| 2003 Detroit Shock season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Bill Laimbeer |
| Arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Attendance | 7,862 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 25–9 (.735) |
| Place | 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Won WNBA Finals |
The 2003 WNBA season was the sixth for the Detroit Shock. The Shock won the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. This season was better known as, "From Worst To First".
| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | Previous Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terris Hightower (C) |  United States | Detroit Shock | (from Duke) |
Cheryl Ford (daughter of NBA great Karl Malone) helped the Detroit Shock win a WNBA Championship in her first season.
| Pick | Player | Nationality | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Cheryl Ford | ||
| 5th | Kara Lawson | ||
| 28th | Syreeta Bromfield |
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Shock x | 25 | 9 | .735 | – | 13–4 | 12–5 | 18–6 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 18 | 16 | .529 | 7.0 | 13–4 | 5–12 | 12–12 |
| Connecticut Sun x | 18 | 16 | .529 | 7.0 | 10–7 | 8–9 | 11–13 |
| Cleveland Rockers x | 17 | 17 | .500 | 8.0 | 11–6 | 6–11 | 13–11 |
| Indiana Fever o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 9.0 | 11–6 | 5–12 | 12–12 |
| New York Liberty o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 9.0 | 11–6 | 5–12 | 11–13 |
| Washington Mystics o | 9 | 25 | .265 | 16.0 | 3–14 | 6–11 | 7–17 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31 | Charlotte | 67-70 | Loss | 0-1 |
| June 5 | Connecticut | 103-89 | Win | 1-1 |
| June 7 | @ San Antonio | 74-55 | Win | 2-1 |
| June 14 | @ Washington | 93-56 | Win | 3-1 |
| June 17 | Los Angeles | 87-78 (OT) | Win | 4-1 |
| June 20 | New York | 88-83 | Win | 5-1 |
| June 22 | @ Connecticut | 82-73 (OT) | Win | 6-1 |
| June 24 | Indiana | 68-60 | Win | 7-1 |
| June 27 | @ New York | 75-69 | Win | 8-1 |
| June 28 | Phoenix | 65-68 | Loss | 8-2 |
| July 1 | San Antonio | 99-88 | Win | 9-2 |
| July 3 | Charlotte | 79-92 | Loss | 9-3 |
| July 6 | @ Indiana | 54-85 | Loss | 9-4 |
| July 8 | Connecticut | 66-50 | Win | 10-4 |
| July 8 | @ Charlotte | 58-65 | Loss | 10-5 |
| July 16 | @ Indiana | 70-68 | Win | 11-5 |
| July 18 | Seattle | 74-61 | Win | 12-5 |
| July 19 | @ Cleveland | 58-57 | Win | 13-5 |
| July 22 | Cleveland | 74-71 | Win | 14-5 |
| July 24 | @ Charlotte | 61-67 | Loss | 14-6 |
| July 27 | Washington | 81-71 | Win | 15-6 |
| July 29 | @ Cleveland | 77-65 | Win | 16-6 |
| Aug 1 | @ New York | 62-60 | Win | 17-6 |
| Aug 2 | Indiana | 78-58 | Win | 18-6 |
| Aug 5 | @ Connecticut | 78-61 | Win | 19-6 |
| Aug 6 | @ Washington | 81-92 | Loss | 19-7 |
| Aug 8 | Houston | 56-66 | Loss | 19-8 |
| Aug 10 | New York | 90-87 (OT) | Win | 20-8 |
| Aug 13 | @ Phoenix | 78-76 | Win | 21-8 |
| Aug 15 | @ Sacramento | 63-75 | Loss | 21-9 |
| Aug 17 | @ Seattle | 95-86 | Win | 22-9 |
| Aug 21 | Cleveland | 71-56 | Win | 23-9 |
| Aug 23 | @ Minnesota | 86-77 (OT) | Win | 24-9 |
| Aug 25 | Washington | 68-60 | Win | 25-9 |
Note: GP= Games played; FG = Field Goals; MIN= Minutes; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points
| Player | GP | MIN | FG | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swin Cash | 33 | 1097 | 195 | 193 | 119 | 43 | 23 | 548 |
| Deanna Nolan | 396 | |||||||
| Cheryl Ford | 344 | |||||||
| Ruth Riley | 327 | |||||||
| Kedra Holland-Corn | 312 | |||||||
| Elaine Powell | 296 | |||||||
| Barbara Farris | 127 | |||||||
| Sheila Lambert | 87 | |||||||
| Ayana Walker | 56 | |||||||
| Tamara Moore | 21 | |||||||
| Astou Ndiaye-Diatta | 20 | |||||||
| Stacey Thomas | 15 | |||||||
| Petra Ujhelyi | 14 | 68 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference Semi | August 29 | @ Cleveland | 76-74 | Win | 1-0 |
| August 31 | vs. Cleveland | 59-66 | Loss | 1-1 | |
| September 2 | vs. Cleveland | 76-74 | Win | 2-1 [2] | |
| Eastern Conference Final | September 5 | @ Connecticut | 73-63 | Win | 1-0 (3-1) |
| September 7 | vs. Connecticut | 79-73 | Win | 2-0 (4-1) [2] | |
| WNBA Finals | September 12 | @ Los Angeles | 63-75 | Loss | 0-1 (4-2) |
| September 14 | Los Angeles | 62-61 | Win | 1-1 (5-2) | |
| September 16 | vs. Los Angeles | 83-78 | Win | 2-1 (6-2) |
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league.
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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.
The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the official sponsor.
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The following are the basketball events of the year 2003 throughout the world.
The 2007 WNBA Season was the Women's National Basketball Association's 11th season. On January 3, 2007 The Charlotte Sting folded. Three months later on April 4, the WNBA held their annual draft in Cleveland, Ohio. Lindsey Harding of Duke University was selected number one by the Phoenix Mercury. The Duke point guard was traded later to the Minnesota Lynx for Tangela Smith. The San Antonio Silver Stars selected Ohio State University center, Jessica Davenport. Davenport was traded to the New York Liberty for Becky Hammon. The season kicked off on May 19, with a rematch of the 2006 WNBA Finals between the Sacramento Monarchs and the Detroit Shock. The Shock defeated the Monarchs 75-68. On July 15 The All Star Game was played at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The Eastern All Stars defeated the Western All Stars 103-99. Detroit Shock center, Cheryl Ford won the MVP of the game. Playing 27 minutes contributing 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Eastern All Stars victory. The 2007 WNBA regular season ended on August 19. Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm was named league MVP. Dan Hughes of the San Antonio Silver Stars was named Coach of the Year. Armintie Price of the Chicago Sky was named Rookie of The Year. The 2007 WNBA season officially ended on September 16 when the Phoenix Mercury won the season WNBA Championship. The Mercury defeated the Detroit Shock 3 games to 2. Mercury guard Cappie Pondexter was named Finals MVP.
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.
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 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 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 2007 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2007 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Phoenix Mercury, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, three games to two in a best-of-five series. This was Phoenix's first ever professional basketball title.
The 2006 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2006 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, second-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Sacramento Monarchs, second-seeded champions of the Western Conference, three games to two in a best-of-five series. This was Detroit's second title.
The 2003 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2003 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, two games to one in a best-of-three series. This was Detroit's first title.
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