2012 WNBA Finals

2012 WNBA Finals

Team	Coach	Wins
Minnesota Lynx	Cheryl Reeve	1
Indiana Fever	Lin Dunn	3

Dates:

October 14 – 21

MVP:

Tamika Catchings

Television:

ESPN, ESPN2 (HD)

Announcers:

Terry Gannon (2–4), Rebecca Lobo (all), Holly Rowe (all), Pam Ward (1)

Referees:

Game 1: Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Tom Mauer

Game 2: Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan, Brenda Pantoja

Game 3: Denise Brooks, Lamont Simpson, Eric Brewton

Game 4: Sue Blauch, Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan

East Finals:

Indiana defeated Connecticut, 2–1

West Finals:

Minnesota defeated Los Angeles, 2–0

WNBA Finals
← 2011	2013 →

The 2012 WNBA Finals was the series for the 2012 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs.^[1] The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Indiana Fever, champions of the Eastern Conference. The Fever defeated the Lynx three games to one becoming only the second Eastern Conference franchise to capture a WNBA title.

The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation. The Lynx held home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (27–7) than the Fever (22–12). The Lynx were defending their 2011 WNBA Championship. The Fever appeared in the 2009 Finals.^[2]

Background

2012 WNBA Regular Season

Main article: 2012 WNBA season

Eastern Conference	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Conf.
Connecticut Sun ^y	25	9	.735	–	12–5	13–4	18–4
Indiana Fever ^x	22	12	.647	3.0	13–4	9–8	15–7
Atlanta Dream ^x	19	15	.559	6.0	11–6	8–9	12–10
New York Liberty ^x	15	19	.441	10.0	9–8	6–11	10–12
Chicago Sky ^o	14	20	.412	11.0	7–10	7–10	8–14
Washington Mystics ^o	5	29	.147	20.0	4–13	1–16	3–19

Western Conference	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Conf.
Minnesota Lynx ^z	27	7	.794	–	16–1	11–6	17–5
Los Angeles Sparks ^x	24	10	.706	3.0	16–1	8–9	15–7
San Antonio Silver Stars ^x	21	13	.618	6.0	12–5	9–8	14–8
Seattle Storm ^x	16	18	.471	11.0	10–7	6–11	11–11
Tulsa Shock ^o	9	25	.265	18.0	6–11	3–14	5–17
Phoenix Mercury ^o	7	27	.206	20.0	3–14	4–13	4–18

2012 WNBA Playoffs

Main article: 2012 WNBA Playoffs

Minnesota Lynx
27–7 (.794) 1st West, 1st overall	Seeding	22–12 (.647) 2nd East, 4th overall
Defeated the (4) Seattle Storm, 2–1	Conference Semifinals	Defeated the (3) Atlanta Dream, 2–1
Defeated the (2) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0	Conference Finals	Defeated the (1) Connecticut Sun, 2–1

Indiana Fever

Main article: 2012 Indiana Fever season

The Indiana Fever finished 22–12, good for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Fever lost their first playoff game against the Atlanta Dream, but rallied to win two straight elimination games, setting up a conference final against the Connecticut Sun. Once again, Indiana lost the first game of the series, but rallied to win two straight to reach the finals for the second time in four years.

Minnesota Lynx

Main article: 2012 Minnesota Lynx season

The Minnesota Lynx finished with the best record in the WNBA for the second straight year, finishing with a 27–7 record. The Lynx were taken to three games by the Seattle Storm, winning Game 3 by one point. The Lynx then swept the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Finals, which gave them a chance to defend their 2011 WNBA title.

Regular-season series

The Minnesota Lynx won the season series 2–0:

September 14, 2012

Report

Minnesota Lynx 66, Indiana Fever 64

Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

September 17, 2012

Report

Indiana Fever 79, Minnesota Lynx 86

Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

Series summary

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

Game 1

ESPN2

October 14
8:00pm ET

Recap

Indiana Fever 76, Minnesota Lynx 70
Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 18–20, 13–18, 20–12
Pts: Catchings (20) Rebs: Larkins (15) Asts: January (6)		Pts: Augustus (23) Rebs: Brunson, Moore (10) Asts: Whalen (4)
Indiana lead series, 1–0

Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 14,322
Referees: Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Tom Mauer

