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July 23, 2004 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


7/23 – Minnesota (13-9, 3rd in West) at Washington (9-12, 6th in East) – 7:00 ET

PRIOR MEETINGS Second of two meetings – Minnesota leads series, 1-0

May 28 at Minnesota Lynx 73 – Mystics 62
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040528/WASMIN/boxscore.html
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040528/WASMIN/recap.html

PLAYER TRENDS Minnesota's Katie Smith, a member of the 2004 US Women's Senior National Team, recently passed Charlotte's Andrea Stinson for third place on the WNBA's career scoring list. She trails second place Tina Thompson by 177 points. Smith is connecting on a career-high 43.4 percent of her three-point field goal attempts on the season.

Chamique Holdsclaw is closing in on the 3,000th point of her WNBA career (2,939). If she maintains her current pace she will be the youngest player to reach the mark, and she will have reached it in fewer games than any other player.

Lynx rookie Nicole Ohlde is enjoying a successful rookie campaign. She ranks second among rookies in scoring (10.9), first in rebounds (6.0), first in blocked shots (1.59), fourth in assists (1.9) and second in field goal percentage (43.2).

Mystics rookie Alana Beard is averaging 20.3 points per game over her last three games connecting on 57.9 percent shooting from the field over that span.

TEAM TRENDS The Mystics have already tied their win total from 2003 with 14 games to go in the 2004 WNBA Season. Last year they finished the year at 9-25

The Lynx have the longest current winning streak in the league at six games. Four other teams have posted six-game winning streaks this season – New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and Connecticut – but none was able to extend that streak to seven games.

The Minnesota Lynx turn the ball over on a league-high 24.6 percent of its possessions, while the Mystics are the best in the league coughing it up on just 17.1 percent of its possessions.

The Lynx hold opponents to 40.0 percent shooting from the field – the third lowest percentage in the league – while the Mystics permit opponents to make 43.1 percent of their shots (sixth worst in the league).

KEY STATISTICS
Minnesota Offensive Efficiency – 91.9, 11th Defensive Efficiency – 92.6, 4th
Scoring Differential – 0.0, 6th Pace – 68.9, 7th
Reb Pct. – .507, 5th Off. Reb. Pct. – .334, 5th Def. Reb. Pct. – .680, 7th

Washington Offensive Efficiency – 96.0, 6th Defensive Efficiency – 98.1, 11th
Scoring Differential – - 2.1, 12th Pace – 71.9, 3rd
Reb Pct. – .493, 7th Off. Reb. Pct. – .299, 9th Def. Reb. Pct. – .688, 6th







7/23 – Charlotte (10-10, T2nd in East) at Detroit (10-12, 5th in East) – 7:30 ET

PRIOR MEETINGS Second of four meetings – Detroit leads series, 1-0

June 23 at Charlotte Shock 65 – Sting 60
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040623/DETCHA/boxscore.html
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040623/DETCHA/recap.html

PLAYER TRENDS Charlotte's Allison Feaster is trying to extend a WNBA record currently in her possession. The seventh-year forward increased her scoring average in each of her first six WNBA seasons, and needs to up her scoring average slightly this season to continue that streak – 1998, 3.3; 1999, 5.1; 2000, 6.3; 2001, 11.4; 2002, 11.8; 2003, 12.4; 2004, 12.1.

Detroit's Swin Cash is getting some MVP recognition this season posting career highs in scoring (16.9), assists (4.2), field goal percentage (49.6), three-point field goal percentage (46.7), steals (1.45) and blocked shots (1.00).

Cash and Elaine Powell (4.7) are the only teammates in the WNBA each averaging more than 4.0 assists per game

The Sting's Tammy Sutton-Brown is enjoying a nice bounce-back season following an off-year in 2003. She is averaging 10.1 points along with career-highs in rebounds (7.3), blocked shots (1.85) and free throw percentage (74.4) while connecting on 47.5 percent of her field goal attempts.

TEAM TRENDS After losing three games in a row, the Sting are still at the .500 mark, but they have the second worst scoring differential in the league at -2.1. Three of Charlotte's last four losses have been by double-digits, and their 5-7 record in conference games is the second lowest in the East.

