Originally published Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
WNBA Playoffs | Shock makes Finals for 3rd year in a row
Taj McWilliams-Franklin isn't used to being a role player. She couldn't be enjoying it more. On Monday, McWilliams-Franklin scored 15 of...
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Taj McWilliams-Franklin isn't used to being a role player. She couldn't be enjoying it more.
On Monday, McWilliams-Franklin scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half, helping the Detroit Shock beat the New York Liberty 75-73 in the deciding game of the best-of-three Eastern Conference finals.
The Shock reached the best-of-five WNBA Finals for the third consecutive season and will face the Western Conference champion Silver Stars in Game 1 Wednesday in San Antonio.
"For the past couple years, I've been on young teams where I've been expected to be the leader for a lot of young players," McWilliams-Franklin said. "It's been a nice change to be on a team where I'm just one of the veterans — where I have so many great players surrounding me."
Detroit acquired the 37-year-old McWilliams-Franklin from the Washington Mystics during the Olympic break after losing All-Star Cheryl Ford to a season-ending knee injury.
"She's a very smart player," said Shock coach Bill Laimbeer, a former NBA player. "She isn't quick, and she doesn't jump very high, but she knows how to play basketball."
Detroit beat Sacramento in 2006 for its second league title and lost in five games to Phoenix in the Finals last year.
"This is where we expect to be every season," Laimbeer said of making the Finals.
Deanna Nolan led the Shock with 21 points, a total matched by New York's Janel McCarville.
Liberty coach Pat Coyle skipped the postgame news conference.
Games 2 and 3 were played on the campus of Eastern Michigan University because of scheduling conflicts at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit will also play at least one Finals game at Eastern.
Leilani Mitchell, a former Kennewick High School standout, started New York's comeback with 12 points in the third quarter and played less than three minutes in the fourth.
"We were trying to keep the pressure on, so we were rotating our players," said Mitchell, who finished with 14 points. "I knew we needed to score some points in the third, and my teammates were doing a great job of setting screens and getting me the ball."
Cathrine Kraayeveld, a graduate of Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, had three points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Liberty.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
NEW - 12:55 PM
Foot of snow forecast for Cascades Friday

Opening day at Crystal Mountain
Skiers crowded the slopes at Crystal Mountain for one of the resort's earliest openings.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks
- Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
- Razor found in muffin an accident, 'mortified' baker says
- Suspect's family shaken by slaying of police officer
- Mountlake Terrace woman reports razor in muffin
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
631 - Seattle man to pack a pistol into community center to protest mayor's ban
227 - Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
177 - GOP clueless as families struggle with health care
172 - KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
138 - Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
128 - Wright State game thread
97 - Person of interest in custody in connection with Greenwood arsons
95 - Rang says Locker not ready for NFL
85 - Licata looks at boosting traffic-ticket revenue
72
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Washington in race for federal education funds
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- An 802.11n upgrade could make a big difference
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Goodwill's Glitter Sale is Nov. 14-15