Game 2

ESPN

October 17
8:00pm ET

Recap

Indiana Fever 71, Minnesota Lynx 83
Scoring by quarter: 18–11, 15–20, 22–29, 16–23
Pts: Catchings (27) Rebs: Catchings (8) Asts: Phillips (4)		Pts: Augustus (27) Rebs: Brunson (7) Asts: McWilliams-Franklin, Moore, Whalen (4)
Series tied 1–1

Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 13,478
Referees: Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan, Brenda Pantoja

Game 3

ESPN2

October 19
8:00pm ET

Report

Minnesota Lynx 59, Indiana Fever 76
Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 11–24, 11–25, 21–6
Pts: Brunson (12) Rebs: Brunson (9) Asts: Wiggins (3)		Pts: Zellous (30) Rebs: Larkins (12) Asts: Davenport (4)
Indiana lead series, 2–1

Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 18,165
Referees: Denise Brooks, Lamont Simpson, Eric Brewton

Game 4

ESPN2

October 21
8:00pm ET

Report

Minnesota Lynx 78, Indiana Fever 87
Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 24–22, 16–18, 20–24
Pts: Whalen (22) Rebs: Augustus (7) Asts: Whalen (8)		Pts: Catchings (28) Rebs: Larkins (13) Asts: Catchings (8)
Indiana win series, 3–1

Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 15,213
Referees: Sue Blauch, Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan

Rosters

Minnesota Lynx roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Nat.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB	From
6.0 !C	1	USA !	Adair, Jessica	7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	12-19-1986	George Washington
2.5 !G/F	33	USA !	Augustus, Seimone	7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	04-30-1984	LSU
4.0 !F	32	USA !	Brunson, Rebekkah	7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	12-11-1981	Georgetown
4.0 !F	6	USA !	Harris, Amber	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	01-16-1988	Xavier
5.5 !F/C	8	USA !	McWilliams-Franklin, Taj	7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	08-20-1970	St. Edward's
4.0 !F	23	USA !	Moore, Maya	7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	06-11-1989	Connecticut
4.0 !F	14	USA !	Peters, Devereaux	7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	10-08-1989	Notre Dame
1.5 !G	5	USA !	Thorn, Erin	7000175260000000000♠5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	145 lb (66 kg)	05-19-1981	Brigham Young
1.5 !G	13	USA !	Whalen, Lindsay	7000175260000000000♠5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	05-09-1982	Minnesota
1.5 !G	11	USA !	Wiggins, Candice	7000180340000000000♠5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	147 lb (67 kg)	02-14-1987	Stanford
2.5 !G/F	22	USA !	Wright, Monica	7000177800000000000♠5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	171 lb (78 kg)	07-15-1988	Virginia

Head coach: Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches: Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
Jim Petersen (Minnesota)

Athletic trainer: Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer: Keith Uzpen (Minnesota State-Mankato)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(FA) Free agent
(IN) Inactive
(S) Suspended
Injured

Indiana Fever roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Nat.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB	From
4.0 !F	24	USA !	Catchings, Tamika	7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	167 lb (76 kg)	07-21-1979	Tennessee
2.5 !G/F	11	USA !	Christmas, Karima	7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	09-11-1989	Duke
6.0 !C	50	USA !	Davenport, Jessica	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	06-21-1985	Ohio State
2.5 !G/F	23	USA !	Douglas, Katie	7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	05-07-1979	Purdue
4.0 !F	45	USA !	Goodlett, Sasha	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	239 lb (108 kg)	08-09-1990	Georgia Tech
1.5 !G	20	USA !	January, Briann	7000172720000000000♠5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	144 lb (65 kg)	01-11-1987	Arizona State
4.0 !F	2	USA !	Larkins, Erlana	7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	04-02-1986	North Carolina
1.5 !G	13	AUS !	Phillips, Erin	7000172720000000000♠5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	05-19-1985	Australia
1.5 !G	32	USA !	Pohlen, Jeanette	7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	05-02-1989	Stanford
6.0 !C	8	CAN !	Sutton-Brown, Tammy	7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	199 lb (90 kg)	01-27-1978	Rutgers
1.5 !G	1	USA !	Zellous, Shavonte	7000177800000000000♠5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	08-28-1986	Pittsburgh

Head coach: Lin Dunn (Tennessee-Martin)
Assistant coaches: Mickie DeMoss (Louisiana Tech)
Stephanie White (Purdue)

