2014 WNBA Finals

Last updated

2014 WNBA finals
TeamCoachWins
Phoenix Mercury Sandy Brondello 3
Chicago Sky Pokey Chatman 0
DatesSeptember 7–12
MVP Flag of the United States.svg Diana Taurasi (Phoenix)
Eastern finals Chicago defeated Indiana, 2–1
Western finals Phoenix defeated Minnesota, 2–1
WNBA finals

The 2014 WNBA Finals was the playoff series for the 2014 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. [1] The Phoenix Mercury, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Chicago Sky, champions of the Eastern Conference.

Contents

The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation. The Mercury held home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (29–5) than the Sky (15–19). The Mercury swept the Sky in three games to win their third title in franchise history.

Both teams would meet again in the 2021 WNBA Finals, but this time the Sky emerged victorious in four games.

Background

2014 WNBA regular season

# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB GP
1y- Atlanta Dream 1915.559-34
2x- Indiana Fever 1618.4713.034
3x-Washington Mystics 1618.4713.034
4x-Chicago Sky 1519.4414.034
5e-New York Liberty 1519.4414.034
6e-Connecticut Sun 1321.3826.034
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB GP
1y-Phoenix Mercury 295.853-34
2x-Minnesota Lynx 259.7354.034
3x-San Antonio Stars 1618.47113.034
4x-Los Angeles Sparks 1618.47113.034
5e-Tulsa Shock 1222.35317.034
6e-Seattle Storm 1222.35317.034

2014 WNBA Playoffs

Phoenix MercuryChicago Sky
29–5 (.853)
1st West, 1st overall
Seeding 15–19 (.441)
4th East, 8th overall
Defeated the (4) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 Conference SemifinalsDefeated the (1) Atlanta Dream, 2–1
Defeated the (2) Minnesota Lynx, 2–1 Conference FinalsDefeated the (2) Indiana Fever, 2–1

Chicago Sky

The Chicago Sky finished 15–19, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Sky defeated the Atlanta Dream in three games, setting up a conference final against the Indiana Fever. Chicago lost the first game of the series, but rallied to win two straight to reach the finals for the first time in franchise history.

Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury finished with the best record in the WNBA, finishing with a 29–5 record. The Mercury swept the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Sparks in the conference semifinals, and defeated the Minnesota Lynx in the Western Conference Finals in three games.

Regular-season series

The Phoenix Mercury won the season series 2–0:

Series summary

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

Game 1

ABC
September 7
3:30pm ET
Chicago Sky 62, Phoenix Mercury 83
Scoring by quarter: 8–15, 12–27, 14–14, 28–27
Pts: Fowles (19)
Rebs: Fowles (11)
Asts: Vandersloot (5)
Pts: Dupree (26)
Rebs: Griner (7)
Asts: Taurasi (11)
Phoenix leads series, 1–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 13,263
Referees:
#31 Amy Bonner
#38 Lamont Simpson
#42 Roy Gulbeyan

Game 2

September 9
9:00pm ET
Chicago Sky 68, Phoenix Mercury 97
Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 22–30, 15–23, 17–23
Pts: Delle Donne (22)
Rebs: Fowles (5)
Asts: Vandersloot (4)
Pts: Griner (19)
Rebs: Taylor (8)
Asts: Taylor (6)
Phoenix leads series, 2–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 13,348
Referees:
#4 Sue Blauch
#18 Kurt Walker
#55 Eric Brewton

Game 3

September 12
8:00pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 87, Chicago Sky 82
Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 23–21, 16–20, 26–19
Pts: Dupree, Taurasi (24)
Rebs: Bonner (9)
Asts: Dupree (6)
Pts: Delle Donne (23)
Rebs: Fowles (8)
Asts: Vandersloot (11)
Phoenix wins series, 3–0
UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL
Attendance: 7,365
Referees:
#9 Denise Brooks
#34 Maj Forsberg
#39 Michael Price

