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Good Luck in 2007.
Friday, June 15
Liberty Outlasted in Chicago
Shameka Christon scored seven of her 18 points in the final period on Friday to lead a Liberty fourth-quarter charge, but it was not enough as they dropped a 73-66 decision to the Sky.
6-3, Third
Friday, June 15
@ San Antonio Silver Stars
8:00 EST
SBC Center
TV: MSG
Sunday, May 20
Click For 2007 Schedule
THE NEW YORK LIBERTY STORY
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On October 30, 1996, New York was selected as one of eight charter members of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Within four months, Carol Blazejowski, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was named Vice President and General Manager for the New York franchise. Rebecca Lobo and Teresa Weatherspoon joined as the team’s first players and the franchise name and logo was introduced.
The first WNBA game was played on June 21, 1997 in Los Angeles. Led by head coach Nancy Darsch, the Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, 67-57, before a crowd of 14,284 at The Forum. The contest against LA began a three game road trip, where the Liberty went undefeated. They came back to New York with a 3-0 record, for the first game in their new home, Madison Square Garden. On June 29, 1997, in front of a crowd of 17,780, the Liberty scored their first win at home, defeating Phoenix, 65-57. Not only did the Liberty make their WNBA debut in 1997, but so did the Liberty’s mascot, Maddie -- appropriately named after Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena and new home of the Liberty.
New York reeled off seven straight victories to start the inaugural season, finished in second place in the conference and advanced to the first ever Championship game versus the Houston Comets. An average of 13,270 fans attended each of the Liberty's 14 home games during the first year, cheering the squad's advance to the WNBA Championship and mourning its 65-51 loss on August 30, 1997 in Houston to the Comets.
Year two saw the WNBA expand to 10 teams. Despite a rough start to the season, New York rallied late in the second half, including a stretch when the Liberty won 10 out of 11 games. One of those wins was a 70-54 victory over the champion Houston Comets. This rematch took place in front of the Liberty’s first ever-Garden capacity crowd of 19,563 in a nationally televised contest on NBC. The 1998 campaign closed with the team falling just a game short of making the playoffs, but their late season surge indicated success for the coming year.
1999 brought two more teams to the WNBA, bringing the league total to 12. Veteran NBA coach Richie Adubato took over the team reins, making his WNBA debut on June 10, 1999 when he guided the Liberty to an 87-60 victory over the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Rockers. With the Liberty posting impressive attendance figures for the third straight season, Madison Square Garden played host to the first-ever WNBA All-Star game – a sellout (18,649) – on July 14, 1999. Four Liberty players were selected to the Eastern Conference squad: Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Weatherspoon, Kym Hampton, and Vickie Johnson.
With Adubato at the helm, the Liberty posted an overall mark of 18-14 and won its first Eastern Conference title. After defeating Charlotte in the first round of the playoffs, the team faced a rematch with four-time WNBA Champion Houston Comets. Despite falling short of the title, the series was pushed to a third game when Weatherspoon made the most famous shot in WNBA history – a half court buzzer-beating shot that won Game Two before a stunned Compaq Center crowd and Houston squad.
The 2000 season pitted the Liberty against more new teams as the league expanded to 16 franchises. With a club best 20-12 record, the team finished atop the Eastern Conference, clinching another trip to the playoffs and earning a third berth in the WNBA Championship. New York fell to Houston in overtime of Game Two, dropping the series 2-0, but had a strong showing with four players scoring in double figures. Weatherspoon, honored as the League’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998, was voted to the WNBA All-Star squad as well as the WNBA All-Second Team. Newly acquired center Tari Phillips replaced retired center Kym Hampton. Phillips thrived in New York, leading the team in points and rebounds and earning the WNBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
In 2001, the New York Liberty celebrated their fifth anniversary. Although the team advanced to the Eastern Conference finals versus Charlotte and fell in the series 2-1, there was much to celebrate. The franchise led the league in attendance, averaging 15,660 fans per game. The team set a new record for victories, finishing the season 21-11. Both Tari Phillips and Teresa Weatherspoon reached the 1,000 career point mark, joining Vickie Johnson and Sophia Witherspoon on that list. The team tied a record win streak with seven victories in a row from June 21 – July 5. Once again the Liberty was represented amply in the All-Star Game: the coaching staff of Richie Adubato, Pat Coyle and Jeff House led the East squad, which included Liberty starters, Tari Phillips, Teresa Weatherspoon and Vickie Johnson. Tari Phillips tipped off the All-Star festivities with a rousing rendition of the national anthem. Sue Wicks capped off the season by winning the WNBA Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award.
The 2002 season was one of records, set and broken. Coach Adubato and company led New York to 18 wins, tied for fourth best in the league, including a streak when the Liberty won 10 of 14 games. The Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals for the fourth time in six years, before falling to the Los Angeles Sparks, 2-0. Prior to the Finals, the Liberty won four consecutive season ending games to advance, first in the opening round of the Playoffs versus the Indiana Fever and then in the Conference finals to the Washington Mystics.
During their remarkable playoff comebacks, the Liberty set some impressive records along the way. New York shot a franchise and all-time WNBA record 66 percent from the floor versus the Mystics on August 24, in game two of the Eastern Conference Championships along with scoring a franchise-high 96 points in the same game. Several Liberty players solidified themselves in WNBA history during the 2002 season, but Teresa Weatherspoon and Vickie Johnson stepped into a class of their own. Weatherspoon became the first player in WNBA history to tally 1,000 points and 1,000 assists in a career. Johnson became the first Liberty player and 11th WNBA player to score 2,000 career points. Additionally, Crystal Robinson, Tari Phillips and Tamika Whitmore registered their 1,000th career points.
With the team's success, individual accolades also came New York’s way. In addition to all the statistics posted , Phillips and Weatherspoon were voted by the fans, to the 2002 WNBA Eastern Conference All-Star team making their third and fourth appearances, respectively. As a result of her dominant play, Phillips was named to the 2002 All-WNBA Second team. She was also selected to the 2002 USA Basketball team that won a gold medal in the World Championships. Additionally for the first time in franchise history, four players finished the season averaging double-figures in scoring; Phillips (14.1), Whitmore (12.7), Robinson (11.8) and Johnson (11.6). By posting a sixth consecutive winning record, the Liberty are also able to boast that they are one of only two teams in the WNBA to have had a winning record in each year the WNBA has been in existence .
With the start of its seventh season, the Liberty look to continue the success of the past six years. The Liberty are consistently among the league leaders in wins, attendance and popularity as well as community involvement and player appearances. There is no doubt that the Liberty has become part of New York's sports legacy, and will continue the winning tradition of the city and Madison Square Garden.
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