2005 WNBA playoffs
Professional women's basketball tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2005 WNBA playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2005 season which ended with the Western Conference champion Sacramento Monarchs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Connecticut Sun 3-1. The Monarchs won their first ever WNBA title.
DatesAugust 30 – September 20, 2005
ChampionsSacramento Monarchs (Finals Champion)
East championConnecticut Sun (Coach: Mike Thibault)
West championSacramento Monarchs (Coach: John Whisenant)
| Dates | August 30 – September 20, 2005 |
|---|---|
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Sacramento Monarchs (Finals Champion) |
| East champion | Connecticut Sun (Coach: Mike Thibault) |
| West champion | Sacramento Monarchs (Coach: John Whisenant) |
Format
- The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.
- All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings.
Regular season standings
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Sun x | 26 | 8 | .765 | – | 14–3 | 12–5 | 13–7 |
| Indiana Fever x | 21 | 13 | .618 | 5.0 | 14–3 | 7–10 | 14–6 |
| New York Liberty x | 18 | 16 | .529 | 8.0 | 10–7 | 8–9 | 9–11 |
| Detroit Shock x | 16 | 18 | .471 | 10.0 | 12–5 | 4–13 | 11–9 |
| Washington Mystics o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 10.0 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 9–11 |
| Charlotte Sting o | 6 | 28 | .176 | 20.0 | 5–12 | 1–16 | 4–16 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 25 | 9 | .735 | – | 15–2 | 10–7 | 17–5 |
| Seattle Storm x | 20 | 14 | .588 | 5.0 | 14–3 | 6–11 | 13–9 |
| Houston Comets x | 19 | 15 | .559 | 6.0 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 11–11 |
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 17 | 17 | .500 | 8.0 | 11–6 | 6–11 | 12–10 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 9.0 | 11–6 | 5–12 | 12–10 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 14 | 20 | .412 | 11.0 | 11–6 | 3–14 | 9–13 |
| San Antonio Silver Stars o | 7 | 27 | .206 | 18.0 | 5–12 | 2–15 | 3–19 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
Bracket
| Conference semifinals Best-of-3 | Conference finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italic – Team with home-court advantage
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference
Connecticut defeats Detroit, 2-0
- Connecticut 73, Detroit 62
- Connecticut 75, Detroit 67
Indiana defeats New York, 2-0
- Indiana 63, New York 51
- Indiana 58, New York 50
Western Conference
Houston defeats Seattle, 2-1
- Seattle 75, Houston 67
- Houston 67, Seattle 64
- Houston 75, Seattle 58
Sacramento defeats Los Angeles, 2-0
- Sacramento 75, Los Angeles 72
- Sacramento 81, Los Angeles 63
Conference finals
Eastern Conference Finals
Connecticut defeats Indiana, 2-0
- Connecticut 73, Indiana 68
- Connecticut 77, Indiana 67 (OT)
Western Conference Finals
Sacramento defeats Houston, 2-0
- Sacramento 73, Houston 69 OT
- Sacramento 74, Houston 65
WNBA Finals
- Sacramento defeats Connecticut, 3-1
- Sacramento 69, Connecticut 65
- Connecticut 77, Sacramento 70 (OT)
- Sacramento 66, Connecticut 55
- Sacramento 62, Connecticut 59[1]