The 2002 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2002 WNBA season

2002 WNBA season

-External links:***...

, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs

WNBA Playoffs

The WNBA Playoffs is a best-of-three elimination tournament between eight teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association , ultimately deciding the final two teams who will play in the WNBA Finals....

. The Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference

Western Conference (WNBA)

The Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Western Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Eastern Conference...

, defeated the New York Liberty

New York Liberty

The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference (WNBA)

The Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Eastern Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Western Conference...

, two games to none in a best-of-three series. This was Los Angeles' second title.

The Liberty made their fourth appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Sparks made their second straight Finals appearance.

Going into the series, the Sparks had won one WNBA championship (2001

2001 WNBA Championship

The 2001 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 2001 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Los Angeles Sparks, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Charlotte Sting, fourth-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to none in...

). The Houston Comets

Houston Comets

The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...

 hold the record with four championships won.

The Sparks had a 25-7 record (.781), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Liberty (18-14).

Road to the finals

Los Angeles Sparks		New York Liberty
25–7 (.781) 1st West, 1st overall	Regular season 2002 WNBA season -External links:***...	18–14 (.562) 1st East, 4th overall
Defeated the (4) Seattle Storm Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began... , 2–0	Conference Semifinals	Defeated the (4) Indiana Fever Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever is a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began... , 2–1
Defeated the (3) Utah Starzz Utah Starzz The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams. The Starzz relocated, in 2003, to San Antonio, Texas where the team became the San Antonio Silver Stars... , 2–0	Conference Finals	Defeated the (3) Washington Mystics Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'... , 2–1

Regular season series

The teams split the regular season series:

Game 1

Game 2

Nikki Teasley hit a series-winning three pointer with 02.1 seconds left. Teresa Weatherspoon tried to repeat history by trying to make a halfcout heave at the buzzer, but the shot was blocked and the Sparks win their second consecutive title.

Awards

• 2002 WNBA Champion: Los Angeles Sparks
  Los Angeles Sparks
  The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
  
  
• Finals MVP: Lisa Leslie
  Lisa Leslie
  Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...
  
  

Rosters

{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #5c2f83; color: #FFC322; text-align: center;" | 2002 Los Angeles Sparks Finals roster
|- style="background-color: #FFC322;color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Height !! Weight !!class="unsortable"| !! From
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{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #0047AB; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;" | 2002 New York Liberty Finals roster
|- style="background-color: #66CDAA;color: #FF4500; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Height !! Weight !!class="unsortable"| !! From
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External links