SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Detroit's step toward matching the WNBA dominance of the Houston Comets could come at the expense of another team from Texas.
Detroit's pursuit of a third title begins today in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the San Antonio Silver Stars. The Shock already share a couple of distinctions with the Comets — four trips to the finals overall and streaks of three straight appearances in the league's 11-year history. Houston won the first four league championships from 1997-2000.
"We're where we expected to be — in the finals," Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said. "That's who we are. That's all we talk about. Anything else is a lost season for us."
That's not quite the standard for the Silver Stars, who were 1.3 seconds away from elimination in the Western Conference finals against Los Angeles. Down 1-0 in the series and 66-65 in Game 2, San Antonio forced a deciding game on Sophia Young's 14-foot turnaround shot at the buzzer. The Silver Stars won the series a day later.
"Although it was a good series against the Los Angeles Sparks, it's over," said Young, who won a national championship at Baylor. "Detroit is a completely different team, and you have to have a completely different approach to this team."