Detroit Shock clinch third WNBA title
6/10/2008 16:33
The Detroit Shock completed their WNBA Finals sweep with a 76-60 Game 3
victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars in Michigan yesterday, collecting
their third title in their four trips to the finals overall.
Katie Smith,
Detroit's leading scorer in all three games and a gold medalist in the Beijing
Olympics this summer, capped her finals MVP performance with 18 points and six
rebounds.
After leaving behind in the first half 34-30, host Detroit clawed
back to take the lead with two straight 3-pointer with 2:16 minutes to
go.
Smith scored five straight points to usher in the celebration midway
through the fourth quarter, giving Detroit a 12-point lead. With the crowd of
8,952 already roaring, Smith's next shot was from well behind the 3-point line,
pushing the Shock's lead to 62-47 with five minutes to play.
"We wanted to
come out and play. We felt like today was a Game 5," said Smith.
The Silver
Stars, first-time participants in the WNBA Finals, did not lose a game against
an Eastern Conference team all season, including two victories over the Shock.
But they lost three in a row to Detroit, the first two at home, in the
finals.
After a night of celebrating, Detroit are to date with the new mayor
of Detroit Ken Cockrel, who will honor the team today.
Xinhua
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