Taurasi Tops Smith - Point Blank
Diana Taurasi rewrote the history in the scoring section of the WNBA’s record books. Taurasi averaged 25.3 points per game and scored 860 total points – both WNBA all-time highs. She also tallied a league-record single-game high of 47 points in Phoenix’s triple overtime win over Houston on 8/10, possibly the best-ever regular season game in WNBA history. All three records were previously held by Katie Smith.

500x3
Taurasi becomes the fourth player to score over 500 points in each of her first three WNBA seasons, joining Cynthia Cooper, Yolanda Griffith and Tamika Catchings.

Thirtysomething
Three players recorded back-to-back 30+ point games this season. Taurasi scored 36 on 7/9 followed by 34 on 7/14, Tina Thompson came off the inactive list to post 37 points on 8/10 followed by 31 points on 8/12 and Cappie Pondexter scored 30 points on both 6/2 and 6/6.

Taurasi posted a total of eight 30+ point games this year (and another seven games of 27-29 points) while Seimone Augustus tallied six, Lisa Leslie recorded four and Cappie Pondexter had three 30+ point games in 2006.

Streakers
The Connecticut Sun set a record for most consecutive games won by an Eastern Conference team this season with 12 wins from 7/16 – 8/9. The first 10 of those victories came without Nykesha Sales, who missed 12 games with a sore Achilles tendon. Los Angeles owns the longest winning streak in WNBA history at 18 games from 6/26/01 – 8/11/01. The Phoenix Mercury won their last seven games of the season, marking the longest win streak in franchise history.

Maybe this time…
The Connecticut Sun has advanced to the playoffs in each of its four seasons since relocating from Orlando. The last day of the regular season has played an important role until this season. In 2003, they had to win their last regular season game to advance to the playoffs. In 2004, they had to win their last regular season game to win the Eastern Conference. In 2005, they had to win to clinch the best record in the WNBA. This season, the Sun clinched the East and the WNBA’s best record on with roughly a week left to play.

Recapturing the trophy
Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit and Seattle are all on a quest to reclaim what was once theirs – the WNBA Championship. Sacramento still holds the title and will play for their second consecutive crown.

Best Rebounder Ever?
Cheryl Ford entered the 2006 season as the WNBA’s career leader in rebounds per game with 9.9. She led the league in rebounding in 2005 with 9.8 and again in 2006 with 11.8. In addition, she finished second among top rebounders in both 2004 and 2003. Ford ranks as one of only five players in league history to have recorded a 20-point, 20-rebound game and has the most point-rebound double-doubles in Shock history.

Two From Tupelo
What two WNBA players come from the same hometown as Elvis Presley, attended the same high school, both led the NCAA in scoring as college seniors, and now play for the same team? Tan White and Tamika Whitmore of the Indiana Fever, that’s who! White was the Fever’s top draft pick in 2005, after leading the country in scoring at Mississippi State. Whitmore led the nation in scoring in 1999 while playing at Memphis State. Both attended Mississippi’s Tupelo High School.

NBA family tree…rooted in Indiana
Did you know that at the time of Tamika Catchings’ birth, her father, Harvey, was a teammate of Brian Winters’ with the Milwaukee Bucks? Retired from the Fever is Natalie Williams, whose father Nate also played in the NBA. But joining the Fever this season is Charlotte Smith, whose uncle, David “Skywalker” Thompson, played during the same era as Winters and Catchings.

Other WNBA ties to this late 70’s-early 80’s era are Los Angeles Sparks Head Coach Joe Bryant (played in the NBA from 1975-1983), Connecticut Sun Head Coach Mike Thibault (scout/assistant coach in the NBA from 1978-1986), Chicago Sky Head Coach Dave Cowens (played in the NBA from 1970-1983), Detroit Shock Head Coach Bill Laimbeer (played in the NBA from 1980-1994), Phoenix Mercury Head Coach Paul Westhead (coached in the NBA from 1979-1983), Detroit Shock Assistant Coach Rick Mahorn (player in the NBA from 1980-1999) Washington Mystics Head Coach Rickie Adubato (NBA Head Coach in 1979-1980), Charlotte Sting Assistant Coach Earl Cureton (played in the NBA from 1981-1997) and Washington Mystics Assistant Coach Wayne Tree Rollins (played in the NBA from 1977-1995).

Steals Leaders
Tamika Catchings and Tully Bevilaqua are 2 of only 3 players this year to grab 50 steals (along with Shannon Johnson). In the win over San Antonio on 8/5, both players grabbed 7 steals apiece. Catchings (3.00 steals per game) and Bevilaqua (2.13) became the first teammates in WNBA history to lead the league in steals by ranking 1-2 in the WNBA in steals per game. The Catchings (94)-Bevilaqua (71) tandem posted the highest combined steals total (165) by teammates in WNBA history.

