2001 WNBA playoffs

The 2001 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2001 season which ended with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Sparks beating the Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Sting, 2–0. Lisa Leslie was named the MVP of the Finals.

2001 WNBA Playoffs

Dates	August 16 – September 1, 2001
Final positions
Champions	Los Angeles Sparks (Finals Champion)
East champion	Charlotte Sting (Coach: Anne Donovan)
West champion	Los Angeles Sparks (Coach: Michael Cooper)
← 2000 2002 →

Regular season standings

Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference	W	L	PCT	Conf.	GB
Cleveland Rockers x	22	10	.688	15–6	–
New York Liberty x	21	11	.656	13–8	1.0
Miami Sol x	20	12	.625	14–7	2.0
Charlotte Sting x	18	14	.563	15–6	4.0
Orlando Miracle o	13	19	.406	9–12	9.0
Indiana Fever o	10	22	.313	7–14	12.0
Detroit Shock o	10	22	.313	7–14	12.0
Washington Mystics o	10	22	.313	4–17	12.0

Western Conference

Western Conference	W	L	PCT	Conf.	GB
Los Angeles Sparks x	28	4	.875	19–2	–
Sacramento Monarchs x	20	12	.625	13–8	8.0
Utah Starzz x	19	13	.594	11–10	9.0
Houston Comets x	19	13	.594	13–8	9.0
Phoenix Mercury o	13	19	.406	8–13	15.0
Minnesota Lynx o	12	20	.375	9–12	16.0
Portland Fire o	11	21	.344	5–16	17.0
Seattle Storm o	10	22	.313	6–15	18.0

Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.

Playoffs

Format

• The top four teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs
• The four teams are seeded based on their regular season standings

Bracket

Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3

Conference Finals Best-of-3

WNBA Finals Best-of-3

E1

Cleveland

1

E4

Charlotte

2

E4

Charlotte

2

Eastern Conference

E2

New York

1

E2

New York

2

E3

Miami

1

E4

Charlotte

0

W1

Los Angeles

2

W1

Los Angeles

2

W4

Houston

0

W1

Los Angeles

2

Western Conference

W2

Sacramento

1

W2

Sacramento

2

W3

Utah

0

• Bold – Series winner
• Italics – Team with home-court advantage

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

Charlotte 2, Cleveland 1

• G1: CHA 53, CLE 46
• G2: CLE 69, CHA 51
• G3: CHA 72, CLE 64

New York 2, Miami 1

• G1: NYL 62, MIA 46
• G2: MIA 53, NYL 50
• G3: NYL 72, MIA 61

Western Conference Semi-Finals

L.A. 2, Houston 0

• G1: LA 64, HOU 59
• G2: LA 70, HOU 58

Sacramento 2, Utah 0

• G1: SAC 89, UTA 65
• G2: SAC 71, UTA 66

Eastern Conference Finals

Charlotte 2, New York 1

• G1: NYL 61, CHA 57
• G2: CHA 62, NYL 53
• G3: CHA 48, NYL 44

Western Conference Finals

L.A. 2, Sacramento 1

• G1: LA 74, SAC 73
• G2: SAC 80, LA 60
• G3: LA 93, SAC 62

WNBA Championship

Main article: 2001 WNBA Championship

August 30

Recap

Los Angeles Sparks 75, Charlotte Sting 66
Scoring by half: 35–39, 40–27
Pts: Lisa Leslie 24 Rebs: Milton, Leslie 8 each Asts: DeLisha Milton 5		Pts: Andrea Stinson 18 Rebs: Allison Feaster 5 Asts: Andrea Stinson 5
Los Angeles leads series, 1–0

Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 16,132 Referees: Melissa Barlow, Gary Zielinski, Michael Price

September 1

Recap

Charlotte Sting 54, Los Angeles Sparks 82
Scoring by half: 30–38, 24–44
Pts: Tammy Sutton-Brown 12 Rebs: Charlotte Smith 8 Asts: Dawn Staley 5		Pts: Lisa Leslie 24 Rebs: Lisa Leslie 13 Asts: Tamecka Dixon 7
Los Angeles wins series, 2–0

Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 13,141 Referees: Patty Broderick, June Courteau, Bob Trammell

^[1]

See also

• List of WNBA Champions

References

1. WNBA.com WNBA Playoffs History: 2001

External links

• Link to WNBA Playoffs series, recap, and boxscores^{[permanent dead link]}