Sparks rookie Candace Parker turned many heads with her play before the break. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

Granted, the halfway point of this atypical WNBA season has long since passed, so calling them the "First Half Awards" is kind of a misnomer. In fact, some teams only have seven tilts left in their 34-game regular season schedule.

But we at WNBA.com feel that the commencement of the Olympic break presented an opportune time to highlight the best of the best so far -- the best player, the best rookie, the best coach and other intriguing categories.

Also, the "First Three-Fourths Awards" doesn't exactly have the same ring to it.

Again, we must stress that there is nothing official about these awards, except that maybe they are the official unofficial awards. It's all in good fun, which is just what the 2008 WNBA season has been.

Don't agree with our selections? Don't be shy about handing out your awards in the WNBA.com Fan Voice.

Best Coach: Mike Thibault, Connecticut.

Not many would have predicted that the Sun would be atop the East standings at the Olympic break, but that’s where they are despite tremendous roster turnover in the offseason. At 16-10, the Sun are a virtual lock to make the postseason and are playing better ball than a couple teams expected to be above them at this point in the season – Detroit and Indiana. While MVP candidate Lindsay Whalen is getting her share of the credit, most of it has to go to Thibault, who has gotten all the new pieces to buy into his system and mesh without a hitch. The veteran head man is widely regarded as the best X’s and O’s coach (as our GM survey showed) and he’s doing nothing to dispel that in ‘08.

Honorable Mentions: San Antonio’s Dan Hughes, Houston’s Karleen Thompson.

Most Surprising Team: Houston Comets

If you were choosing this much earlier in the season, you might have said the Minnesota Lynx. But they have since tailed off after a 5-0 start. If you were going off the last 10 games, you could make a case for the Sacramento Monarchs. However, they were in the postseason last year. But how ‘bout those Comets? After an 0-5 start, it began to look like another throw-away season in Houston, as the Comets had gone just 13-21 in 2007. But in mid-June, things started to click. Led by perennial post power Tina Thompson, the Comets won six of seven games from June 14-28 to put themselves in the playoff hunt and haven’t suffered a relapse since. In fact, the team entered the break as the hottest squad in the league, riding a five-game winning streak. Players like rookie Matee Ajavon, offseason acquisition Shannon Johnson and the much-improved Sancho Lyttle have been huge factors in the Comets’ resurgence.

Honorable Mentions: Minnesota Lynx, Connecticut Sun.

Best Breakout Season: Ebony Hoffman, Indiana; Sancho Lyttle, Houston (tie).

There’s plenty to choose from here. Barbara Turner, playing on her third team in three years, has gone to Connecticut and become a three-point threat, shooting 35 percent from the beyond the arc. New York’s Shameka Christon has upped her scoring average to 16.4 ppg, which is currently tops on the Liberty. Dream players Ivory Latta and Betty Lennox have both experienced increases in production this season, although they are benefiting from more shots and minutes playing for an expansion team.

But the players impacting their teams the most with improved play have to be Hoffman and Lyttle. Lyttle’s season totals may not fully show it because of the lack of playing time she received early on, but she has been building like a storm in Houston, both in the scoring column and on the boards. Over the last 16 games, Lyttle has averaged 12.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. That includes twice grabbing 18 boards in a game.

Meanwhile, Hoffman is easily having the best season of her five-year WNBA career. The USC alum has started all 26 games for Indiana and is averaging career-highs in virtually every category. The numbers that stand out the most are her 10.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Her previous bests were 6.4 points and 5.7 rebounds – both accomplished in 2006. With Tamika Catchings still playing her way back into shape, Hoffman’s effort has been invaluable to the Fever as they attempt to remain in playoff contention.

Honorable Mentions: Shameka Christon, Barbara Turner.

Best Comeback: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles.

This is a tougher call than you might first think. Down in San Antonio, Ann Wauters has made a remarkable return to the WNBA after a two-year hiatus. Currently, the pivot is averaging 14.8 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the floor. Her presence has provided stability in the post for San Antonio and it’s no coincidence that the Silver Stars currently have the top record in the league at 18-9.

But it still doesn’t quite compare to the impact Leslie’s return has had on the Sparks. The 36-year-old, who missed the 2007 season because of the birth of her daughter, has posted numbers of 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and a league-leading 3.0 blocks per game. And her leadership and experience have been huge, especially as a mentor for Parker, who’s learning from one of the best while having some of the pressure taken off her shoulders.

Honorable Mentions: Ann Wauters, Sheryl Swoopes.

