2005 Record 19-15, .559 (3rd in East) Award Winners & Honorees All-Star Michelle Snow Sheryl Swoopes WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes All-WNBA First Team Sheryl Swoopes 2005 Draft Recap Rd. 1 - 5, Sancho Lyttle Rd. 2 - 15, Roneeka Hodges Rd. 3 - 28, Jenni Dant Playoff History Eight out of nine years Last Appearance 2005, lost in Western Conference Finals

Swoopes

The Comets finished third in the Western Conference last season with a 19-15 record. After losing their first playoff game at home, they came back to upset the two-seed Seattle Storm with two wins on the road. They held Seattle to just .345 shooting in Game 2 and beat them at the line (28-5 free throw attempt advantage) in Game 3. They then fell in two straight games to the eventual WNBA Champion Sacramento Monarchs in the Western Conference Finals.

Sheryl Swoopes won her third WNBA MVP Award, leading the league with 18.6 points per game and being voted to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team. She's 35, but she hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.

In Auguest, the Comets traded for Dawn Staley, who provided more veteran leadership and a solid backup for point guard Dominique Canty. The Comets commited the fewest turnovers in the leauge, just 12.0 per game.

Down low, Michelle Snow lead the leauge in field goal percentage at .448 and Tina Thompson was solid after returning from maternity leave for the final 15 games.

What Went Wrong?

It's hard to pinpoint a specific weakness from the Western Conference Finals. In Game 1, they commited 21 turnovers and as a result, the Monarchs took 21 more shots. In Game 2, it was Sacramento that commited 20 turnovers, but Houston could not capitalize, shooting just .397 from the field. In both games, the Comets were unable to execute offensively, so it can be guessed that they were a bit worn out by stifling defense of the Monarchs.

In the regular season, the Comets were the worst three-point shooting team in the league at .302. Swoopes is their only perimeter shooting threat.

Head Coach Van Chancellor 2005 Starting Lineup G- Dominique Canty G- Janeth Arcain F- Sheryl Swoopes F- Tina Thompson C- Michelle Snow Key 2005 Reserves Dawn Staley Tari Phillips Sancho Lyttle Key Additions Tamecka Dixon

Thompson

This is a veteran team that is built to win now. Dawn Staley has said that this will be her last season. Sheryl Swoops is 35. Tina Thompson is 31. They have added veteran guard Tamecka Dixon (30), who will help form a solid backcourt rotation with Dominique Canty, Staley and Janeth Arcain (if Arcain chooses to return).

The question is: Do they have the legs to withstand a more intense season (same amount of games in less time due to the World Championships) and still be fresh in the playoffs? In addition to leading the lead in scoring, Swoopes led the league in minutes. Can they cut down on her minutes without a significant dropoff when she's on the bench?

The Comets do not have a first round pick, but they will lead off the second round with the 15th overall selection. Their only other pick after that is at No. 24.