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| Dates | September 2-5 | |||||||||
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| 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 defeatedCharlotte, 2–1 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Houston defeatedLos Angeles, 2–0 | |||||||||
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The1999 WNBA Championship was the championshipseries of the1999 WNBA season, and the conclusion ofthe season's playoffs. TheHouston Comets, top-seeded champions of theWestern Conference, defeated theNew York Liberty, top-seeded champions of theEastern 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 and1998).
The Comets had a 26–6 record (.813), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Liberty (18–14).
| 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 |
The Comets and the Liberty split the regular season series:
All times listed below areEastern Daylight Time.
September 2 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived April 22, 2001) |
| Houston Comets73,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) | |
September 4 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived April 22, 2001) |
| New York Liberty68,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 toTeresa 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.
September 5 |
Recap at theWayback Machine (archived September 18, 2000) |
| New York Liberty 47,Houston Comets59 | ||
| 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) | |
| 1999Houston Comets Finals roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1999New York Liberty Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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