2001 WNBA playoffs
| Dates | August 16 – September 1, 2001 |
|---|---|
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Sparks (Finals Champion) |
| East champion | Charlotte Sting (Coach: Anne Donovan) |
| West champion | Los Angeles Sparks (Coach: Michael Cooper) |
The 2001 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2001 season which ended with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Sparks beating the Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Sting, 2–0. Lisa Leslie was named the MVP of the Finals.
Regular season standings
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Rockers x | 22 | 10 | .688 | 15–6 | – |
| New York Liberty x | 21 | 11 | .656 | 13–8 | 1.0 |
| Miami Sol x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 14–7 | 2.0 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 18 | 14 | .563 | 15–6 | 4.0 |
| Orlando Miracle o | 13 | 19 | .406 | 9–12 | 9.0 |
| Indiana Fever o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 7–14 | 12.0 |
| Detroit Shock o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 7–14 | 12.0 |
| Washington Mystics o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 4–17 | 12.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 28 | 4 | .875 | 19–2 | – |
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 13–8 | 8.0 |
| Utah Starzz x | 19 | 13 | .594 | 11–10 | 9.0 |
| Houston Comets x | 19 | 13 | .594 | 13–8 | 9.0 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 13 | 19 | .406 | 8–13 | 15.0 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 12 | 20 | .375 | 9–12 | 16.0 |
| Portland Fire o | 11 | 21 | .344 | 5–16 | 17.0 |
| Seattle Storm o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 6–15 | 18.0 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
Playoffs
Format
- The top four teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs
- The four teams are seeded based on their regular season standings
Bracket
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Miami | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Utah | 0 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italics – Team with home-court advantage
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Charlotte 2, Cleveland 1
- G1: CHA 53, CLE 46
- G2: CLE 69, CHA 51
- G3: CHA 72, CLE 64
New York 2, Miami 1
- G1: NYL 62, MIA 46
- G2: MIA 53, NYL 50
- G3: NYL 72, MIA 61
Western Conference Semi-Finals
L.A. 2, Houston 0
- G1: LA 64, HOU 59
- G2: LA 70, HOU 58
Sacramento 2, Utah 0
- G1: SAC 89, UTA 65
- G2: SAC 71, UTA 66
Eastern Conference Finals
Charlotte 2, New York 1
- G1: NYL 61, CHA 57
- G2: CHA 62, NYL 53
- G3: CHA 48, NYL 44
Western Conference Finals
L.A. 2, Sacramento 1
- G1: LA 74, SAC 73
- G2: SAC 80, LA 60
- G3: LA 93, SAC 62
WNBA Championship
August 30 |
| Los Angeles Sparks 75, Charlotte Sting 66 | ||
| Scoring by half: 35–39, 40–27 | ||
| Pts: Lisa Leslie 24 Rebs: Milton, Leslie 8 each Asts: DeLisha Milton 5 |
Pts: Andrea Stinson 18 Rebs: Allison Feaster 5 Asts: Andrea Stinson 5 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 16,132 Referees: Melissa Barlow, Gary Zielinski, Michael Price |
September 1 |
| Charlotte Sting 54, Los Angeles Sparks 82 | ||
| Scoring by half: 30–38, 24–44 | ||
| Pts: Tammy Sutton-Brown 12 Rebs: Charlotte Smith 8 Asts: Dawn Staley 5 |
Pts: Lisa Leslie 24 Rebs: Lisa Leslie 13 Asts: Tamecka Dixon 7 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 2–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 13,141 Referees: Patty Broderick, June Courteau, Bob Trammell |