1998 WNBA playoffs
| Dates | August 22–September 1, 1998 |
|---|---|
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Houston Comets (Finals Champion) |
The 1998 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 1998 season which ended with the Houston Comets beating the Phoenix Mercury, 2-1. Cynthia Cooper was named the MVP of the Finals. The Comets repeated as champions.
Regular season standings
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Rockers x | 20 | 10 | .667 | 12–4 | – |
| Charlotte Sting x | 18 | 12 | .600 | 11–5 | 2.0 |
| New York Liberty o | 18 | 12 | .600 | 8–8 | 2.0 |
| Detroit Shock o | 17 | 13 | .567 | 8–8 | 3.0 |
| Washington Mystics o | 3 | 27 | .100 | 1–15 | 17.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets x | 27 | 3 | .900 | 15–1 | – |
| Phoenix Mercury x | 19 | 11 | .633 | 10–6 | 8.0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks o | 12 | 18 | .400 | 6–10 | 15.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchs o | 8 | 22 | .267 | 5–11 | 19.0 |
| Utah Starzz o | 8 | 22 | .267 | 4–12 | 19.0 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
Playoffs
Format
- The four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four.
- Each round of the playoffs was a best-of-three series.
Bracket
| Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Championship Best-of-3 | ||||||||
| 1 | Houston | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Charlotte | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Houston | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Cleveland | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 2 | |||||||
- Bold – Series winner
Semifinals
Houston Comets vs. Charlotte Sting
August 22 |
| Houston Comets 85, Charlotte Sting 71 | ||
| Scoring by half: 39–37, 46–34 | ||
| Pts: Cynthia Cooper 27 Rebs: Tina Thompson 10 Asts: Kim Perrot 6 |
Pts: Rhonda Mapp 16 Rebs: Andrea Stinson 7 Asts: Andrea Stinson 7 | |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 6,087 Referees: Bob Trammell, Teresa Dahlem, Sally Bell |
August 24 |
| Charlotte Sting 61, Houston Comets 77 | ||
| Scoring by half: 34–45, 27–32 | ||
| Pts: Tracy Reid 18 Rebs: Vicky Bullett 11 Asts: Andrea Stinson 6 |
Pts: Cynthia Cooper 23 Rebs: Tina Thompson 14 Asts: Cooper, Perrot 5 each | |
| Houston wins series, 2–0 | ||
Compaq Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 11,901 Referees: Bill Stokes, Gary Zielinski, Jason Phillips |
Cleveland Rockers vs. Phoenix Mercury
August 22 |
| Cleveland Rockers 68, Phoenix Mercury 78 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–37, 37–41 | ||
| Pts: Isabelle Fijalkowski 20 Rebs: Isabelle Fijalkowski 9 Asts: Nemcova, Edwards 4 each |
Pts: Jennifer Gillom 21 Rebs: Gillom, Reed 5 each Asts: Umeki Webb 6 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 11,631 Referees: Stan Gaxiola, June Courteau, Michael Price |
August 24 |
| Phoenix Mercury 66, Cleveland Rockers 67 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–32, 42–35 | ||
| Pts: Jennifer Gillom 27 Rebs: Jennifer Gillom 10 Asts: Michele Timms 6 |
Pts: Michelle Edwards 18 Rebs: Janice Braxton 10 Asts: Suzie McConnell-Serio 9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 10,465 Referees: Scott Yarbrough, Patty Broderick, Bill Kennedy |
August 25 |
| Phoenix Mercury 71, Cleveland Rockers 60 | ||
| Scoring by half: 32–35, 39–25 | ||
| Pts: Bridget Pettis 27 Rebs: Bridget Pettis 11 Asts: Michele Timms 8 |
Pts: Isabelle Fijalkowski 17 Rebs: Isabelle Fijalkowski 11 Asts: Eva Nemcova 5 | |
| Phoenix wins series, 2–1 | ||
WNBA Championship
August 27 |
| Houston Comets 51, Phoenix Mercury 54 | ||
| Scoring by half: 29–33, 22–21 | ||
| Pts: Cynthia Cooper 29 Rebs: Sheryl Swoopes 11 Asts: Swoopes, Perrot 6 each |
Pts: Jennifer Gillom 15 Rebs: Michelle Griffiths 12 Asts: Michele Timms 5 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,634 Referees: Bill Stokes, June Courteau, Bill Kennedy |
August 29 |
| Phoenix Mercury 69, Houston Comets 74 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by half: 37–32, 29–34 Overtime: 3–8 | ||
| Pts: Michele Timms 21 Rebs: Jennifer Gillom 9 Asts: Michelle Griffiths 3 |
Pts: Cynthia Cooper 27 Rebs: Sheryl Swoopes 13 Asts: Cynthia Cooper 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
September 1 |
| Phoenix Mercury 71, Houston Comets 80 | ||
| Scoring by half: 26–32, 45–48 | ||
| Pts: Michelle Griffiths 24 Rebs: Jennifer Gillom 6 Asts: Michele Timms 7 |
Pts: Cynthia Cooper 23 Rebs: Tina Thompson 6 Asts: Swoopes, Cooper 6 each | |
| Houston wins series, 2–1 | ||
Compaq Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 16,285 Referees: June Courteau, Gary Zielinski, Bill Kennedy |