WNBA playoffs begin tonight

Detroit opens it’s title defense vs. the Dream tonight. The WNBA Eastern Conference Semifinal series pits the second-seeded Atlanta team against the third-seeded Shock.

The Dream, in just their second year of existence, are making their first-ever appearance in the playoffs after posting an 18-16 record in the regular season, something that was thought to be impossible after they posted just four wins in their entire inaugural campaign.

The 1-2 opening round format, in which the lower seed plays at home first, could be a huge factor here. If veteran-laden Detroit is able to capture the opener at home, where it has won six straight, it could give them the mental edge over an Atlanta team getting a taste of the playoffs for the first time ever as a group.

Some fast facts about the first-round Shock-Dream matchup:

• Detroit snapped a three-game skid to Atlanta in their last meeting on August 27.
• The Shock lead the all-time series, 4-3.
• Atlanta is making its first trip to the playoffs, while Detroit is making its seventh straight and eighth overall.
• Erika de Souza posted three double-doubles vs. Detroit this season.
• Shavonte Zellous averaged 16.8 PPG vs. Atlanta this season.
• Detroit has won three straight opening-round series.

The second match up of the night features Los Angeles vs. Seattle in the Western Conference semifinal. The Sparks have been a thorn in Seattle’s side for years now. L.A. eliminated Seattle in a series that went the distance last season as well as in 2006. And with Tina Thompson now added to the mix, Candace Parker at full strength, Lisa Leslie motivated to win a title in her final season, the Sparks should present problems for the Storm once again in 2009.

Some fast facts about the first-round Storm-Sparks matchup:

• The Storm (74.82) and Sparks (74.50) are 11th and 12th in the league in points per game.
• Leslie has played in just one of the four games against the Storm this season. Parker has played in only two.
• Seattle was the two seed in 2004 when they won their only trophy.
• Lennox was part of that Storm championship team. Only Jackson and Bird remain off that roster.
• Leslie has spent her entire 13-year career with the Sparks. During that time, she’s made seven All-Star appearances and has won two titles.
• Milton-Jones and Leslie are the only two current Sparks from their 2002 championship team. Leslie has remained with the club over the years, while Milton-Jones left three seasons (2005-07) to play in Washington.

Be sure to catch both games tonight on ESPN2!

Sparks’ Candace Parker joins in fun at ESPN

November 20, 2008 – The 30-second spot is called “Dunk.”

Starring in the new spot is Sparks forward Candace Parker — of NCAA title, Olympic gold medal, WNBA rookie of the year and MVP all-in-one-year fame.

Thirty seconds, and with that, Parker joins what is mostly an athletic boys club whose members include ESPN “SportsCenter” anchors, well-known athletes and a furry, fruity collection of college mascots tapped to do the wickedly hilarious, always memorable “SportsCenter” promo spots.

There have been 325 spots since 1995 in what has been a wildly successful advertising series. Of that, only a handful have featured women athletes: Olympics gymnastics medalists Mary Lou Retton and Kerri Strug; college and pro basketball stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi; tennis pro Maria Sharapova; and Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt among them.

The premise of Parker’s spot is that she is in the “SportsCenter” offices, an unassuming female who can dunk a basketball amid a bunch of male sports anchors like Stuart Scott, Brian Kenny, Jay Harris, Scott Van Pelt and Neil Everett who are wannabe slammers.

One of the hippest, funniest and most imitated ad campaigns of the last decade, the long-running “This is SportsCenter” ad campaign portrays the ESPN offices as a playground full of athletes, mascots and other characters rather than a dull newsroom. The mockumentary-style spots perfectly blend sports and pop culture while featuring the good-humored and always deadpan anchors of the show. 

We’re laughing just thinking about the new batch of ads and can’t wait to see Parker in action. Until then, here’s another of our favorite spots -this one features figure skater Michelle Kwan.

WNBA Playoffs: Detroit, N.Y., San Antonio, L.A. advance

September 25, 2008 – This is when it gets fun! Be sure to catch a WNBA game before the season’s over! To get you up to speed….

The Detroit Shock advanced to the WNBA Eastern Conference finals for the third straight year. They’ll face the NY Liberty, the youngest team in the league, tomorrow night in New York.

The Liberty are celebrating their playoff appearance by offering a discount for fans attending the Sept. 26th game against the Detroit Shock. To purchase tickets, click here and be sure to enter the code “STRETCH” during checkout!

In the West, the Los Angeles Sparks advanced with a tight win over Seattle. The Sparks will host the San Antonio Silver Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals tonight. Note if you’re going to the game – it’s at USC’s Galen Center instead of the Staples Center.

The Silver Stars are one step away from the franchise’s first trip to the WNBA finals but to get there,  they’ll have to figure out a way to stop Candace Parker.

Parker is trying to become the first woman to win an NCAA championship, Olympic gold medal and a WNBA title in the same year.

In other WNBA news, Minnesota Lynx guard Candice Wiggins has been named the 2008 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, the league announced today.  A standout in her four years at Stanford, Wiggins was drafted No. 3 overall by the Lynx in the 2008 WNBA Draft. Wiggins made an immediate impact on the Minnesota Lynx as a rookie, helping to propel the team to 16 wins, the second-best total in team history and a six-game improvement on 2007.

Visit wbna.com for the latest playoff news.

Lisa Leslie named 2008 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year

September 19, 2008 – As expected, Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie was named the 2008 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

After sitting out the 2007 season due to the birth of her first child, Leslie returned to the Sparks to drastically improve the team defense from a year ago. The team center led the WNBA in both total blocks (97) and blocks per game (2.94). Leslie, an 11-year veteran,  has consistently been adept at swiping the ball from opponents as she ranks sixth in league history in steals (276).

In other post-season awards, Indiana Fever forward Ebony Hoffman has been named the 2008 WNBA Most Improved Player.

Heading into the season, Hoffman had never scored more than 16 points in a game. In 2008, she scored 20 or more points three times, including a career-high 26 in triple overtime at New York.

What are the awards worth? For the honors, Leslie and Hoffman will each receive a trophy specially designed by Tiffany & Co and $5,000.