1997 New York Liberty season
The 1997 WNBA season was the first season for the New York Liberty.
| 1997 New York Liberty season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Nancy Darsch |
| Arena | Madison Square Garden |
| Attendance | 13,270 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 17–11 (.607) |
| Place | 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Lost WNBA Finals |
Offseason
Initial Player Allocation
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Rebecca Lobo (C/F) |  United States |
New York Liberty | Connecticut |
| 10 | Teresa Weatherspoon (G) | United States |
New York Liberty | Louisiana Tech |
WNBA Draft
| Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|
Regular season
The Liberty's and WNBA's first game was played on June 21, 1997, in Los Angeles. Led by head coach Nancy Darsch, the Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, 67-57. The attendance at the Forum was 14,284.[2] The Liberty began their existence with a three-game road trip, where the Liberty went undefeated. The club came back to New York with a 3-0 record. Their first home game was played in Madison Square Garden. On June 29, 1997, in front of a crowd of 17,780, the Liberty scored their first win at home, defeating Phoenix, 65-57.[2]
- Rebecca Lobo ranked fourth in the WNBA with 1.8 blocks per game, fifth in defensive rebounds with 141, seventh with 939 minutes played, and tenth in the WNBA in offensive rebounds with 62.[3]
Season standings
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets x | 18 | 10 | .643 | 6–6 | – |
| New York Liberty x | 17 | 11 | .607 | 8–4 | 1.0 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
| Cleveland Rockers o | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 | @ Los Angeles | 67-57 | Win | 1-0 |
| June 23 | @ Sacramento | 73-62 | Win | 2-0 |
| June 26 | @ Houston | 62-60 (OT) | Win | 3-0 |
| June 29 | Phoenix | 65-57 | Win | 4-0 |
| July 2 | Houston | 70-67 | Win | 5-0 |
| July 4 | @ Houston | 65-58 | Win | 6-0 |
| July 5 | @ Utah | 66-53 | Win | 7-0 |
| July 7 | @ Phoenix | 50-69 | Loss | 7-1 |
| July 9 | @ Charlotte | 69-87 | Loss | 7-2 |
| July 10 | Charlotte | 62-48 | Win | 8-2 |
| July 14 | @ Cleveland | 68-57 | Win | 9-2 |
| July 15 | Cleveland | 76-59 | Win | 10-2 |
| July 17 | Utah | 80-54 | Win | 11-2 |
| July 19 | Los Angeles | 69-57 | Win | 12-2 |
| July 22 | Utah | 71-78 | Loss | 12-3 |
| July 23 | @ Charlotte | 65-63 | Win | 13-3 |
| July 26 | Charlotte | 61-64 | Loss | 13-4 |
| July 30 | Sacramento | 73-68 (OT) | Win | 14-4 |
| August 2 | Phoenix | 78-70 | Win | 15-4 |
| August 5 | Los Angeles | 50-67 | Loss | 15-5 |
| August 10 | @ Sacramento | 69-76 | Loss | 15-6 |
| August 12 | @ Phoenix | 67-77 | Loss | 15-7 |
| August 15 | Sacramento | 79-63 | Win | 16-7 |
| August 17 | Houston | 55-70 | Loss | 16-8 |
| August 19 | @ Utah | 75-81 | Loss | 16-9 |
| August 20 | @ Los Angeles | 76-78 | Loss | 16-10 |
| August 23 | @ Cleveland | 71-72 | Loss | 16-11 |
| August 24 | Cleveland | 79-72 (OT) | Win | 17-11 |
| August 28 (WNBA Semifinal) | @ Phoenix | 59-41 | Win | 1-0 |
| August 30 (WNBA Championship Game) | @ Houston | 51-65 | Loss | 1-1 |
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- Kym Hampton ranked tenth in the WNBA in total rebounds with 163
- Kym Hampton ranked tenth in the WNBA in blocks with 19.
- Kym Hampton ranked fifth in the WNBA in Field Goal Percentage (.471)
- Rebecca Lobo ranked fourth in the WNBA in blocks with 51.
- Rebecca Lobo ranked fourth in the WNBA in total rebounds with 203.
- Rebecca Lobo ranked eighth in the WNBA in minutes per game with 33.5 minutes per game.
- Sophia Witherspoon ranked seventh in the WNBA in points with 407 points.
- Sophia Witherspoon ranked ninth in the WNBA in field goals with 140.
- Sophia Witherspoon ranked seventh in the WNBA in points per game with 14.5
- Sophia Witherspoon was tied for tenth in the WNBA in steals with 49.
- Teresa Weatherspoon ranked tenth in the WNBA in minutes per game with 33.0 minutes.
Awards and honors
- Rebecca Lobo, Forward, All-WNBA Second Team
- Teresa Weatherspoon, Guard, All-WNBA Second Team
- Teresa Weatherspoon: Led WNBA, Assists, 172
- Teresa Weatherspoon: Led WNBA, Steals, 85
- Teresa Weatherspoon: Led WNBA, Assists per game, 6.1
- Teresa Weatherspoon: Led WNBA, Steals per game, 3.0 [3]
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2008-10-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.wnba.com/liberty/news/history.html
- https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/years/1997.html
- http://www.wnba.com/history/awards_1997.html
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