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Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Regular season standings  





2 Season award winners  



2.1  League leaders  







3 Playoffs  





4 Coaches  



4.1  Eastern Conference  





4.2  Western Conference  







5 References  





6 External links  














1997 WNBA season






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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


1997 WNBA season
LeagueWomen's National Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationJune 21 - August 30, 1997
Number of games28
Number of teams8
Total attendance1,082,963
TV partner(s)ESPN, NBC, Lifetime
1997 WNBA Draft
Top draft pickUnited States Tina Thompson
Picked byHouston Comets
Regular season
Season MVPUnited States Cynthia Cooper (Houston)
Top scorerC. Cooper (22.2)
Playoffs
Semi-Finals 1 championsHouston Comets
  Semi-Finals 1 runners-upCharlotte Sting
Semi-Finals 2 championsNew York Liberty
  Semi-Finals 2 runners-upPhoenix Mercury
Finals
ChampionsHouston Comets
  Runners-upNew York Liberty
Finals MVPUnited States Cynthia Cooper (Houston)
WNBA seasons

1998 →

The 1997 WNBA Season was the Women's National Basketball Association's inaugural season. It started off with 8 franchises: Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and the Utah Starzz. It featured an inaugural game between the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks lost to the New York Liberty, 67–57. The attendance at the Forum was 14,284.[1] The season ended with the Comets defeating the Liberty in a one-game series 65–51. Cynthia Cooper was named MVP of the game.

Regular season standings

[edit]

Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference W L PCT Conf. GB
Houston Comets x 18 10 .643 6–6
New York Liberty x 17 11 .607 8–4 1.0
Charlotte Sting x 15 13 .536 5–7 3.0
Cleveland Rockers o 15 13 .536 5–7 3.0

Western Conference

Western Conference W L PCT Conf. GB
Phoenix Mercury x 16 12 .571 9–3
Los Angeles Sparks o 14 14 .500 8–4 2.0
Sacramento Monarchs o 10 18 .357 4–8 6.0
Utah Starzz o 7 21 .250 3–9 9.0

Season award winners

[edit]
Award Winner Team
WNBA Finals MVP Award Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Teresa Weatherspoon New York Liberty
WNBA Peak Performer Andrea Congreaves Charlotte Sting
WNBA Peak Performer Haixia Zheng Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Sportsmanship Award Haixia Zheng Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Coach of the Year Award Van Chancellor Houston Comets

League leaders

[edit]

[2]

Playoffs

[edit]

There were only 8 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four. Houston was in the Eastern Conference in 1997 so two Eastern Conference teams matched up in the WNBA Finals.

WNBA Semi-Finals
Single game
WNBA Championship
Single game
      
1Houston 70
4Charlotte 54
1Houston 65
3New York 51
2Phoenix 41
3New York 59

Coaches

[edit]

Eastern Conference

[edit]

Western Conference

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "News Archive".
  • ^ "1997 WNBA Season Summary".
  • [edit]
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1997_WNBA_season&oldid=1225896416"

    Categories: 
    1997 WNBA season
    WNBA seasons
    1997 in American women's basketball
    199697 in American basketball by league
    199798 in American basketball by league
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    Use mdy dates from August 2023
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