2014 WNBA Finals

The 2014 WNBA Finals was the playoff series for the 2014 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs.[1] The Phoenix Mercury, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Chicago Sky, champions of the Eastern Conference.

2014 WNBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Phoenix MercurySandy Brondello3
Chicago SkyPokey Chatman0
DatesSeptember 7–12
MVPUnited States Diana Taurasi (Phoenix)
Eastern finalsChicago defeated Indiana, 2–1
Western finalsPhoenix defeated Minnesota, 2–1
← 2013WNBA Finals2015 →

The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation. The Mercury held home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (29–5) than the Sky (15–19). The Mercury swept the Sky in three games to win their third title in franchise history.

Both teams would meet again in the 2021 WNBA Finals, but this time the Sky emerged victorious in four games.

Background

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2014 WNBA regular season

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#Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB GP
1y- Atlanta Dream1915.559-34
2x- Indiana Fever1618.4713.034
3x-Washington Mystics1618.4713.034
4x-Chicago Sky1519.4414.034
5e-New York Liberty1519.4414.034
6e-Connecticut Sun1321.3826.034
#Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB GP
1y-Phoenix Mercury295.853-34
2x-Minnesota Lynx259.7354.034
3x-San Antonio Stars1618.47113.034
4x-Los Angeles Sparks1618.47113.034
5e-Tulsa Shock1222.35317.034
6e-Seattle Storm1222.35317.034

2014 WNBA Playoffs

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Phoenix MercuryChicago Sky
29–5 (.853)
1st West, 1st overall
Seeding15–19 (.441)
4th East, 8th overall
Defeated the (4) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0Conference SemifinalsDefeated the (1) Atlanta Dream, 2–1
Defeated the (2) Minnesota Lynx, 2–1Conference FinalsDefeated the (2) Indiana Fever, 2–1

Chicago Sky

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The Chicago Sky finished 15–19, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Sky defeated the Atlanta Dream in three games, setting up a conference final against the Indiana Fever. Chicago lost the first game of the series, but rallied to win two straight to reach the finals for the first time in franchise history.

Phoenix Mercury

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The Phoenix Mercury finished with the best record in the WNBA, finishing with a 29–5 record. The Mercury swept the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Sparks in the conference semifinals, and defeated the Minnesota Lynx in the Western Conference Finals in three games.

Regular-season series

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The Phoenix Mercury won the season series 2–0:

Series summary

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

Game 1

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September 7
3:30pm ET
Chicago Sky 62, Phoenix Mercury 83
Scoring by quarter: 8–15, 12–27, 14–14, 28–27
Pts: Fowles (19)
Rebs: Fowles (11)
Asts: Vandersloot (5)
Pts: Dupree (26)
Rebs: Griner (7)
Asts: Taurasi (11)
Phoenix leads series, 1–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 13,263
Referees:
#31 Amy Bonner
#38 Lamont Simpson
#42 Roy Gulbeyan

Game 2

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September 9
9:00pm ET
Chicago Sky 68, Phoenix Mercury 97
Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 22–30, 15–23, 17–23
Pts: Delle Donne (22)
Rebs: Fowles (5)
Asts: Vandersloot (4)
Pts: Griner (19)
Rebs: Taylor (8)
Asts: Taylor (6)
Phoenix leads series, 2–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 13,348
Referees:
#4 Sue Blauch
#18 Kurt Walker
#55 Eric Brewton

Game 3

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September 12
8:00pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 87, Chicago Sky 82
Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 23–21, 16–20, 26–19
Pts: Dupree, Taurasi (24)
Rebs: Bonner (9)
Asts: Dupree (6)
Pts: Delle Donne (23)
Rebs: Fowles (8)
Asts: Vandersloot (11)
Phoenix wins series, 3–0
UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL
Attendance: 7,365
Referees:
#9 Denise Brooks
#34 Maj Forsberg
#39 Michael Price

Rosters

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Phoenix Mercury roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F8 Bass, Mistie6' 3" (1.91m)189 lb (86kg)12-02-1983Duke7
G23 Bias, Tiffany5' 8" (1.73m)133 lb (60kg)05-22-1992Oklahoma State5
G/F24 Bonner, DeWanna6' 4" (1.93m)143 lb (65kg)08-21-1987Auburn5
F4 Dupree, Candice6' 2" (1.88m)178 lb (81kg)08-16-1984Temple8
C42 Griner, Brittney6' 9" (2.06m)205 lb (93kg)10-18-1990Baylor1
G10 Jēkabsone-Žogota, Anete5' 9" (1.75m)167 lb (76kg)08-12-1983Latvia2
C11 Kobryn, Ewelina6' 4" (1.93m)210 lb (95kg)05-07-1982Poland3
G14 Murphy, Eshaya5' 11" (1.8m)164 lb (74kg)04-15-1985USC7
G31 Phillips, Erin5' 8" (1.73m)165 lb (75kg)05-19-1985Australia6
G3 Taurasi, Diana6' 0" (1.83m)163 lb (74kg)06-11-1982Connecticut10
F13 Taylor, Penny6' 1" (1.85m)165 lb (75kg)05-24-1981Australia12
Head coach
Sandy Brondello (Western Sydney)
Assistant coaches
Julie Hairgrove (Arizona)
Todd Troxel (Doane)
Athletic trainer
Tamara Poole (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Strength and conditioning coach
Pro Advantage Training

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured
Chicago Sky roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F25 Brandon, Gennifer6' 2" (1.88m)164 lb (74kg)11-23-1990CaliforniaR
F51 Breland, Jessica6' 3" (1.91m)170 lb (77kg)02-23-1988North Carolina2
G0 Clements, Courtney6' 0" (1.83m)157 lb (71kg)11-12-1989San Diego State1
G/F11 Delle Donne, Elena6' 5" (1.96m)188 lb (85kg)09-05-1989Delaware1
G21 Faulkner, Jamierra5' 6" (1.68m)141 lb (64kg)03-09-1992Southern MissR
C34 Fowles, Sylvia6' 6" (1.98m)208 lb (94kg)10-06-1985LSU6
C9 Gatling, Markeisha6' 5" (1.96m)255 lb (116kg)07-14-1992NC StateR
C45 Goodlett, Sasha6' 5" (1.96m)239 lb (108kg)08-09-1990Georgia Tech2
G10 Prince, Epiphanny5' 9" (1.75m)164 lb (74kg)01-11-1988Rutgers4
G14 Quigley, Allie5' 10" (1.78m)140 lb (64kg)06-20-1986DePaul5
G22 Vandersloot, Courtney5' 8" (1.73m)132 lb (60kg)02-08-1989Gonzaga3
F1 Young, Tamera6' 2" (1.88m)172 lb (78kg)10-30-1986James Madison6
Head coach
Pokey Chatman (LSU)
Assistant coaches
Tree Rollins (Clemson)
Christie Sides (Louisiana Tech)
Athletic trainer
Christie Sides (Louisiana Tech)
Strength and conditioning coach
Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)

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

References

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