1998 WNBA season
The 1998 season of the Women's National Basketball Association was played out the second season of the North American women's professional basketball league. The regular season began on 11 June 1998 with four opening games. After finishing the regular season, which was held until 19 August 1998 began the playoffs, which ended on 1 September 1998 with the second championship win of the Houston Comets.
- 2.1 Top 5 picks
- 3.1 WNBA All-Star Game
- 3.2 Completion Tables
- 4.1 mode
- 4.2 Playoff Tree
- 4.3 Semi Finals ( Round 1 ) 4.3.1 (W1 ) Houston Comets - (E2 ) Charlotte Sting
- 4.3.2 (E1 ) Cleveland Rockers - (W2 ) Phoenix Mercury
- 4.4.1 (W1 ) Houston Comets - (W2 ) Phoenix Mercury
- 4.4.2 WNBA champion team
- 5.1 All- WNBA teams
Special events
New game mode
The second WNBA season brought the following two changes to the game mode out:
- The number of games in the regular season were increased from 28 to 30 because two new teams joined the league.
- While a single game in the playoffs decided in the 1997 season on retirement and advancement, was played this season in the playoffs for the first time according to the best - of-three system.
League extension
On 1 October 1997, the WNBA decided on a league expansion from eight to ten teams. With this expansion was the cities of Detroit and Washington, DC assured a WNBA franchise, which are already to take up to this season their gaming operations. The two new teams were placed in the Eastern Conference. Thus, both Conferences consist of an equal number of teams that Houston Comets were incorporated in the Western Conference.
Draft
- Main article: WNBA Draft 1998
The second WNBA Draft took place on 28 April 1998 at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey instead. The first draft pick received the Utah Starzz, as they have finished the last season as the worst team. The two expansion franchises were awarded the third (Washington Mystics ) and fourth (Detroit Shock) draft pick.
In the first position the Utah Starzz chose the Polish Malgorzata Dydek. In places two to five followed a Portugisin ( Ticha Penicheiro ) and four U.S. women. Overall, the ten franchises secured the rights to 40 players. The lion's share with 29 players represented the United States.
Before the first WNBA Draft found for the two expansion teams an Initial Player Allocation, where the two teams were assigned at random to two professional players, as well as an expansion draft, in which the two franchises in two rounds the rights to players from the remaining were able to secure WNBA franchises, instead of two more drafts.
Top 5 picks
Abbreviations: Pos = Position G = Guard, F = Forward, C = Center
Regular Season
WNBA All-Star Game
The traditional All-Star Game WNBA was not introduced until 1999.
Statements Tables
Note: GP = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = games behind the leader of the Conference
Notes: = playoff qualification, = Conference Winner
Playoffs
Mode
After the two Conference winners, as well as the two other teams have qualified with the best record in the league, start the discharged in the knockout system Playoffs. The Conference winners are descending set according to their achieved from the regular season victories at the positions 1-2. At positions 3 and 4, the other teams, and it is quite possible that one or more team has won more games as one of the Conference winners follow.
All series of each round will be played in best-of -three mode, which means that a team with two wins needed to reach the next round. The lower set this team has the first match home right, the next two the opposing team. In games that remain tied after 40 minutes of regulation time, followed by the overtime.
Playoff Tree
Semi Finals ( Round 1 )
(W1 ) Houston Comets - (E2 ) Charlotte Sting
(E1 ) Cleveland Rockers - (W2 ) Phoenix Mercury
Finals ( Round 2)
(W1 ) Houston Comets - (W2 ) Phoenix Mercury
WNBA champion team
Guards: Cynthia Cooper ( Finals MVP ), Kim Perrot
Forwards: Janeth Arcain, Tammy Jackson, Yolanda Moore, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson
Center: Monica Lamb
Head Coach Van Chancellor