2012 WNBA Finals
The 2012 WNBA Finals was the series for the 2012 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs.[1] The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Indiana Fever, champions of the Eastern Conference. The Fever defeated the Lynx three games to one becoming only the second Eastern Conference franchise to capture a WNBA title.
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| Dates | October 14 – 21 | |||||||||
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| MVP |  Tamika Catchings | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals | Indiana defeated Connecticut, 2–1 | |||||||||
| Western Finals | Minnesota defeated Los Angeles, 2–0 | |||||||||
The WNBA Finals were under a 2–2–1 rotation. The Lynx held home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (27–7) than the Fever (22–12). The Lynx were defending their 2011 WNBA Championship. The Fever appeared in the 2009 Finals.[2]
Background
2012 WNBA regular season
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Sun y | 25 | 9 | .735 | – | 12–5 | 13–4 | 18–4 |
| Indiana Fever x | 22 | 12 | .647 | 3.0 | 13–4 | 9–8 | 15–7 |
| Atlanta Dream x | 19 | 15 | .559 | 6.0 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 12–10 |
| New York Liberty x | 15 | 19 | .441 | 10.0 | 9–8 | 6–11 | 10–12 |
| Chicago Sky o | 14 | 20 | .412 | 11.0 | 7–10 | 7–10 | 8–14 |
| Washington Mystics o | 5 | 29 | .147 | 20.0 | 4–13 | 1–16 | 3–19 |
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Lynx z | 27 | 7 | .794 | – | 16–1 | 11–6 | 17–5 |
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 24 | 10 | .706 | 3.0 | 16–1 | 8–9 | 15–7 |
| San Antonio Silver Stars x | 21 | 13 | .618 | 6.0 | 12–5 | 9–8 | 14–8 |
| Seattle Storm x | 16 | 18 | .471 | 11.0 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 11–11 |
| Tulsa Shock o | 9 | 25 | .265 | 18.0 | 6–11 | 3–14 | 5–17 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 7 | 27 | .206 | 20.0 | 3–14 | 4–13 | 4–18 |
2012 WNBA Playoffs
| Minnesota Lynx | Indiana Fever | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 27–7 (.794) 1st West, 1st overall |
Seeding | 22–12 (.647) 2nd East, 4th overall | |
| Defeated the (4) Seattle Storm, 2–1 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (3) Atlanta Dream, 2–1 | |
| Defeated the (2) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (1) Connecticut Sun, 2–1 | |
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever finished 22–12, good for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Fever lost their first playoff game against the Atlanta Dream, but rallied to win two straight elimination games, setting up a conference final against the Connecticut Sun. Once again, Indiana lost the first game of the series, but rallied to win two straight to reach the finals for the second time in four years.
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx finished with the best record in the WNBA for the second straight year, finishing with a 27–7 record. The Lynx were taken to three games by the Seattle Storm, winning Game 3 by one point. The Lynx then swept the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Finals, which gave them a chance to defend their 2011 WNBA title.
Regular-season series
The Minnesota Lynx won the season series 2–0:
Series summary
- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).
Game 1
Game 2
October 17 8:00pm ET |
| Indiana Fever 71, Minnesota Lynx 83 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–11, 15–20, 22–29, 16–23 | ||
| Pts: Catchings (27) Rebs: Catchings (8) Asts: Phillips (4) |
Pts: Augustus (27) Rebs: Brunson (7) Asts: McWilliams-Franklin, Moore, Whalen (4) | |
| Series tied 1–1 | ||
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 13,478 Referees: Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan, Brenda Pantoja |
Game 3
October 19 8:00pm ET |
| Minnesota Lynx 59, Indiana Fever 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 11–24, 11–25, 21–6 | ||
| Pts: Brunson (12) Rebs: Brunson (9) Asts: Wiggins (3) |
Pts: Zellous (30) Rebs: Larkins (12) Asts: Davenport (4) | |
| Indiana lead series, 2–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Denise Brooks, Lamont Simpson, Eric Brewton |
Game 4
October 21 8:00pm ET |
| Minnesota Lynx 78, Indiana Fever 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 24–22, 16–18, 20–24 | ||
| Pts: Whalen (22) Rebs: Augustus (7) Asts: Whalen (8) |
Pts: Catchings (28) Rebs: Larkins (13) Asts: Catchings (8) | |
| Indiana win series, 3–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 15,213 Referees: Sue Blauch, Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan |
Rosters
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| Indiana Fever roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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