Archives: Today in the WNBA | The WNBA Weekly Recap

PHOTO OF THE WEEK The Sky still believe it can make a serious run for the postseason after reeling off three straight victories, including a thrilling overtime triumph over the Shock on Sunday. Chicago still has plenty of work to do, but there is no reason it can't do some celebrating in the meantime. Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty

U.S. Women Highlight Memorable Olympic Break U.S. Women Capture Gold in Beijing: While you enjoy your Labor Day weekend with family and friends, you probably will discuss all that happened in Beijing at the Summer Olympics. Whether it’s swimming sensation Michael Phelps, track superhero Usain Bolt or all the memorable hoops action, there are so many unforgettable topics to talk about. The U.S. Women’s Basketball Team, for one, is perhaps the perfect start to the conversation. You can, furthermore, chat about Lisa Leslie capturing an extraordinary fourth straight gold medal, Sylvia Fowles showing how dominant she will be for years to come and the national team prolonging its global dynasty. A perfect 8-0 and uncontested throughout the tournament, the 2008 U.S. Women’s Team may very well be remembered as the greatest single team in female hoops history. Relive all the celebration and pageantry from Beijing with NBA.com’s exclusive Olympic index. In addition, glance at a collection of special merriment pictures of the U.S. Women after winning gold. ALSO MAKING HEADLINES ... Don't Count the Shock Out: The Shock realize the absence of Cheryl Ford, who will miss the remainder of the season with a right knee injury, will make it difficult for them to return to the WNBA Finals for the third straight year. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of winning another championship, especially after acquiring six-time All-Star Taj McWilliams-Franklin during the Olympic break. The nine-year veteran enjoyed a stellar debut with Detroit as she posted 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and seven rebounds to help the Shock roll past the Liberty on Friday and inch closer to securing their sixth straight postseason berth. Katie Smith, meanwhile, who earned her third Olympic gold medal with the U.S. Team last week, became the third player in WNBA history to eclipse 5,000 career points on Sunday against the Sky. She joins Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson, two of her teammates in Beijing, to reach the plateau. McWilliams-Franklin QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Look at the standings, how tight everything is, there is lot of desperation going on right now with every team." -- Monarchs forward Nicole Powell, after her team cruised past the Comets on Saturday to increase their chances of qualifying for the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Powell

WHO WAS HOT Sue Bird, Storm Two Games: 19-35 FG, 4-6 3-pt FG, 4-4 FT Candace Parker, Sparks Two Games: 14-26 FG, 8-11 FT Deanna Nolan, Shock Two Games: 19-28 FG, 2-4 3-pt FG, 4-4 FT Becky Hammon, Silver Stars Two Games: 10-22 FG, 6-14 3-pt FG, 4-4 FT

Bird

WHO WAS NOT Tina Thompson, Comets Two Games: 7-23 FG Shameka Christon, Liberty Two Games: 7-24 FG, 4-12 3-pt FG Monique Currie, Mystics Two Games: 6-24 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG Cappie Pondexter, Mercury One Game: 2-9 FG

Thompson

UPCOMING NATIONAL TV GAMES Lynx-Sparks: Mon., 10:30 ET (NBA TV) Liberty-Comets: Tues., 8:30 ET (NBA TV) Storm-Sky: Thurs., 8 ET (NBA TV) Monarchs-Mercury: Fri., 10 ET (NBA TV) Silver Stars-Sun: Sun., 1 ET (ABC) Comets-Mercury: Sun., 9 ET (NBA TV)

Taurasi

Jones

SCORCHING SUN BOUND FOR PLAYOFFS Since relocating to Connecticut in 2003, the Sun are, by and large, the best team in the WNBA to never win a championship. In fact, they have been to the Finals twice and have made four conference finals appearances in the past five years. They hope, moreover, with a pair of MVP candidates (Lindsay Whalen, Asjha Jones), a brilliant head coach (Mike Thibault) and a thunderous home court, that they will finally break through and win the title. Connecticut has won six straight, including a stirring triumph over Seattle on Sunday, and became the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth. Assuming Whalen, who didn’t play against the Storm (ankle), is healthy and their bench is contributing, the Sun will be a tough out in the postseason.

A RIVALRY BREWING OUT WEST NBA TV should dedicate a weekend to airing memorable games just between San Antonio and Los Angeles. We all know about the rivalry between the Spurs and Lakers in the NBA, but now we must start talking about the enmity between the Silver Stars and Sparks. These two powerhouses are favorites to represent the Western Conference in the Finals this year and deservedly so. It showed on Saturday when Lisa Leslie tallied 18 points and 12 rebounds and Candace Parker added 17 and 15 to help L.A. overcome a late five-point deficit and defeat San Antonio. I don’t know about you, but I would be ecstatic if we get to see a playoff series between these two juggernauts. Don’t be surprised, nonetheless, if this rivalry remains a great one for years to come.

Leslie