Detroit has dropped four of its last five games with an average margin of defeat in those games of 18.5 points per game. They have lost eight of their last 11 games, and with 12 losses this season, are one loss away from tying the mark for most losses by a defending WNBA Champion (Houston, 19-13 in 2001).

The Charlotte Sting plays at by far the slowest pace in the WNBA averaging 62.3 possessions per 40 minutes. The second slowest team, the Indiana Fever, averages 67.2 possessions per 40 minutes, while the Detroit Shock average 72.3 possessions per 40 minutes – the second fastest pace in the league.

The Sting are one of two teams with a perfect record (4-0) in the league this season in games decided by three-points or less. The Detroit Shock are just 1-4.

KEY STATISTICS
Charlotte Offensive Efficiency – 96.0, 6th Defensive Efficiency – 98.3, 12th
Scoring Differential – - 2.1, 12th Pace – 62.3, 13th
Reb Pct. – .474, 12th Off. Reb. Pct. – .308, 6th Def. Reb. Pct. – .639, 13th

Detroit Offensive Efficiency – 95.7, 8th Defensive Efficiency – 97.7, 10th
Scoring Differential – -1.4, 10th Pace – 72.3, 2nd
Reb Pct. – .510, 4th Off. Reb. Pct. – .347, 3rd Def. Reb. Pct. – .674, 9th







7/23 – Houston (10-12, T4th in West) at Los Angeles (16-7, 1st in West) – 10:30 ET (NBATV)

PRIOR MEETINGS Third of three meetings – Series is split, 1-1
June 5 at Houston Comets 75 – Sparks 71
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040605/LASHOU/boxscore.html
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040605/LASHOU/recap.html
July 10 at Houston Sparks 59 – Comets 56
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040710/LASHOU/boxscore.html
http://www.wnba.com/games/20040710/LASHOU/recap.html

PLAYER TRENDS Houston's Tina Thompson has missed seven games for the Comets due to injury. Although she has reached double-figures in all four games since her return, she is shooting just 32.4 percent from the field over that time.

Sparks center Lisa Leslie is averaging 15.9 points per game this season which would be the second lowest average of her career. She leads the league in rebounds per game, and is on pace to be the first player in WNBA history to average double-figure rebounds in three consecutive seasons, and four seasons overall. She needs 18 points to become the first player in WNBA history to reach the 4,000 points plateau

The Comets' Sheryl Swoopes has failed to score at least 20 points in each of her last seven games. She is averaging 12.2 points per game over that stretch and hitting 38.4 percent of her field goal attempts.

Los Angeles' forward Laura Macchi has started the past two games for the Sparks and is averaging 12 points per game on 9-of-17 shooting from the field. She also posted her first career double-double when she scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds vs. the Mystics on July 21.

TEAM TRENDS Los Angeles has won eight of nine games, and has won its last two games by 34 and 20 points. The league record for consecutive wins by 20 or more points (not necessarily consecutive games played, but consecutive wins) is three set on three occasions – Cleveland, July 15 – 28, 2000; Indiana, June 5 – July 12, 2000; and Houston, July 12 – 18, 1997.

The Comets have won two straight after dropping five in a row. Their two wins have also been by double-figures – 36 and 16 points respectively.

The Sparks hold opponents to 39.1 percent shooting from the field – the lowest percentage in the league – while the Comets permit opponents to hit just 40.6 percent of its shots – third lowest in the league.

Houston leads the league in defensive efficiency allowing just 91.1 points per 100 possessions. They ranked second in the WNBA in 2003 (94.1), first in 2002 (88.4), third in 2001 (92.4), first in 2000 (91.0), first in 1999 (92.4), first in 1998 (88.3) and third in 1997 (90.5).

Los Angeles is the second best defensive rebounding team in the league (70.6 defensive rebound percentage), while Houston is the worst offensive rebounding team (27.7 offensive rebound percentage).

