2002 SPORTS: MORE L.A. CHAMPS SPARKS FOLLOW LAKERS' BACK-TO-BACK.Byline: - Ross Siler With rookie point guard Nikki Teasley Nikki Teasley (born March 22, 1979 in Washington, D.C.) is a basketball player for the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. connecting on a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left, the Sparks won their second consecutive WNBA WNBA Women's National Basketball Association WNBA World Ninepin Bowling Association WNBA Wannabe Nasty Boys Association WNBA Women's National Book Association, Inc. WNBA Warszawski Nurt Basketu Amatorskiego title in the most dramatic of fashion over the New York Liberty The New York Liberty is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in New York City. They are one of the eight original WNBA teams that began to see action in 1997, as well one of the most successful teams in WNBA history. . But the question now is what kind of league they will return to this summer. In the three months since Teasley's shot gave the Sparks a 69-66 victory over the Liberty, the WNBA has watched as the Orlando Miracle and Miami Sol The Miami Sol was a women's Basketball team which joined the Women's National Basketball Association in 2000. They played their games at AmericanAirlines Arena. The team folded after the 2002 season because of financial problems. They were the former sister team to the Miami Heat. both folded and the Utah Starzz relocated to San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. . The future of the Charlotte Sting is equally uncertain after the NBA's Hornets moved to New Orleans. Seven of the WNBA's 16 franchises saw declines in attendance last season and the league maintains that the majority of teams are not making a profit. The league also is working to reach a new collective bargaining agreement The contractual agreement between an employer and a Labor Union that governs wages, hours, and working conditions for employees and which can be enforced against both the employer and the union for failure to comply with its terms. with its players after the current one expired Sept. 15. No matter how many teams remain, though, the Sparks will be the unquestioned favorite to repeat as champions - and to match the Lakers should the latter win a third consecutive league crown. The Sparks will return All-Stars Lisa Leslie, Tamecka Dixon and Mwabi Mabika, as well as Teasley, whom coach Michael Cooper compared to Magic Johnson all season. Cooper, meanwhile, will be entering the final year of his contract. But the former Lakers great has been talking three-peat ever since Teasley's shot sailed in. He did so first at the post-game news conference and again at the victory celebration on Hollywood Boulevard. ``I'm enjoying this one. This is a real sweet one,'' said Cooper, whose team went 6-0 in the 2002 playoffs. ``I want to go on record as saying three times is coming up next year.'' |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion