| Dates | August 28–30, 1997 |
|---|---|
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Houston Comets (Finals Champion) |
| East champion | New York Liberty (Coach: Nancy Darsch) |
| West champion | Houston Comets (Coach: Van Chancellor) |
The 1997 WNBA playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 1997 season which ended with the Houston Comets beating the New York Liberty, 1-0 (65-51). Cynthia Cooper was named the MVP of the Finals. This was the first year of WNBA playoffs.
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 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four. Houston was in the Eastern Conference so two Eastern Conference teams matched up in the WNBA Championship.
| Semifinals single game | WNBA Championship single game | ||||||||
| 1 | Houston | 70 | |||||||
| 4 | Charlotte | 54 | |||||||
| 1 | Houston | 65 | |||||||
| 2 | New York | 51 | |||||||
| 2 | New York | 59 | |||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 41 | |||||||
NBC |
August 28 |
| Charlotte Sting 54, Houston Comets 70 | ||
| Scoring by half: 33–29, 21–41 | ||
| Pts: Congreaves, Mapp 12 each Rebs: Vicky Bullett 9 Asts: Rhonda Mapp 5 | Pts: Cynthia Cooper 31 Rebs: Tina Thompson 12 Asts: Cynthia Cooper 5 | |
ESPN/Lifetime |
August 28 |
| New York Liberty 59, Phoenix Mercury 41 | ||
| Scoring by half: 23–18, 36–23 | ||
| Pts: Rebecca Lobo 16 Rebs: Kym Hampton 14 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 5 | Pts: Gillom, Askamp 9 each Rebs: Jennifer Gillom 7 Asts: Webb, Pettis 2 each | |
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 16,751 Referees: Bob Trammel, June Courteau, Violet Palmer |
August 30 |
| New York Liberty 51, Houston Comets 65 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–28, 27–37 | ||
| Pts: Kym Hampton 13 Rebs: Kym Hampton 13 Asts: Teresa Weatherspoon 5 | Pts: Cynthia Cooper 25 Rebs: Tammy Jackson 11 Asts: Cynthia Cooper 4 | |