KEY STATISTICS
Houston Offensive Efficiency – 91.6, 12th Defensive Efficiency – 91.1, 1st
Scoring Differential – +0.3, 5th Pace – 68.8, 9th
Reb Pct. – .489, 9th Off. Reb. Pct. – .277, 13th Def. Reb. Pct. – .701, 4th

Los Angeles Offensive Efficiency – 96.2, 5th Defensive Efficiency – 91.9, 2nd
Scoring Differential – +3.7, 2nd Pace – 73.7, 1st
Reb Pct. – .504, 6th Off. Reb. Pct. – .301, 8th Def. Reb. Pct. – .706, 2nd

EXPLANATION OF STATISTICS

OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY – Points Scored and Allowed per 100 Possessions
Points Per Game and Points Allowed Per Game can be greatly influenced by the pace at which a team plays leading to inaccurate representations of team's strengths and weaknesses. Using Points Scored Per 100 Possessions (Offensive Efficiency), or conversely, Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions (Defensive Efficiency), takes the pace at which a team plays out of the equation, illuminating which teams are the most efficient at using their offensive and defensive possessions.

Points Per 100 Possessions is used rather than Points Per Possession because it has more of a traditional Points Per Game look to it.

PACE – Possessions Per 40 Minutes
Different teams play at different paces whether it is the run-and-gun style of Bill Laimbeer's Detroit Shock, the more methodical pace that has characterized many of the recent Charlotte Sting teams, or somewhere in between.

Beginning with the 2004 WNBA Season, official Possessions Per 40 Minutes statistics are available. The per-40-minutes version of the statistic is used as opposed to the per-game version to eliminate the additional possessions that are accumulated in overtime games.

OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE REBOUND PERCENTAGE
Offensive Rebound Percentage is defined by the following formula . . .

TmOReb / ( TmOReb + OppDReb )

Defensive Rebound Percentage is defined by the following formula . . .

TmDReb / ( TmDReb + OppOReb )

Using a percentage, rather than total number of rebounds is a much more effective way to determine which teams are winning the rebound battle.

The reason for this is simple. A team can only get a rebound if somebody misses a shot. Here is an example to illustrate that point.

Team A misses 100 shots vs. Team B. They grab 35 of those possible offensive rebounds. Team B, on the other hand, not only is a great shooting team, but they grab all 25 of their missed shots vs. Team A.

Ranking Team A and Team B by total offensive rebounds would give us the following leader-board.

Team A 35 Team B 25

Team B, despite the fact that they grabbed every single available rebound, would be ranked behind Team A. If we rank the teams by Offensive Rebound Percentage, however, we get the following . . .

Team B 1.000 Team A .350

And Team B assumes its rightful place at the top of the list.

REBOUND PERCENTAGE
Rebound Percentage is determined by averaging Offensive Rebound Percentage and Defensive Rebound Percentage



WNBA Efficiency Rankings

Offensive Efficiency
Team OER (Lg. Avg. - 95.4)
Seattle 101.6
Phoenix 99.4
Sacramento 96.9
Indiana 96.6
Los Angeles 96.2
Charlotte 96.0
Washington 96.0
Detroit 95.7
Connecticut 94.7
New York 93.4
Minnesota 91.9
Houston 91.6
San Antonio 90.6
Defensive Efficiency
Team DER (Lg. Avg. - 95.4)
Houston 91.1
Los Angeles 91.9
Seattle 92.2
Minnesota 92.6
Sacramento 95.5
New York 95.5
Phoenix 95.8
Indiana 96.6
Connecticut 96.6
Detroit 97.7
Washington 98.1
Charlotte 98.3
San Antonio 99.0

WNBA Pace Rankings (Possessions Per 40 Minutes)

Team Poss/40Min (Lg. Avg. - 69.3)
Los Angeles 73.7
Detroit 72.3
Washington 71.9
Connecticut 71.1
Seattle 70.7
Sacramento 69.2
Minnesota 68.9
New York 68.9
Houston 68.8
Phoenix 68.0
San Antonio 68.0
Indiana 67.2
Charlotte 62.3

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