Comets Dump Liberty in Game 1

N E W  Y O R K, Aug. 25, 2000 -- Cynthia Cooper, the two-time WNBA MVP who willretire after the playoffs, came through down the stretch to put theHouston Comets on the verge of a fourth consecutive championship.

Cooper scored 20 points, including five in the last minute, asthe Comets held off the New York Liberty 59-52 in Game 1 of theWNBA finals Thursday night.

“I always have stepped it up for the playoffs,” Cooper said.“The regular season is great and fine, but the playoffs is whereyou’re supposed to bring your ‘A’ game. And that’s what I’mdoing.”

Big Shots

Cooper, 37, shot just 7-for-23 but made some of the mostimportant baskets of her career late in the game. The Comets canbecome the first professional sports team to win four consecutivechampionships since the NHL’s New York Islanders in 1980-83.

“We’re fighting to make history,” Cooper said. “I’m on amission because we have made a lot of sacrifices throughout theseason, and deserve to fight for this fourth one. And I’m on amission because that’s what a professional athlete does at thistime of the year—elevate her game.”

Tina Thompson added 15 points and Sheryl Swoopes had 12 forHouston, which stopped the Liberty’s 13-game winning streak atMadison Square Garden and sent the best-of-three series to theCompaq Center, where the Comets have lost just once in 12postseason games.

Game 2 is Saturday at Houston, with Game 3, if necessary, thereon Sunday.

“We’re not going down there to lose, I can tell you that,”Liberty guard Becky Hammon said. “We’re going down there to win.”

Tari Phillips of New York had 24 points on 10-for-19 shootingand grabbed 15 rebounds in a game deemed by many Liberty players asa must-win.

After a sloppy first half in which both teams struggled toscore, Houston and New York turned it on in the second half.

Late Liberty Surge

The Comets opened up a 52-42 lead on Swoopes’ free throw with7:40 remaining, but the Liberty went on a 6-0 run.

Phillips made a layup at 7:21 to make it 52-44. Tamika Whitmoremade two foul shots at 4:36, and Phillips put back Vickie Johnson’smiss to make it 52-48 with 4:03 left.

The teams went scoreless until 52.3 seconds remained, whenTeresa Weatherspoon made two free throws after getting fouled bySwoopes, to make it 52-50.

Cooper followed with a tough running layup with the shot clockwinding down and was fouled by Sue Wicks.

“Cynthia Cooper made one of the greatest shots you will eversee,” Houston coach Van Chancellor said.

Cooper, who finished 7-of-23 from the field, made the foul shotto give the Comets a 55-50 lead with 26.4 seconds left.

“She’s what you call a champion,” Weatherspoon said. “Shejust steps up.”

Phillips’ layup with 20 seconds left made it 55-52, but Coopermade two more free throws to make it 57-52 with 14.1 seconds left.Janeth Arcain added a layup with 2.1 seconds left to seal it forthe three-time champions.

“We came into this game they were going to make runs at us, andwe just had to overcome those,” Swoopes said.

Houston took a 29-22 lead after a first half marked by bothteams’ poor shooting.

Woeful Shooting

The Comets, who never led by more than seven points in the half,shot just 30.6 percent (11-for-26) from the field. But the Libertycould have been closer had they not shot just 26.9 percent(7-for-26).

The Comets outshot the Liberty for the game, 35.5 percent to32.1.

The teams are meeting in the finals for the second straightyear, and third time in four seasons.

Houston beat New York in the WNBA’s first championship game in1997. The Liberty forced a deciding Game 3 in last year’s finalswith a last-second, halfcourt shot by Weatherspoon before losingthe series the next night.

“We went down there and won last year, so we know we can windown there,” New York coach Richie Adubato said. “Any time youcan get a series to a final game, you never know what willhappen.”