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| Dates | October 14 – 21 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP |  Tamika Catchings | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Fever: Tamika Catchings (2020) Lynx: Seimone Augustus (2024) Lindsay Whalen (2022) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Indiana defeated Connecticut, 2–1 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Minnesota defeated Los Angeles, 2–0 | |||||||||
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The 2012 WNBA Finals was the series for the 2012 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs.[1] The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Indiana Fever, champions of the Eastern Conference. The Fever defeated the Lynx three games to one becoming only the second Eastern Conference franchise to capture a WNBA title.
The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation. The Lynx held home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (27–7) than the Fever (22–12). The Lynx were defending their 2011 WNBA Championship. The Fever appeared in the 2009 Finals.[2]
| Eastern Conference
|
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Sun y | 25 | 9 | .735 | – | 12–5 | 13–4 | 18–4 |
| Indiana Fever x | 22 | 12 | .647 | 3.0 | 13–4 | 9–8 | 15–7 |
| Atlanta Dream x | 19 | 15 | .559 | 6.0 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 12–10 |
| New York Liberty x | 15 | 19 | .441 | 10.0 | 9–8 | 6–11 | 10–12 |
| Chicago Sky o | 14 | 20 | .412 | 11.0 | 7–10 | 7–10 | 8–14 |
| Washington Mystics o | 5 | 29 | .147 | 20.0 | 4–13 | 1–16 | 3–19 |
| Western Conference
|
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Lynx z | 27 | 7 | .794 | – | 16–1 | 11–6 | 17–5 |
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 24 | 10 | .706 | 3.0 | 16–1 | 8–9 | 15–7 |
| San Antonio Silver Stars x | 21 | 13 | .618 | 6.0 | 12–5 | 9–8 | 14–8 |
| Seattle Storm x | 16 | 18 | .471 | 11.0 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 11–11 |
| Tulsa Shock o | 9 | 25 | .265 | 18.0 | 6–11 | 3–14 | 5–17 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 7 | 27 | .206 | 20.0 | 3–14 | 4–13 | 4–18 |
| Minnesota Lynx | Indiana Fever | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 27–7 (.794) 1st West, 1st overall |
Seeding | 22–12 (.647) 2nd East, 4th overall | |
| Defeated the (4) Seattle Storm, 2–1 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (3) Atlanta Dream, 2–1 | |
| Defeated the (2) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (1) Connecticut Sun, 2–1 | |
The Indiana Fever finished 22–12, good for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Fever lost their first playoff game against the Atlanta Dream, but rallied to win two straight elimination games, setting up a conference final against the Connecticut Sun. Once again, Indiana lost the first game of the series, but rallied to win two straight to reach the finals for the second time in four years.
The Minnesota Lynx finished with the best record in the WNBA for the second straight year, finishing with a 27–7 record. The Lynx were taken to three games by the Seattle Storm, winning Game 3 by one point. The Lynx then swept the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Finals, which gave them a chance to defend their 2011 WNBA title.
The Minnesota Lynx won the season series 2–0:
September 14, 2012 |
| Minnesota Lynx 66, Indiana Fever64 |
September 17, 2012 |
| Indiana Fever 79, Minnesota Lynx86 |
October 14 |
| Indiana Fever 76, Minnesota Lynx 70 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 18–20, 13–18, 20–12 | ||
| Pts: Catchings (20) Rebs: Larkins (15) Asts: January (6) |
Pts: Augustus (23) Rebs: Brunson, Moore (10) Asts: Whalen (4) | |
| Indiana lead series, 1–0 | ||
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN |
October 17 |
| Indiana Fever 71, Minnesota Lynx 83 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–11, 15–20, 22–29, 16–23 | ||
| Pts: Catchings (27) Rebs: Catchings (8) Asts: Phillips (4) |
Pts: Augustus (27) Rebs: Brunson (7) Asts: McWilliams-Franklin, Moore, Whalen (4) | |
| Series tied 1–1 | ||
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN |
October 19 |
| Minnesota Lynx 59, Indiana Fever 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 11–24, 11–25, 21–6 | ||
| Pts: Brunson (12) Rebs: Brunson (9) Asts: Wiggins (3) |
Pts: Zellous (30) Rebs: Larkins (12) Asts: Davenport (4) | |
| Indiana lead series, 2–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
October 21 |
| Minnesota Lynx 78, Indiana Fever87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 24–22, 16–18, 20–24 | ||
| Pts: Whalen (22) Rebs: Augustus (7) Asts: Whalen (8) |
Pts: Catchings (28) Rebs: Larkins (13) Asts: Catchings (8) | |
| Indiana win series, 3–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
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| NBA Finals |
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