The more things change, the more they stay the same. The old cliché still rings true in the WNBA. When all of the dust settled in the 2008 season, it was a familiar team taking home the WNBA championship, as the Detroit Shock swept the San Antonio Silver Stars 3-0 to win their third title in the last six years.
The road to the title was harder than usual for Detroit. They fought through adversity all season long. Whether it be the season-ending injury to emotional leader Cheryl Ford at midseason, the well publicized “brawl” with the Los Angeles Sparks or the rise of several new powers across the league, it wasn’t easy for the Shock. But behind the calming presence of head coach Bill Laimbeer and assistant Rick Mahorn, the Shock overcame it all to win a WNBA title.
Laimbeer and Mahorn know a little bit about winning championships. The two were essential pieces for the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons teams of the 1980s and 90s. Much in thanks to the duo’s toughness and leadership, they won back-to-back titles in Detroit in 1989 and 1990.
The duo now provides those same attributes as coaches in Detroit, where they are both known for their intense coaching styles. Their no-nonsense attitude helped Detroit overcome the loss of Ford. Detroit finished the year at 22-12, best in the East, and then defeated the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty to reach the finals.
San Antonio awaited Detroit in the finals. With Becky Hammon—perhaps the best point guard in the entire league—leading the way, the Silver Stars were the favorites. They finished 24-10 in the regular season and got by a star-studded Los Angeles Sparks team in the semifinals. What made the Silver Stars so good went far beyond. Sophia Young and Ann Wauters gave San Antonio a balanced offensive attack, and they weren’t the least bit intimidated by their finals opponents, having gone 14-0 against the Eastern Conference.
THE RESULTS
San Antonio flexed its muscles early in the first game, leading 18-15 after the first quarter in Game 1. Katie Smith helped bring the Shock back, scoring a rare four-point close to halftime to give Detroit a 42-32 lead.
The Silver Stars wouldn’t go away, riding a 20-6 fourth quarter run to tie the game at 69 with 2:16 to play. With the home crowd going wild and the favorites seemingly taking control, Detroit once again responded. They scored the final eight points of the game to win.
The Shock jumped out to a 25-12 lead after the first quarter in Game 2. The Silver Stars again made a run, closing the gap to 45-44 with 1:46 to go in the third quarter. But the Shock wouldn’t be denied – they held off the Silver Stars for the remainder of the game to emerge with the 69-61 win. Smith was again fantastic, scoring 25 points.
Even after returning home for Game 3, the Shock had to deal with a challenging situation. San Antonio played menacing defense in the first half, taking a 34-30 lead into the break. Detroit rose to the occasion and took the lead after three. Then Smith nailed a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions, giving the Shock a 62-47 lead to seal the deal. Smith’s performance earned her the Finals MVP Award. She averaged 21.7 points per game during the series.
Counting out Detroit was easy this season but it’s safe to say we’ll never do that again. Next year they will have to deal with a host of tough teams, including San Antonio, once again. But if this season was any indication, the Shock will always be in the conversation when it comes to winning it all.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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