| 2008 Detroit Shock season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Bill Laimbeer |
| Arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Attendance | 9,569 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 22–12 (.647) |
| Place | 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Won WNBA Finals |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Deanna Nolan (15.8) |
| Rebounds | Cheryl Ford (8.7) |
| Assists | Deanna Nolan (4.4) |
The 2008 WNBA season was the 11th for the Detroit Shock, an American women's professional basketball team. The Shock returned to the WNBA Finals for the third consecutive year, winning their second WNBA Championship in three seasons, and their third in six years.
During the Finals, Katie Smith averaged a team high 21.7 points per game to be named WNBA Finals MVP. [1] Similar to Kevin Garnett with the 2008 Boston Celtics, Taj McWilliams-Franklin won her first championship after 10 years in the league. [2]
The following player was lost in the Atlanta Dream expansion draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 (from Atl. via Sea.) | Alexis Hornbuckle |  United States | Tennessee |
| 11 (from SA) | Tasha Humphrey | United States | Georgia | |
| 2 | 18 (from Atl.) | Olayinka Sanni | United States | West Virginia |
| 3 | 42 | Valeriya Berezhynska | United States | Rice |
| Date | Trade | |
|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2008 | To Detroit Shock | To Atlanta Dream |
| LaToya Thomas and the 18th pick in the 2008 WNBA draft | Ivory Latta | |
| February 19, 2008 | To Detroit Shock | To Seattle Storm |
| The 4th pick in the 2008 WNBA draft | Swin Cash | |
| June 22, 2008 | To Detroit Shock | To Minnesota Lynx |
| Eshaya Murphy | LaToya Thomas | |
| August 12, 2008 | To Detroit Shock | To Washington Mystics |
| Taj McWilliams-Franklin | Tasha Humphrey, Eshaya Murphy, and a second-round pick in the 2009 WNBA draft | |
Additions
| Subtractions
|
The Shock season opener resulted in a record-breaking debut for rookie guard Alexis Hornbuckle. Hornbuckle set a Shock record with seven steals to help the Shock beat the Houston Comets on May 17. Deanna Nolan scored a franchise-record 44 points (28 in the fourth quarter and overtime) in a 98-93 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on June 20.
In July, the Detroit Shock signed Nancy Lieberman, the franchise's first head coach and general manager, to a 7-day contract. The 50-year-old Lieberman broke her own record for being the oldest player in the WNBA. [5] Lieberman, a Hall of Famer since 1999, was 39 years old when she played with Phoenix during the league's first year in 1997.
The 50-year-old Lieberman played nine minutes and had two assists. [6] One of the assists included a no-look pass in the closing minutes of the Detroit Shock's 79-61 loss to the Houston Comets on July 24.
Lieberman made an appearance in the Shock's first game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 22 due to the bench-clearing brawl. Five Shock players were suspended and Cheryl Ford suffered a season-ending injury, prompting coach Bill Laimbeer to offer Lieberman the seven-day contract.
| Detroit Shock roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Shock x | 22 | 12 | .647 | – | 14–3 | 8–9 | 16–4 |
| Connecticut Sun x | 21 | 13 | .618 | 1.0 | 13–4 | 8–9 | 13–7 |
| New York Liberty x | 19 | 15 | .559 | 3.0 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 11–9 |
| Indiana Fever x | 17 | 17 | .500 | 5.0 | 11–6 | 6–11 | 12–8 |
| Chicago Sky o | 12 | 22 | .353 | 10.0 | 8–9 | 4–13 | 10–10 |
| Washington Mystics o | 10 | 24 | .294 | 12.0 | 6–11 | 4–13 | 6–14 |
| Atlanta Dream o | 4 | 30 | .118 | 18.0 | 1–16 | 3–14 | 2–18 |
| 2008 Game Log: Postseason | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference Semifinals
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Eastern Conference Finals
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WNBA Finals
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| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
| PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deanna Nolan | 34 | 34 | 33.6 | .465 | .374 | .863 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 15.8 |
| Katie Smith | 34 | 34 | 33.9 | .383 | .360 | .887 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 14.7 |
| Plenette Pierson | 28 | 0 | 23.2 | .457 | .000 | .752 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 11.9 |
| Taj McWilliams-Franklin | 7 | 7 | 26.2 | .422 | 1.000 | .909 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 10.7 |
| Cheryl Ford | 24 | 24 | 26.5 | .481 | .000 | .560 | 8.7 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 10.1 |
| Kara Braxton | 33 | 10 | 17.9 | .415 | .000 | .743 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 8.9 |
| Tasha Humphrey | 22 | 16 | 13.5 | .500 | .385 | .955 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 7.3 |
| Alexis Hornbuckle | 34 | 0 | 22.0 | .354 | .356 | .636 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 5.4 |
| Elaine Powell | 16 | 16 | 19.6 | .490 | .500 | .750 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 3.6 |
| Olayinka Sanni | 31 | 9 | 10.5 | .500 | .000 | .649 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.4 |
| Ashley Shields | 7 | 0 | 6.3 | .364 | .333 | .750 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 3.1 |
| Sheri Sam | 32 | 15 | 14.9 | .309 | .286 | .692 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 2.9 |
| Eshaya Murphy | 13 | 3 | 9.4 | .300 | .263 | .667 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.5 |
| Kelly Schumacher | 7 | 0 | 12.7 | .375 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2.0 |
| Stacey Lovelace | 7 | 2 | 6.3 | .286 | .400 | .667 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| LaToya Thomas | 7 | 0 | 5.7 | .267 | .000 | .000 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 |