Best Game: Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Mercury (5/17)

It’s kind of odd choosing the first game of the season as the best game. But, honestly, nothing has matched the level of play and excitement (yet) since the Sparks posted a 99-94 victory in Parker’s debut and Leslie’s return. The Mercury came in as defending champs against the team everyone was predicting would unseat them in the West. Parker let the world know that it was OK to believe the hype, as she scored 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting and also collected 12 rebounds and eight assists, leaving her two dimes shy of a triple-double. On the other side, Cappie Pondexter poured in 32 points – her second-highest total of the season – and Diana Taurasi chipped in 24. The game featured 15 lead changes and 12 ties, and the teams combined for 16 three-pointers. All of it made for a thrilling shootout in the Valley of the Sun that couldn’t have set a better tone for the season.

Honorable Mentions: Houston Comets at San Antonio Silver Stars (6/24), Indiana Fever at New York Liberty (6/26).

Best Play: Parker’s dunk versus Indiana.

Yeah, maybe this one is too obvious. And there might be better plays in the heat of game action to go with than a breakaway slam. You could even argue a couple of Parker’s hesitation moves on the baseline are better. And, hey, she dunked again in the game right after this. But the importance lies in the fact that Parker was able to go up and throw down with ease, which showed the world just how quickly the women’s game is evolving. The next big step will be to have a player dunk in traffic, and don’t be surprised if Parker is associated with that advancement too.

Best Play That Was Not a Parker Dunk: Janel McCarville’s block on Charde Houston.

There have been a lot of great blocks this season. There have been a ton of great plays, period, but an inordinate amount of impressive rejections, so it seems only right to go with one here. There was Chicago’s Sylvia Fowles swallowing up Leslie on the block and, yes, Parker’s stuff of Sacramento’s Rebekkah Brunson at the rim. And even McCarville has others that were up for consideration. But her swat on Houston on a Saturday night in mid-June stands out, when she chased down the Minnesota rook on the break before emphatically sending the ball in the other direction.

Honorable Mentions: Fowles’ block on Leslie, Ticha Penicheiro crossing over Kiesha Brown.

Best Rookie: Candace Parker, Los Angeles.

That was easy. You’ll read why shortly.

Best Rookie Not Named Candace Parker: Candice Wiggins, Minnesota.

The Lynx are 26 games into their 2008 schedule and Wiggins has started only one of them. That strategy seems strange when you consider she’s second on the Lynx in scoring at 16.4 points per game – behind only Seimone Augustus (19.9) – and Minnesota is slipping in a tightly contested Western playoff race. You won’t hear any complaints from Wiggins, though, who just does her thing while displaying a great attitude on and off the floor. Along with Nicky Anosike and Houston, Wiggins is part of a trio of talented first-year players in Minnesota, but the Stanford definitely star stands out because of her top-notch offensive skills. And while it's very possible she’ll finish second to Parker in the Rookie of the Year voting, she’s at least made the race more interesting than people expected by earning Rookie of the Month honors for June.

Wiggins did hit a setback in the team’s July 24 win at Indiana, suffering a lower-back injury that sidelined her for the remaining two games leading up to the break. However, if there’s such a thing as a good time for an injury, right before a monthlong break is it.

Honorable Mentions: Nicky Anosike, Matee Ajavon.

MVP: So-can-say Taur-gust-son

If you haven’t decoded it already, that’s Sophia Young, Parker, Whalen, Taurasi, Augustus, Lauren Jackson and Thompson. Sorry, but the Brangelina route seemed like the most reasonable way to tackle the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player to this point in the season. Granted, it's kind of a cop-out, but no one player has really separated herself from the pack so far. What you have this season is a multitude of stars either in their prime or just hitting their prime. Thus, we have the most competitive race for the honor in league history. It speaks volumes to just how loaded with talent the league has become, and to how wide open the playoff race is.

On second thought, if I had to pick one, I’d probably go with…

MVP: Candace Parker, Los Angeles.

Forget how valuable she is to the league in terms of ticket sales, marketing and overall notoriety. We’re not here to deal with that. Parker, playing in her rookie season, currently leads the WNBA in rebounding at 9.4 per game, double-doubles with 14 and efficiency with a rating of 23.7. She’s also fifth in the league in scoring (18.8 ppg) and second in blocks (2.15 bpg). She’s reached 30 points in a game three times and 40 points once. She’s come up two assists shy of a triple-double twice.

Of course, Parker’s presence is also being felt in the standings, as the 15-12 Sparks have returned to elite status. Despite a recent slip, they are looking like a strong candidate to make the postseason after going just 10-24 in 2007. Playing with someone as talented as Leslie helps, and that simple fact might even take votes away from Parker when the real MVP ballots are cast at the end of the season. Some people may even get bored with her dominance, a la Michael Jordan in 1996-97 when Karl Malone walked away with the MVP trophy. But right now it’s tough to deny that Parker has had the biggest impact so far this season.

Honorable Mentions: Lindsay Whalen, Sophia Young.