Rosters

Phoenix Mercury roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F 8 Flag of the United States.svg Bass, Mistie 6' 3" (1.91m)189 lb (86kg)12-02-1983 Duke 7
G 23 Flag of the United States.svg Bias, Tiffany 5' 8" (1.73m)133 lb (60kg)05-22-1992 Oklahoma State 5
G/F 24 Flag of the United States.svg Bonner, DeWanna 6' 4" (1.93m)143 lb (65kg)08-21-1987 Auburn 5
F 4 Flag of the United States.svg Dupree, Candice 6' 2" (1.88m)178 lb (81kg)08-16-1984 Temple 8
C 42 Flag of the United States.svg Griner, Brittney 6' 9" (2.06m)205 lb (93kg)10-18-1990 Baylor 1
G 10 Flag of Latvia.svg Jēkabsone-Žogota, Anete 5' 9" (1.75m)167 lb (76kg)08-12-1983 Latvia 2
C 11 Flag of Poland.svg Kobryn, Ewelina 6' 4" (1.93m)210 lb (95kg)05-07-1982 Poland 3
G 14 Flag of the United States.svg Murphy, Eshaya 5' 11" (1.8m)164 lb (74kg)04-15-1985 USC 7
G 31 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phillips, Erin 5' 8" (1.73m)165 lb (75kg)05-19-1985 Australia 6
G 3 Flag of the United States.svg Taurasi, Diana 6' 0" (1.83m)163 lb (74kg)06-11-1982 Connecticut 10
F 13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Taylor, Penny 6' 1" (1.85m)165 lb (75kg)05-24-1981 Australia 12
Head coach
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sandy Brondello (Western Sydney)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Julie Hairgrove (Arizona)
Flag of the United States.svg Todd Troxel (Doane)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Tamara Poole (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Strength and conditioning coach
Pro Advantage Training

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
Chicago Sky roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F 25 Flag of the United States.svg Brandon, Gennifer 6' 2" (1.88m)164 lb (74kg)11-23-1990 California R
F 51 Flag of the United States.svg Breland, Jessica 6' 3" (1.91m)170 lb (77kg)02-23-1988 North Carolina 2
G 0 Flag of the United States.svg Clements, Courtney 6' 0" (1.83m)157 lb (71kg)11-12-1989 San Diego State 1
G/F 11 Flag of the United States.svg Delle Donne, Elena 6' 5" (1.96m)188 lb (85kg)09-05-1989 Delaware 1
G 21 Flag of the United States.svg Faulkner, Jamierra 5' 6" (1.68m)141 lb (64kg)03-09-1992 Southern Miss R
C 34 Flag of the United States.svg Fowles, Sylvia 6' 6" (1.98m)208 lb (94kg)10-06-1985 LSU 6
C 9 Flag of the United States.svg Gatling, Markeisha 6' 5" (1.96m)255 lb (116kg)07-14-1992 NC State R
C 45 Flag of the United States.svg Goodlett, Sasha 6' 5" (1.96m)239 lb (108kg)08-09-1990 Georgia Tech 2
G 10 Flag of the United States.svg Prince, Epiphanny 5' 9" (1.75m)164 lb (74kg)01-11-1988 Rutgers 4
G 14 Flag of the United States.svg Quigley, Allie 5' 10" (1.78m)140 lb (64kg)06-20-1986 DePaul 5
G 22 Flag of the United States.svg Vandersloot, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m)132 lb (60kg)02-08-1989 Gonzaga 3
F 1 Flag of the United States.svg Young, Tamera 6' 2" (1.88m)172 lb (78kg)10-30-1986 James Madison 6
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Pokey Chatman (LSU)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Tree Rollins (Clemson)
Flag of the United States.svg Christie Sides (Louisiana Tech)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Christie Sides (Louisiana Tech)
Strength and conditioning coach
Flag of the United States.svg Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

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References