| Chrissy Givens | 3 | 0 | 3.3 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Wanisha Smith | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Nancy Lieberman | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deanna Nolan | 9 | 9 | 38.8 | .359 | .341 | .939 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 17.6 |
| Katie Smith | 9 | 9 | 34.3 | .410 | .354 | .758 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 15.3 |
| Taj McWilliams-Franklin | 9 | 9 | 32.6 | .490 | .500 | .864 | 7.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 12.9 |
| Kara Braxton | 9 | 9 | 20.0 | .500 | .000 | .650 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 8.6 |
| Plenette Pierson | 6 | 0 | 17.8 | .474 | .000 | .846 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 7.8 |
| Alexis Hornbuckle | 9 | 0 | 24.4 | .429 | .375 | .750 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 6.3 |
| Elaine Powell | 9 | 9 | 19.0 | .588 | .000 | .818 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| Olayinka Sanni | 9 | 0 | 7.3 | .438 | .000 | .500 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| Kelly Schumacher | 8 | 0 | 11.9 | .438 | .000 | .000 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 |
| Sheri Sam | 6 | 0 | 5.0 | .286 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Ashley Shields | 3 | 0 | 1.3 | .200 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). One of eight original franchises, it was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began.
The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions.
Cheryl Ford is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Detroit Shock, she won the WNBA championship three times.
Eshaya "Shay" Murphy is an American professional basketball player.
The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the first WNBA season with a franchise in Atlanta as the Dream were announced in late 2007.
The WNBA draft is the league's annual process for determining which Women's National Basketball Association teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The 2008 draft was held on April 9.
The 2008 Los Angeles Sparks season was the 12th season for the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks returned to the postseason for the first time since 2006.
The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th and final season for the Houston Comets. The Comets were not able to return to the postseason for the first time since 2006. By season's end, Comets owner Hilton Koch put the franchise up for sale less than two years after he bought it.
The Sparks–Shock brawl was an altercation that occurred in a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks on July 22, 2008, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States. Ray Ratto of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It was in the classic sense, one of those things that occasionally happens when highly competitive people want the same thing and one can’t have it."
The 2006 WNBA season was the ninth for the Detroit Shock. The Shock won the WNBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.
The 2007 WNBA season was the 11th for the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury won their first WNBA championship.
The 2009 Indiana Fever season was their 10th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Fever attempted to advance to the WNBA Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and were successful. The Fever reached their first WNBA Finals, but fell short in 5 games to the Phoenix Mercury.
The 2009 WNBA season is the 12th for the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association in the United States. The Shock attempted to win the WNBA Finals, tying the record for most championships with the Houston Comets (4), but failed in the conference finals. On June 15, 2009, head coach Bill Laimbeer resigned as head coach of the Detroit Shock, due to family reasons and the desire to become an NBA head coach. Though he was unable to secure an NBA head coaching position, ESPN reported on August 30 that Laimbeer was offered, and accepted, an assistant coach position with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the early struggles, the 2008 champion Detroit Shock reached the playoffs for the seventh straight year. It would be the final year in Detroit, as the Shock were purchased by Tulsa Hoops, and new ownership moved the team to Tulsa for 2010.
The 2009 WNBA season is the 12th season for the Washington Mystics franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Mystics reached the playoffs for the first time in three years. They lost to the Indiana Fever in the first round in a sweep.
The 2008 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2008 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, three games to none in a best-of-five series. This was Detroit's third title in six years.
The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; the team moved to Tulsa before the 2010 season. The team was owned by Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC, which is led by Bill Cameron and David Box. On July 20, 2015, Cameron announced that the franchise would move to Arlington, Texas for the 2016 WNBA season, rebranding as the Dallas Wings.
The 2010 WNBA season is the 11th season for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association.
The 2010 WNBA season is the 14th season for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association.
The 2010 WNBA season is the 13th season for the Tulsa Shock franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is their first in Tulsa.
The Dallas Wings are an American professional basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg Bibb is president and CEO. Brad Hilsabeck joined the Dallas Wings ownership group in March 2019 with the acquisition of Mark Yancey’s interest in the Wings.
