2012 WNBA Finals

Last updated

2012 WNBA Finals
2012 WNBA Finals Logo.jpg
TeamCoachWins
Indiana Fever Lin Dunn 3
Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve 1
DatesOctober 14 – 21
MVP Flag of the United States.svg Tamika Catchings
Hall of Famers Fever:
Tamika Catchings (2020)
Lynx:
Seimone Augustus (2024)
Lindsay Whalen (2022)
Eastern Finals Indiana defeated Connecticut, 2–1
Western Finals Minnesota defeated Los Angeles, 2–0
←  2011 WNBA Finals 2013  →

The 2012 WNBA Finals was the series for the 2012 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. [1] The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Indiana Fever, champions of the Eastern Conference. The Fever defeated the Lynx three games to one becoming only the second Eastern Conference franchise to capture a WNBA title.

Contents

The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation. The Lynx held home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (27–7) than the Fever (22–12). The Lynx were defending their 2011 WNBA Championship. The Fever appeared in the 2009 Finals. [2]

Background

2012 WNBA regular season

Eastern Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Connecticut Sun y259.735–12–513–418–4
Indiana Fever x2212.6473.013–49–815–7
Atlanta Dream x1915.5596.011–68–912–10
New York Liberty x1519.44110.09–86–1110–12
Chicago Sky o1420.41211.07–107–108–14
Washington Mystics o529.14720.04–131–163–19
Western Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Minnesota Lynx z277.794–16–111–617–5
Los Angeles Sparks x2410.7063.016–18–915–7
San Antonio Silver Stars x2113.6186.012–59–814–8
Seattle Storm x1618.47111.010–76–1111–11
Tulsa Shock o925.26518.06–113–145–17
Phoenix Mercury o727.20620.03–144–134–18

2012 WNBA Playoffs

Minnesota LynxIndiana Fever
27–7 (.794)
1st West, 1st overall		 Seeding 22–12 (.647)
2nd East, 4th overall
Defeated the (4) Seattle Storm, 2–1 Conference SemifinalsDefeated the (3) Atlanta Dream, 2–1
Defeated the (2) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 Conference FinalsDefeated the (1) Connecticut Sun, 2–1

Indiana Fever

The Indiana Fever finished 22–12, good for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Fever lost their first playoff game against the Atlanta Dream, but rallied to win two straight elimination games, setting up a conference final against the Connecticut Sun. Once again, Indiana lost the first game of the series, but rallied to win two straight to reach the finals for the second time in four years.

Minnesota Lynx

The Minnesota Lynx finished with the best record in the WNBA for the second straight year, finishing with a 27–7 record. The Lynx were taken to three games by the Seattle Storm, winning Game 3 by one point. The Lynx then swept the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Finals, which gave them a chance to defend their 2011 WNBA title.

Regular-season series

The Minnesota Lynx won the season series 2–0:

Series summary

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

Game 1

October 14
8:00pm ET
Indiana Fever76, Minnesota Lynx 70
Scoring by quarter:25–20, 18–20, 13–18, 20–12
Pts: Catchings (20)
Rebs: Larkins (15)
Asts: January (6)		Pts: Augustus (23)
Rebs: Brunson, Moore (10)
Asts: Whalen (4)
Indiana lead series, 1–0
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 14,322
Referees: Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Tom Mauer

Game 2

October 17
8:00pm ET
Indiana Fever 71, Minnesota Lynx83
Scoring by quarter:18–11, 15–20, 22–29, 16–23
Pts: Catchings (27)
Rebs: Catchings (8)
Asts: Phillips (4)		Pts: Augustus (27)
Rebs: Brunson (7)
Asts: McWilliams-Franklin, Moore, Whalen (4)
Series tied 1–1
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 13,478
Referees: Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan, Brenda Pantoja

Game 3

October 19
8:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 59, Indiana Fever76
Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 11–24, 11–25, 21–6
Pts: Brunson (12)
Rebs: Brunson (9)
Asts: Wiggins (3)		Pts: Zellous (30)
Rebs: Larkins (12)
Asts: Davenport (4)
Indiana lead series, 2–1
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 18,165
Referees: Denise Brooks, Lamont Simpson, Eric Brewton

