Icons of the W, Part 1: This is For Pat
To start off this series, why don't we start with my beloved Sparks? The 2016 Los Angeles Sparks were led by two stars, both first overall picks, in Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike. (who returned to the Sparks this season!) Ogwumike won her 1st and only MVP in 2016, finishing third in the league in scoring with 19.7 PPG, third in the league in rebounding with 9.1 PPG, and first in field goal percentage at .665
On the other side, we have Candace Parker, a 2-time MVP, the second option behind Ogwumike, averaging 15.3 PPG. A very important part of this story that should be known is that Candace Parker came from the University of Tennessee, becoming a 2x NCAA champion under the leadership of legendary Pat Summitt. A coach that was highly impactful to Parker throughout her basketball career, Pat Summitt died after battling Alzheimer’s for five years. On that same night, Candace Parker had 31 PTS and a season-high 13 REB and exclaimed after the Sparks’ victory she would be playing for Summitt “from here on out”.
However, the Sparks did have an X-factor. Chelsea Gray. Now, I know today you may know Gray as a star player on those oh-so prevalent Aces teams, but before all that, she was a backup to another Sparks star, Kristi Toliver. Traded freshly off the Connecticut Sun in 2016, Gray came off the bench playing 33 games and averaging 5.9 PPG. Nonetheless, she would average 17 a night throughout the Sparks’ last five outings. These four players (well, technically three. Sorry Kristi Toliver, you don’t get a positive mention beyond these parentheses) were pivotal to their Finals run.
It wouldn’t be easy to be as dominating as Pat at the professional level. Well, besides one team. The Minnesota Lynx. A star-studded cast of players, including Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Lindsay Whalen, alongside just a solid bench overall. They had won championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015. A fourth one would absolutely cement them as a dynasty. On the other side of the coin, a competitive Western Conference kept the Sparks out of the conversation for a championship for an achingly long time. When L.A. finally broke through, they had finished 28-6 with the second seed. The team at the first seed? Minnesota, also at 28-6. Both of these teams received a bye to the semifinals, where they handily defeated their opponents, coming down to a final between two Western Conference teams.
The Sparks stole Game 1 after Alana Beard, off a pass from Chelsea Gray, made a buzzer-beating jumper. The defending champions Lynx responded with Maya Moore’s 21 points and 12 rebounds helping the Lynx to even up the series. “We were soft, we were feeble.” said Cheryl Reeve, coach of the Minnesota Lynx, after the Sparks won 92-75 in Game 3 to be within a win of a WNBA title. Maya Moore scored 31 points, alongside a great defense, to lead the Lynx to another win. Chelsea Gray scored 20 points off the bench, but it wasn’t enough. The back-and-forth had the finals tied at 2 apiece. Enter Game 5.
This is where all three of our stars come into the spotlight. At the end of the 3rd quarter leading into the beginning of the 4th, Chelsea Gray put up 11 straight points as the Sparks matched the speed of the Lynx, preventing them from going on another one of their signature runs. At the end of her run, the Sparks were up 60-59. At 3:06 in the 4th quarter, the Sparks were up 71-63! It was NOT as easy of a win as you would think it would be, though.
Maya Moore (We’ve been hearing a lot about her in a story where she loses, eh?) hit a 3 to bring it within 4. She then proceeded to assist a Rebekkah Brunson jump shot to bring it within 2. Then, Lindsay Whalen stole the ball from Kristi Toliver and made a fast break layup. The game was tied at 71.
On the next play, Ogwumike hit a jumper. It WAS a shot clock violation, but the referees didn’t review it right away. Violation not counted. Action continues. 73-71. Seimone Augustus answered with another jumper. 73-73. Rebekkah Brunson makes ½ FTs. 73-74. Candace Parker, off a pass from Nneka Ogwumike, makes a 2-point layup. 75-74. Maya Moore’s turnaround jump shot goes in. The Lynx crowd is a deafening roar, eager to see the Los Angeles Sparks fall to achieve the dynasty. 75-76.
With no timeouts remaining, Chelsea Gray goes up the floor. With six seconds left, she decides to shoot. She misses. Ogwumike makes an offensive rebound. Nneka Ogwumike jumps to make a shot… and it’s blocked by Sylvia Fowles. Yet, Ogwumike rebounds it again, and makes a clutch shot. The ball goes in while she falls back to the floor, watching the game-winning points sitting on the court, with 3.1 seconds to go. Lindsay Whalen had to make a heave down halfcourt, and the loud “THUD!” sealed the deal. The Los Angeles Sparks had won the WNBA finals, a score of 77-76. It was their first championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, and is still their most recent title to date. During an interview after
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