Leading by four points with under four minutes remaining, it appeared as if the Connecticut Sun was on its way to pushing top-seeded Detroit to a decisive Game 3 in the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals on September 7th at the Palace of Auburn Hills. That the Shock eventually rallied for a 79-73 victory, completing a 2-0 sweep of the series, did nothing to diminish what the Sun accomplished in their first season in Connecticut.

Formerly the Orlando Miracle, Connecticut put together the most successful season in the five year history of the franchise, earning just the second playoff berth in team annals by winning three games in four days to close out the regular season. That run included back-to-back triumphs over Charlotte and Washington on August 22-23rd, and a winner-take-all showdown with Indiana at the Conesco Fieldhouse on August 25th. With a playoff spot on the line for both teams, the Sun defeated the Fever to earn the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Sun’s 18 regular season victories established a new franchise standard, and the team also won its first-ever playoff series, sweeping the second-seeded Charlotte Sting 2-0 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs before finally succumbing to the eventual WNBA champions from Detroit in two hardfought games.

The season was highlighted by a number of other noteworthy accomplishments. Nykesha Sales became the 21st player in WNBA history to score 2,000 career points, achieving that milestone in a victory over the New York Liberty on July 6th. Later that season, Shannon Johnson also scored her 2,000th career point, and she also became just the second player in league history to amass 2,000 points, 600 rebounds and 700 assists in a career. Both Sales and Johnson represented the Eastern Conference in the WNBA All-Star game at Madison Square Garden.

As the season progressed, the Sun attracted an increasing number of fans to the Mohegan Sun Arena, averaging 7,195 per game after the All Star break. With the ninth pick in next April’s talent-heavy 2004 WNBA Draft, coach Mike Thibault and his staff expect to build on what was started this summer.