Game 4

October 21
8:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 78, Indiana Fever 87
Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 24–22, 16–18, 20–24
Pts: Whalen (22)
Rebs: Augustus (7)
Asts: Whalen (8)		Pts: Catchings (28)
Rebs: Larkins (13)
Asts: Catchings (8)
Indiana win series, 3–1
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 15,213
Referees: Sue Blauch, Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan

Rosters

Minnesota Lynx roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
C 1 Flag of the United States.svg Adair, Jessica 6' 4" (1.93m)197 lb (89kg)12-19-1986 George Washington 2
G/F 33 Flag of the United States.svg Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg)04-30-1984 LSU 6
F 32 Flag of the United States.svg Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m)184 lb (83kg)12-11-1981 Georgetown 8
F 6 Flag of the United States.svg Harris, Amber 6' 5" (1.96m)202 lb (92kg)01-16-1988 Xavier 1
F/C 8 Flag of the United States.svg McWilliams-Franklin, Taj 6' 2" (1.88m)195 lb (88kg)08-20-1970 St. Edward's 13
F 23 Flag of the United States.svg Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m)175 lb (79kg)06-11-1989 Connecticut 1
F 14 Flag of the United States.svg Peters, Devereaux 6' 2" (1.88m)170 lb (77kg)10-08-1989 Notre Dame R
G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Thorn, Erin 5' 9" (1.75m)145 lb (66kg)05-19-1981 BYU 9
G 13 Flag of the United States.svg Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m)160 lb (73kg)05-09-1982 Minnesota 8
G 11 Flag of the United States.svg Wiggins, Candice 5' 11" (1.8m)147 lb (67kg)02-14-1987 Stanford 4
G/F 22 Flag of the United States.svg Wright, Monica 5' 10" (1.78m)171 lb (78kg)07-15-1988 Virginia 2
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
Flag of the United States.svg Jim Petersen (Minnesota)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Keith Uzpen (Minnesota State-Mankato)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
Indiana Fever roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F 24 Flag of the United States.svg Catchings, Tamika 6' 1" (1.85m)167 lb (76kg)07-21-1979 Tennessee 10
G/F 11 Flag of the United States.svg Christmas, Karima 6' 0" (1.83m)180 lb (82kg)09-11-1989 Duke 1
C 50 Flag of the United States.svg Davenport, Jessica 6' 5" (1.96m)215 lb (98kg)06-21-1985 Ohio State 5
G/F 23 Flag of the United States.svg Douglas, Katie 6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg)05-07-1979 Purdue 11
F 45 Flag of the United States.svg Goodlett, Sasha 6' 5" (1.96m)239 lb (108kg)08-09-1990 Georgia Tech R
G 20 Flag of the United States.svg January, Briann 5' 8" (1.73m)144 lb (65kg)01-11-1987 Arizona State 3
F 2 Flag of the United States.svg Larkins, Erlana 6' 1" (1.85m)202 lb (92kg)04-02-1986 North Carolina 2
G 13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phillips, Erin 5' 8" (1.73m)165 lb (75kg)05-19-1985 Australia 4
G 32 Flag of the United States.svg Pohlen, Jeanette 6' 0" (1.83m)179 lb (81kg)05-02-1989 Stanford 1
C 8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sutton-Brown, Tammy 6' 4" (1.93m)199 lb (90kg)01-27-1978 Rutgers 11
G 1 Flag of the United States.svg Zellous, Shavonte 5' 10" (1.78m)155 lb (70kg)08-28-1986 Pittsburgh 3
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Lin Dunn (Tennessee-Martin)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Mickie DeMoss (Louisiana Tech)
Flag of the United States.svg Stephanie White (Purdue)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Todd Champlin (Daemen)
Strength and conditioning coach
Flag of the United States.svg Emily Novitsky (Slippery Rock)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

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