L.A. Sparks win second-straight WNBA championship

Jet, Sept 23, 2002

The Los Angeles Sparks are starting to mirror their Staples Center roommates, the L.A. Lakers, after winning the WNBA title, becoming back-to-back league champions.

"Hey, if you're playing for an L.A. team, you're bound to get a championship," Sparks forward DeLisha Milton said. "There is something special about this city. It breeds championships."

The Sparks beat the New York Liberty 69-66 in LA to successfully defend their championship. The Sparks became the second team in league history to go undefeated in the playoffs. Their 6-0 record included sweeps of Seattle, Utah and New York. Houston, the only other team to win a WNBA title, went undefeated twice, in 1997 and 2000.

Sparks star Lisa Leslie scored 17 points in Game 2 and was selected the Most Valuable Player of the Finals for the second year in a row, completing her second-straight sweep of the All-Star and Finals MVP awards.

"This championship was so much harder to win. We had to find different ways to win. We've held our own, we've been strong and it's just an amazing feeling," Leslie said. "It's all about winning. That's all the Sparks want to know is championships."

Coached by Michael Cooper, the Sparks rallied in the second half after squandering a 14-point lead. High scorers Mwadi Mabika had 12 points and rookie Nikki Teasley added 11 points and 11 assists, which tied the assists WNBA record she set in Game 1. Teasley hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining that broke the tie and won the game for the Sparks.