ALL-TIME WNBA TEAMMATES COMBINED STEALS LEADERS	TOTAL
1. Tamika Catchings (1st)-Tully Bevilaqua (2nd), Indiana [2006]	165
2. Kim Perrot (2nd)-Sheryl Swoopes (3rd), Houston [1998]	156
3. Yolanda Griffith (2nd)-Ticha Penicheiro (4th), Sacramento [2000]	153
4. Tamika Catchings (1st)-Tully Bevilaqua (4th), Indiana [2005]	150

( ) – Figures in parenthesis indicates individual ranking in WNBA steals

Mystics Franchise Record
Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson’s is in her first full season as the owner of the team, and the Mystics set a franchise record for most wins in a season with 18. Johnson is the only female majority owner of a WNBA team. The Mystics are one of three independently-owned franchises: Connecticut Sun (Mohegan Sun Tribe) and Chicago Sky (Michael Alter).

Worldly
How will Storm Head Coach Anne Donovan manage the pressure of leading the Storm to another championship and plan for the World Championship in September with the USA Senior Women’s National Team? This includes guiding Sue Bird, who will play for Donovan at the World Championships, and Lauren Jackson, who will play against Donovan as a member of the Australian National Team, at the World Championships.

Seeing-Quadruple-Double
Lisa Leslie was named WNBA Player of the Week on four occasions in 2006, the most by any player in a single season. Leslie also owns the most player of the week honors for her career with 14.

More Milestones

5,000
Lisa Leslie became the first player in WNBA history to record her 5,000th career point on 6/23/06.

4,000
Tina Thompson (7/16/06), Sheryl Swoopes (6/16/06) and Katie Smith (7/21/06) all tallied their 4,000 career point this year.

3,000
Tangela Smith, Lauren Jackson, Mwadi Mabika, Sheri Sam, Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Margo Dydek all posted their 3,000th career points this season, bringing the list to 15 players. Jackson reached the milestone fastest and youngest - in 162 games and at 25 years and 27 days old.

Sixth “Man”
Several players come off the bench for their teams, but play big roles and produce big numbers. Chamique Holdsclaw, Asjha Jones, Coco Miller and Tan White could all be candidates for “best sixth man” in 2006.

Can’t Catch Her
For the fourth time in her five-year career, Tamika Catchings has led the Fever in five categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. No other player has ever done so. Only three NBA players have led their team in all five categories: Scottie Pippen in 1994-95, Kevin Garnett in 2002-03 and current Chicago Sky Head Coach Dave Cowens in 1977-78.

Shattering Scoring Records
In 2000, the Houston Comets set the record for highest points per game average in a season at 77.3 points per game. In 2006, FOUR teams broke that mark: Phoenix (87.1) Washington (80.8), Connecticut (78.9) and Seattle (77.8).

In 2006, WNBA teams averaged a combined 75.2 ppg. All teams were above 70 ppg except NY and Chicago. Here is a look at the averages from each of the WNBA’s 10 seasons.

2006 - 75.2
2005 - 67.3
2004 - 67.1
2003 - 63.7
2002 - 67.6
2001 - 65.7
2000 - 69.0
1999 - 69.3
1998 - 70.3
1997 - 69.2

Remarkable Rookies
Seimone Augustus (21.9 ppg) and Cappie Pondexter (19.5 ppg) ranked among the top four in the scoring column all year and finished second and fourth, respectively. Aside from 1997 when everyone was a “rookie”, it marks the first time in WNBA history that two rookies have ranked that high.

Sacramento’s Sharp Shooter
Erin Buescher led the league with a .537 field goal percentage, making her the lowest/highest player ever drafted to lead the category. Buescher was a second round draft pick of the Minnesota Lynx at #23 overall in 2001. All other players to lead the league in field goal percentage have been top-10 draft picks with the exception of Zheng Haixia, who led the league in 1997 after being selected in the second round at #16 by the Los Angeles Sparks.

The bigger they are….
LA’s front line is big and tall…Playing alongside the 6’5 Lisa Leslie is 6’3 Jessica Moore, 6’3 Christi Thomas, 6’3 Tiffany Stansbury, 6’2 Murriel Page and 6’2 Chamique Holdsclaw.

MVP’s at it Again
In the history of the WNBA, all MVP’s have come from Western Conference teams….The past four MVP’s will all be competing in the 2006 WNBA Playoffs: Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Lauren Jackson and Yolanda Griffith. Only one of them is guaranteed a return trip to the WNBA Finals.

All WNBA Finals MVP’s have come from the Western Conference, with the exception of Detroit’s Ruth Riley in 2003. Yolanda Griffith, Betty Lennox, Lisa Leslie and Riley will participate in the 2006 WNBA Playoffs.

Historically Speaking
Since the playoff format switched in 1999 to the top four seeds advancing from each conference, the Eastern Conference has had at least one team at .500 or lower advance to the playoffs. In the Western Conference, every team advancing to the playoffs in each season has had at least 17 wins.

Fourscore and 10 years ago
As this year’s #4 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Mystics won a franchise-record 18 games compared to 16 losses. This marks just the second time in the WNBA’s 10-year history that the #4 seed in the East has had at least 18 wins. In 2001, Charlotte advanced all the way to the WNBA Finals against LA as the #4 seed in the East.