The 2006 WNBA regular season is over and the Power Rankings mean absolutely nothing anymore. Okay, maybe they never did, but the top eight teams move on to face each other and contend for the title while the bottom six teams have a long offseason to prepare for 2007. As for the final Power Rankings, the top five remained the same from last week as all had clinched playoff berths. Houston replaced Seattle not only for the third-seed in the Western Conference, but also for the sixth place on our Power Rankings as well. Phoenix is obviously the best of the eliminated teams and the Silver Stars lead all sub-.500 teams. Hope abounds for next season!
| 2006 WNBA.com POWER RANKINGS: Week Twelve | |||||
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TEAM (last) |
W/L |
NOTES | ||
| 1 |
| 26-8 | The
Sun remain in the top spot in the Rankings and the standings despite back-to-back
losses against Indiana and Detroit following a franchise-record 12-game winning
streak to end their impressive season. The Sun will face the Washington Mystics
in the first-round of the playoffs. Upcoming: at Washington, vs. Washingon | ||
| 2 |
| 25-9 | After
losing three in a row to end a long eight-game road trip, the Sparks finished
their season back home with two wins last week to cruise into their first-round
matchup against the Seattle Storm. M.V.P. candidate Lisa Leslie led the way in
scoring in both of the wins with 18 points against Sacramento on Wednesday and
24 against Minnesota on Sunday. Upcoming: at Seattle, vs Seattle | ||
| 3 |
| 23-11 | Detroit
clinched home-court advantage for their first-round matchup against the Fever
by defeating the Sun, 88-65, in their regular-season finale. Cheryl Ford grabbed
12 rebounds in the contest to become the WNBA's all-time single-season rebounding
record holder. Upcoming: at Indiana, vs. Indiana | ||
| 4 |
| 20-13 |
The Monarchs went 1-2 last week with two road losses against
the first-place Sparks and the streaking Mercury. Their only win came against
the Lynx at home on Thursday when Yolanda Griffith's 18 points led the way to
a 74-66 victory. The Monarchs will start another championship run when they meet
the third-place Comets in the first-round. | ||
| 5 |
| 21-13 |
After beating the East's best, the Connecticut Sun, on Friday
night, the Fever lost to the East's worst. Indiana ended the regular season with
an 80-73 loss to the visiting Chicago on Sunday just two days after defeating
the Connecticut Sun, 87-68, on the road. Indiana finished with the East's third
seed after Detroit defeated the Sun on Sunday. | ||
| 6 |
| 17-14 |
The Houston Comets almost fell out of playoff contention after
losing three-straight, including the classic 111-110 triple overtime loss to the
Phoenix Mercury on Thursday, with whom they were competing for the final seed.
However, on Sunday, led by a 31 point seven rebound performance from from Tina
Thompson, the Comets clinched their ninth playoff appearance after defeating the
Storm 89-72. The Comets moved ahead of the Storm, who clinched before the Comets
despite finishing with the same record because they held the tie-breaker. | ||
| 7 |
| 18-16 |
The Storm clinched a playoff spot earlier in the week, but could
not hold onto the third seed as they were defeated by the Comets, 89-72, on Saturday.
Star forward Lauren Jackson did not play in the game, instead choosing to rest
her legs. The Storm will face the Sparks in the first-round. | ||
| 8 |
| 18-16 | After
clinching two weeks ago, the Mystics finished the final week of the regular season
with a 2-1 record, with their only loss coming to the New York Liberty, 93-81,
on Sunday. They will open their first-round matchup against the first-place Sun
on Friday. Upcoming: vs. Connecticut, at Connecticut | ||
| 9 |
| 18-16 |
Despite a fantastic finish to the the season, winning seven in a row, the Mercury
tied the third-place Comets and the Storm with an 18-16 record. Yet Phoenix became
the odd team out because they did not hold the tie-breakers against each team.
Diana Taurasi set a single-game scoring record by scoring 47 points in a 111-110
triple-overtime win over the Comets and set a single-season scoring record after
averaging 30.6 during the Mercury's seven-game stretch. Upcoming: None | ||
| 10 |
| 11-23 | After
a 4-20 start, New York completed the 2006 season on a positive note, winning seven
of their final ten games. The Liberty finished 13-of-26 from the arc on their
way to a 93-81 win over the Mystics in their season finale. Upcoming: None | ||
| 11 |
| 13-21 | The
Silver Stars looked as though they were a playoff team earlier in the season,
but they finished the season losing 10 of their last 12. San Antonio's final win
of the season came as they defeated the Storm, 75-65, on Thursday. Upcoming: None | ||
| 12 |
| 11-23 | Led
by a solid week from Sheri Sam, Charlotte finished their season by winning two
of their final three including a 68-57 win over the playoff-bound Houston Comets
on Tuesday. Upcoming: None | ||
| 13 |
| 10-24 | The
Lynx, who once appeared as if they could be playoff-bound, lost their final three
games of their season and 11 of their final 13. Rookie Seimone Augustus is a Rookie
of the Year candidate after finishing the season with averages of 21.9 points,
3.76 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Upcoming: None | ||
| 14 |
| 5-29 | The
expansion Sky ended the 2006 season the same way they began it... with a win.
On Sunday, rookie Candice Dupree scored 24 points to lead the Sky past the Fever,
80-73, to post the teams second road win of their season. Upcoming: None | ||
