It was more a coronation than a simple women's basketball game.
Lisa Leslie dominated.
Lakers Shaquille O'Neal and Derek Fisher sat courtside.
And the Sparks claimed their fourth straight WNBA Western Conference regular-season title.
In her fourth game back since being injured, Leslie looked in midseason form Saturday night, scoring a season-high 31 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Sparks to their fourth consecutive victory with an 83-70 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars in front of 10,150 at Staples Center.
The Sparks needed either a win or a Houston Comets loss to clinch the Western title. They got both.
"It's very special to win the conference, but I think it's hard to celebrate about it because we're not done with what our major goal is to win a championship,' Leslie said. "It's great, and we have pride in it. But we have no banner saying we're conference champs because we want the championship banner.'
As the No. 1 Western Conference seed, the Sparks will play the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs. The best-of-3 series will start either Thursday or Friday in Minnesota. The date will be set Tuesday.
Minnesota has not beaten the Sparks since the first time the teams met in 1999. The Sparks defeated the Lynx four times this season.
Although it may be the custom for teams not to look past their next game or first round of the playoffs, it sounded as if Sparks coach Michael Cooper were already thinking about the WNBA Finals.
Unlike the last two seasons in which the Sparks won WNBA championships, the Sparks may have to win this one on the road. The Detroit Shock have the league's top record, and if both teams advance, L.A. would have to win the title in Detroit.
"Championships are won on the road,' Cooper said. "If we have to win it on the road, that's what we'll have to do.'
On Saturday night, the Sparks won without a lot of drama. The closest San Antonio came in the second half was to trail 66-57 with 6:24 left. The Sparks then called timeout and pulled away, going on a 9-1 run to take a 75-58 lead with 2:32 left.
"I thought that was an excellent game we played,' Cooper said. "It was kind of a little bit dull. But it was a workmanlike, workwomanlike type of game for us.'
Leslie missed her career-high 32 points by one point. Mwadi Mabika added 16 points, and Nikki Teasley had 13 points for the Sparks.
San Antonio's 7-foot-2 center Margo Dydek tied a career high with 27 points.
"This has been the year of adversity, more than we ever experienced,' Leslie said. "It's taken a lot, and sometimes, it's been very draining. It hasn't been easy, but to get a championship would make it so much sweeter.'
SPARKS NOTES: The Sparks signed Lynn Pride to replace Rhonda Mapp, who became the first player in the WNBA expelled for violating its drug policy.
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21475~1588840,00.html
Lisa Leslie dominated.
Lakers Shaquille O'Neal and Derek Fisher sat courtside.
And the Sparks claimed their fourth straight WNBA Western Conference regular-season title.
In her fourth game back since being injured, Leslie looked in midseason form Saturday night, scoring a season-high 31 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Sparks to their fourth consecutive victory with an 83-70 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars in front of 10,150 at Staples Center.
The Sparks needed either a win or a Houston Comets loss to clinch the Western title. They got both.
"It's very special to win the conference, but I think it's hard to celebrate about it because we're not done with what our major goal is to win a championship,' Leslie said. "It's great, and we have pride in it. But we have no banner saying we're conference champs because we want the championship banner.'
As the No. 1 Western Conference seed, the Sparks will play the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs. The best-of-3 series will start either Thursday or Friday in Minnesota. The date will be set Tuesday.
Minnesota has not beaten the Sparks since the first time the teams met in 1999. The Sparks defeated the Lynx four times this season.
Although it may be the custom for teams not to look past their next game or first round of the playoffs, it sounded as if Sparks coach Michael Cooper were already thinking about the WNBA Finals.
Unlike the last two seasons in which the Sparks won WNBA championships, the Sparks may have to win this one on the road. The Detroit Shock have the league's top record, and if both teams advance, L.A. would have to win the title in Detroit.
"Championships are won on the road,' Cooper said. "If we have to win it on the road, that's what we'll have to do.'
On Saturday night, the Sparks won without a lot of drama. The closest San Antonio came in the second half was to trail 66-57 with 6:24 left. The Sparks then called timeout and pulled away, going on a 9-1 run to take a 75-58 lead with 2:32 left.
"I thought that was an excellent game we played,' Cooper said. "It was kind of a little bit dull. But it was a workmanlike, workwomanlike type of game for us.'
Leslie missed her career-high 32 points by one point. Mwadi Mabika added 16 points, and Nikki Teasley had 13 points for the Sparks.
San Antonio's 7-foot-2 center Margo Dydek tied a career high with 27 points.
"This has been the year of adversity, more than we ever experienced,' Leslie said. "It's taken a lot, and sometimes, it's been very draining. It hasn't been easy, but to get a championship would make it so much sweeter.'
SPARKS NOTES: The Sparks signed Lynn Pride to replace Rhonda Mapp, who became the first player in the WNBA expelled for violating its drug policy.
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21475~1588840,00.html
