2000 WNBA playoffs

2000 WNBA playoffs
Dates	August 11–26, 2000
Final positions
Champions	Houston Comets (Finals Champion)
East champion	New York Liberty (Coach: Richie Adubato)
West champion	Houston Comets (Coach: Van Chancellor)

2000 WNBA playoffs
Dates	August 11–26, 2000
Final positions
Champions	Houston Comets (Finals Champion)
East champion	New York Liberty (Coach: Richie Adubato)
West champion	Houston Comets (Coach: Van Chancellor)
	← 1999 2001 →

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The 2000 WNBA playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2000 season which ended with the Western Conference champion Houston Comets beating the Eastern Conference champion New York Liberty, 2–0. Cynthia Cooper was named the MVP of the Finals.

Regular season standings

Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference	W	L	PCT	Conf.	GB
New York Liberty ^x	20	12	.625	14–7	–
Cleveland Rockers ^x	17	15	.531	13–8	3.0
Orlando Miracle ^x	16	16	.500	13–8	4.0
Washington Mystics ^x	14	18	.438	13–8	6.0
Detroit Shock ^o	14	18	.438	10–11	6.0
Miami Sol ^o	13	19	.406	9–12	7.0
Indiana Fever ^o	9	23	.281	7–14	11.0
Charlotte Sting ^o	8	24	.250	5–16	12.0

Western Conference

Western Conference	W	L	PCT	Conf.	GB
Los Angeles Sparks ^x	28	4	.875	17–4	–
Houston Comets ^x	27	5	.844	17–4	1.0
Sacramento Monarchs ^x	21	11	.656	13–8	7.0
Phoenix Mercury ^x	20	12	.625	11–10	8.0
Utah Starzz ^o	18	14	.563	13–8	10.0
Minnesota Lynx ^o	15	17	.469	5–16	13.0
Portland Fire ^o	10	22	.313	4–17	18.0
Seattle Storm ^o	6	26	.188	4–17	22.0

Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.

Bracket

There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.

Conference semifinals
Best-of-3

Conference finals
Best-of-3

WNBA Finals
Best-of-3

E1

New York

2

E4

Washington

0

E1

New York

2

Eastern Conference

E2

Cleveland

1

E2

Cleveland

2

E3

Orlando

1

E1

New York

0

W2

Houston

2

W1

Los Angeles

2

W4

Phoenix

0

W1

Los Angeles

0

Western Conference

W2

Houston

2

W2

Houston

2

W3

Sacramento

0

Bold – Series winner
Italics – Team with home-court advantage

Conference semifinals

Cleveland Rockers vs. Orlando Miracle

August 11

Recap

Cleveland Rockers 55, Orlando Miracle 62
Scoring by half: 29–28, 26–34
Pts: Merlakia Jones 18 Rebs: Brown, Jones 6 each Asts: Rushia Brown 4		Pts: Taj McWilliams 16 Rebs: Taj McWilliams 10 Asts: Shannon Johnson 5
Orlando leads series, 1–0

TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 6,265
Referees: Sally Bell, Michael Henderson, Barb Smith

August 13

Recap

Orlando Miracle 54, Cleveland Rockers 63
Scoring by half: 15–36, 39–27
Pts: Adrienne Johnson 17 Rebs: Shannon Johnson 9 Asts: Shannon Johnson 7		Pts: Jones, Darling 15 each Rebs: Chasity Melvin 10 Asts: Suzie McConnell-Serio 6
Series tied, 1–1

Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 9,755
Referees: Patty Broderick, Patrick Fraher, Gary Zielinski

August 15

Recap

Orlando Miracle 43, Cleveland Rockers 72
Scoring by half: 21–32, 22–40
Pts: Nykesha Sales 13 Rebs: Taj McWilliams 8 Asts: Dos Santos, McWilliams, S. Johnson, A. Johnson 2 each		Pts: Ann Wauters 12 Rebs: Merlakia Jones 7 Asts: Suzie McConnell-Serio 7
Cleveland wins series, 2–1

Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 9,528
Referees: June Courteau, Bob Trammell, Dennis DeMayo

New York Liberty vs. Washington Mystics

August 12

Recap

New York Liberty 72, Washington Mystics 63
Scoring by half: 40–28, 32–35
Pts: Johnson, Phillips 20 each Rebs: Vickie Johnson 8 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 9		Pts: Vicky Bullett 22 Rebs: Holdsclaw, Bullett 8 each Asts: Nikki McCray 11
New York leads series, 1–0

MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 16,331
Referees: Melissa Barlow, Lisa Mattingly, Bob Trammell

August 14

Recap

Washington Mystics 57, New York Liberty 78
Scoring by half: 25–40, 32–38
Pts: Holdsclaw, Aldridge 12 each Rebs: Markita Aldridge 4 Asts: Markita Aldridge 5		Pts: Becky Hammon 19 Rebs: Tari Phillips 10 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 10
New York wins series, 2–0

Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 15,309
Referees: Dennis DeMayo, Courtney Kirkland, Mark Ayotte

Los Angeles Sparks vs. Phoenix Mercury

August 11

Recap

Los Angeles Sparks 86, Phoenix Mercury 71
Scoring by half: 43–24, 43–47
Pts: Lisa Leslie 20 Rebs: Lisa Leslie 11 Asts: Tamecka Dixon 5		Pts: Brandy Reed 17 Rebs: Lisa Harrison 9 Asts: Brandy Reed 6
Los Angeles leads series, 1–0

America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 6,167
Referees: Jason Phillips, Bill Stokes, Bonita Spence

August 13

Recap

Phoenix Mercury 76, Los Angeles Sparks 101
Scoring by half: 36–42, 40–59
Pts: Harrison, Gillom 16 each Rebs: Michelle Griffiths 6 Asts: Lisa Harrison 5		Pts: Lisa Leslie 29 Rebs: Leslie, Mabika 8 each Asts: Tamecka Dixon 7
Los Angeles wins series, 2–0

Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 9,811
Referees: Michael Price, Teresa Dahlem, Roy Gulbeyan

Houston Comets vs. Sacramento Monarchs

August 12

Recap

Houston Comets 72, Sacramento Monarchs 64
Scoring by half: 35–37, 37–27
Pts: Cynthia Cooper 25 Rebs: Tiffani Johnson 8 Asts: Thompson, Cooper 3 each		Pts: Ruthie Bolton-Holifield 16 Rebs: Yolanda Griffith 14 Asts: Kedra Holland-Corn 5
Houston leads series, 1–0

Arco Arena, Sacramento, California
Attendance: 8,053
Referees: Matthew Boland, June Courteau, Lamont Simpson

August 14

Recap

Sacramento Monarchs 70, Houston Comets 75
Scoring by half: 37–38, 33–37
Pts: Ruthie Bolton-Holifield 23 Rebs: Yolanda Griffith 10 Asts: Ticha Penicheiro 10		Pts: Sheryl Swoopes 27 Rebs: Tina Thompson 14 Asts: Sheryl Swoopes 6
Houston wins series, 2–0

Compaq Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 11,664
Referees: Sally Bell, Derek Collins, Barb Smith

Conference finals

New York Liberty vs. Cleveland Rockers

August 17

Recap

New York Liberty 43, Cleveland Rockers 56
Scoring by half: 21–29, 22–27
Pts: Tari Phillips 11 Rebs: Tari Phillips 6 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 3		Pts: Rushia Brown 18 Rebs: Chasity Melvin 9 Asts: Suzie McConnell-Serio 5
Cleveland leads series, 1–0

Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 11,686
Referees: Lisa Mattingly, Derek Collins, Michael Price

August 20

Recap

Cleveland Rockers 45, New York Liberty 51
Scoring by half: 17–36, 28–15
Pts: Merlakia Jones 18 Rebs: Merlakia Jones 12 Asts: Helen Darling 3		Pts: Becky Hammon 13 Rebs: Tari Phillips 6 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 9
Series tied, 1–1

Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 15,865
Referees: Sally Bell, Courtney Kirkland, Gary Zielinski

August 21

Recap

Cleveland Rockers 67, New York Liberty 81
Scoring by half: 27–46, 40–35
Pts: Jones, McConnell-Serio 13 each Rebs: Chasity Melvin 9 Asts: Helen Darling 4		Pts: Tamika Whitmore 19 Rebs: Sue Wicks 6 Asts: Vickie Johnson 10
New York wins series, 2–1

Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 15,173
Referees: Patty Broderick, Bill Stokes, Jason Phillips

Los Angeles Sparks vs. Houston Comets

August 17

Recap

Los Angeles Sparks 56, Houston Comets 77
Scoring by half: 23–40, 33–37
Pts: Mwadi Mabika 21 Rebs: Lisa Leslie 8 Asts: Milton, Figgs 4 each		Pts: Sheryl Swoopes 22 Rebs: Arcain, Swoopes 6 each Asts: Thompson, Arcain 3 each
Houston leads series, 1–0

Compaq Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 14,597
Referees: Patty Broderick, Melissa Barlow, Jason Phillips

August 20

Recap

Houston Comets 74, Los Angeles Sparks 69
Scoring by half: 40–35, 34–34
Pts: Cynthia Cooper 29 Rebs: Tina Thompson 6 Asts: Sheryl Swoopes 6		Pts: Mwadi Mabika 19 Rebs: Lisa Leslie 14 Asts: Leslie, Figgs 5 each
Houston wins series, 2–0

Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 13,884
Referees: Dennis DeMayo, Teresa Dahlem, Patrick Fraher

WNBA Championship

August 24

Recap

Houston Comets 59, New York Liberty 52
Scoring by half: 29–22, 30–30
Pts: Cynthia Cooper 20 Rebs: Swoopes, Thompson 8 each Asts: Cynthia Cooper 5		Pts: Tari Phillips 24 Rebs: Tari Phillips 15 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 5
Houston leads series, 1–0

Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,563
Referees: Gary Zielinski, Sally Bell, Dennis DeMayo

August 26

Recap

New York Liberty 73, Houston Comets 79 (OT)
Scoring by half: 25–27, 39–37 Overtime: 9–15
Pts: Tari Phillips 20 Rebs: Tari Phillips 7 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 8		Pts: Sheryl Swoopes 31 Rebs: Tina Thompson 8 Asts: Cynthia Cooper 7
Houston wins series, 2–0

Compaq Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,285
Referees: June Courteau, Michael Price, Courtney Kirkland

^[1]

References

^ WNBA.com WNBA Playoffs History: 2000

External links

Link to WNBA Playoffs series, recap, and boxscores^{[permanent dead link]}

The 2000 WNBA playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2000 season which ended with the Western Conference champion Houston Comets beating the Eastern Conference champion New York Liberty, 2–0. Cynthia Cooper was named the MVP of the Finals.

Regular season standings

Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference	W	L	PCT	Conf.	GB
New York Liberty ^x	20	12	.625	14–7	–
Cleveland Rockers ^x	17	15	.531	13–8	3.0
Orlando Miracle ^x	16	16	.500	13–8	4.0
Washington Mystics ^x	14	18	.438	13–8	6.0
Detroit Shock ^o	14	18	.438	10–11	6.0
Miami Sol ^o	13	19	.406	9–12	7.0
Indiana Fever ^o	9	23	.281	7–14	11.0
Charlotte Sting ^o	8	24	.250	5–16	12.0

Western Conference

Western Conference	W	L	PCT	Conf.	GB
Los Angeles Sparks ^x	28	4	.875	17–4	–
Houston Comets ^x	27	5	.844	17–4	1.0
Sacramento Monarchs ^x	21	11	.656	13–8	7.0
Phoenix Mercury ^x	20	12	.625	11–10	8.0
Utah Starzz ^o	18	14	.563	13–8	10.0
Minnesota Lynx ^o	15	17	.469	5–16	13.0
Portland Fire ^o	10	22	.313	4–17	18.0
Seattle Storm ^o	6	26	.188	4–17	22.0

Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.

Bracket

There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.

Conference semifinals
Best-of-3

Conference finals
Best-of-3

WNBA Finals
Best-of-3

E1

New York

2

E4

Washington

0

E1

New York

2

Eastern Conference

E2

Cleveland

1

E2

Cleveland

2

E3

Orlando

1

E1

New York

0

W2

Houston

2

W1

Los Angeles

2

W4

Phoenix

0

W1

Los Angeles

0

Western Conference

W2

Houston

2

W2

Houston

2

W3

Sacramento

0

Bold – Series winner
Italics – Team with home-court advantage