1997_WNBA_season Knowpia

1997 WNBA season
1997 WNBA season
League	Women's National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	June 21 - August 30, 1997
Number of games	28
Number of teams	8
Total attendance	1,082,963
TV partner(s)	ESPN, NBC, Lifetime
1997 WNBA Draft
Top draft pick	Tina Thompson
Picked by	Houston Comets
Regular season
Season MVP	Cynthia Cooper (Houston)
Top scorer	C. Cooper (22.2)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Houston Comets, New York Liberty
Eastern runners-up	Charlotte Sting
Western champions	none due to setup
Western runners-up	Phoenix Mercury
Finals
Champions	Houston Comets
Runners-up	New York Liberty
Finals MVP	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

Chantel Tremitiere: Sacramento Monarchs, Minutes Played 1051
Cynthia Cooper: Houston Comets, Field Goals 191
Wendy Palmer: Utah Starzz, Field Goal Attempts, 420
Haixia Zheng: Los Angeles Sparks, Field Goal Percentage, .618
Cynthia Cooper: Houston Comets, 3-Pt Field Goals, 67
Ruthie Bolton: Sacramento Monarchs, 3-Pt Field Goal Attempts, 192
Eva Nemcova: Cleveland Rockers, 3-Pt Field Goal Percentage, .435
Cynthia Cooper: Houston Comets, Free Throws, 172
Cynthia Cooper: Houston Comets, Free Throw Attempts, 199
Bridget Pettis: Phoenix Mercury, Free Throw Percentage, .898
Latasha Byears: Sacramento Monarchs, Offensive Rebounds, 87
Lisa Leslie: Los Angeles Sparks, Defensive Rebounds, 203
Lisa Leslie: Los Angeles Sparks, Total Rebounds, 266
Teresa Weatherspoon: New York Liberty, Assists, 172
Teresa Weatherspoon: New York Liberty, Steals, 85
Elena Baranova: Utah Starzz, Blocks, 63
Chantel Tremitiere: Sacramento Monarchs, Turnovers, 122
Isabelle Fijalkowski: Cleveland Rockers, Personal Fouls, 129
Cynthia Cooper: Houston Comets, Points, 621
Chantel Tremitiere: Sacramento Monarchs, Minutes per game, 37.5
Cynthia Cooper: Houston Comets, Points per game, 22.2
Lisa Leslie: Los Angeles Sparks, Rebounds per game, 9.5
Teresa Weatherspoon: New York Liberty, Assists per game, 6.1
Teresa Weatherspoon: New York Liberty, Steals per game, 3.0
Elena Baranova: Utah Starzz, Blocks per game, 2.2

^[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.