rebs:Smith (8) Asts:Staley (5) | Pts:Leslie (24) Rebs:Leslie (13) Asts:Dixon (7) | |
| L.A Sparks wins WNBA Finals, 2–0 | ||
| 2001Los Angeles Sparks Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2001Charlotte Sting Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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