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Dates | August 24-26 | |||||||||
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MVP | Cynthia Cooper (Houston Comets) | |||||||||
Hall of Famers | Comets: Cynthia Cooper (2010) Sheryl Swoopes (2016) Tina Thompson (2018) Liberty: Becky Hammon (2023) Rebecca Lobo (2017; did not play) Teresa Weatherspoon (2019) Coaches: Van Chancellor (2007) | |||||||||
Eastern Finals | New York defeated Cleveland, 2–1 | |||||||||
Western Finals | Houston defeated Los Angeles, 2–0 | |||||||||
The 2000 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 2000 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Houston Comets, second-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the New York Liberty, first-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to none in a best-of-three series. This was Houston's fourth title.
The Comets made their fourth appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Liberty also made their third Finals appearance.
Going into the series, no other team except the Houston Comets had won a WNBA championship (1997–1999).
The Comets had a 27–5 record (.844), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Liberty (20–12). It did not matter, however, as the Comets swept the Liberty.
Houston Comets | New York Liberty | |
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27–5 (.844) 2nd West, 2nd overall | Regular season | 20–12 (.562) 1st East, 4th overall |
Defeated the (3) Sacramento Monarchs, 2–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (4) Washington Mystics, 2–0 |
Defeated the (1) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) Cleveland Rockers, 2–1 |
The Comets and the Liberty split the regular season series:
May 29 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 21, 2000) |
New York Liberty 68, Houston Comets 84 |
July 23 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 22, 2000) |
Houston Comets 64, New York Liberty 69 |
All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.
August 24 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 23, 2000) |
Houston Comets 59, New York Liberty 52 | ||
Scoring by half:29–22, 30–39 | ||
Pts: Cooper (20) Rebs: Swoopes, Thompson (8) Asts: Cooper (5) | Pts: Phillips (24) Rebs: Phillips (15) Asts: Weatherspoon (5) |
August 26 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 23, 2000) |
New York Liberty 73, Houston Comets 79 (OT) | ||
Scoring by half: 25–27, 39–37 Overtime: 9–15 | ||
Pts: Phillips (20) Rebs: Phillips (7) Asts: Weatherspoon (8) | Pts: Swoopes (31) Rebs: Thompson (8) Asts: Cooper (7) |
2000 Houston Comets Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2000 New York Liberty Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two teams in the WNBA that are undefeated in the WNBA Finals; the Seattle Storm are the other. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and are tied with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm for the most championships of any WNBA franchise. Despite all of their success, the team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 during the height of the Great Recession because new ownership could not be found.
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