Athletic trainer: Todd Champlin (Daemen)

Strength and conditioning coach: Emily Novitsky (Slippery Rock)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(FA) Free agent
(IN) Inactive
(S) Suspended
Injured

References

1998

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

WNBA Championship prior to 2002

Indiana Fever 2012 WNBA Champions

1 Shavonte Zellous 2 Erlana Larkins 8 Tammy Sutton-Brown 11 Karima Christmas 13 Erin Phillips 20 Briann January 23 Katie Douglas 24 Tamika Catchings (Finals MVP) 32 Jeanette Pohlen 45 Sasha Goodlett 50 Jessica Davenport Head Coach Lin Dunn Assistant Coaches Mickie DeMoss Stephanie White

2012 WNBA season by team

Draft Playoffs Finals

Eastern	Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Indiana Fever New York Liberty Washington Mystics

Western	Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury San Antonio Silver Stars Seattle Storm Tulsa Shock

← 2011 WNBA season 2013 →

Women's National Basketball Association (2016)

Eastern Conference	Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Indiana Fever New York Liberty Washington Mystics

Western Conference	Dallas Wings Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury San Antonio Stars Seattle Storm

Annual events	Draft All-Star Game Playoffs Finals

Statistics	Career scoring Career rebounding Career assists Career steals Career blocks Career turnovers Season: Scoring leaders Rebounding leaders Assists leaders Steals leaders Blocks leaders Turnovers leaders

Other	Arenas Attendance Awards Coaches Defunct teams Expansion draft history LiveAccess MVP NBA Media (NBA TV, WNBA on ESPN, Current broadcasters, Finals broadcasters) Players (Current rosters, Foreign players) Rookie of the Year Seasons Teams (All-Decade Team, Top 15 Team, Top 20 Team)

NBA on ABC

Related
programs

NBA on ESPN	Radio NBA Shootaround NBA Wednesday NBA Friday WNBA on ESPN

NBA Drafts	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Non-NBA programs	ESPN College Basketball on ABC Olympics on ABC

Key figures

Play-by-play	Mike Breen Jim Durham Bill Flemming Chet Forte Jim Gordon Curt Gowdy Chuck Howard Keith Jackson Mark Jones Jim McKay Al Michaels Brent Musburger Brad Nessler John Saunders Chris Schenkel Commentators All-Star Game ESPN NBA Finals WNBA Finals

Color commentators	Greg Anthony Hubie Brown Bob Cousy Sean Elliott Len Elmore Tim Legler Mark Jackson Steve Jones Johnny Kerr Dan Majerle Jack Ramsay Doc Rivers Bill Russell Tom Tolbert Jack Twyman Jeff Van Gundy Bill Walton Jerry West

Sideline reporters	David Aldridge Doris Burke Howard Cosell Heather Cox Dave Diles Mark Jones Sal Masekela Craig Sager Lisa Salters Michele Tafoya

Studio hosts	Dan Patrick Stuart Scott Sage Steele Hannah Storm Mike Tirico Michael Wilbon

Studio analysts	Jon Barry Chris Broussard Doug Collins Steve Javie Avery Johnson Magic Johnson George Karl Scottie Pippen Jalen Rose Byron Scott Bill Simmons

ABC Radio announcers	Marv Albert Dave Barnett Chick Hearn Rod Hundley Steve Jones Fred Manfra Earl Monroe Johnny Most Oscar Robertson Dick Vitale

NBA Finals

ABC Radio's coverage	1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990

WNBA Finals	2003 (Game 2 on ABC) 2004 2005 (Game 3 on ABC) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 (Game 1 on ABC) 2011 2012 2013 2014 (Game 1 on ABC)

All-Star Game

ABC Radio's coverage	1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990

Music

"Let's Get It Started" (2004)
"ABC" (2004)
"Lose My Breath" (2005)
"This Is How a Heart Breaks" (2005)
"Runnin' Down a Dream" (2006)
"Right Now" (2007)
"It Ends Tonight" (2007)
"Nine Lives" (2007)
"Get On Your Boots" (2009)
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" (2009)
"Rip This Joint" (2010)
"Oh Santa!" (2010)
"Black Dog" (2011)
"Timber" (2014)

Lore

Rivalries	Bryant–O'Neal Lakers–Pistons Celtics–Lakers

ESPN lore	Pacers–Pistons brawl

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