1997 Houston Comets season
The 1997 WNBA season was the first season for the Houston Comets. The Comets won the inaugural WNBA Finals.
| 1997 Houston Comets season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Van Chancellor |
| Arena | Compaq Center |
| Attendance | 9,703 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 18–10 (.643) |
| Place | 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Won WNBA Finals |
Offseason
Initial Player Allocation
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Sheryl Swoopes (F) |  United States |
Houston Comets | Texas Tech |
| 6 | Cynthia Cooper (G) | United States |
Houston Comets | Southern California |
WNBA Draft
| Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tina Thompson | United States |
Southern California |
Regular season
Season standings
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets x | 18 | 10 | .643 | 6–6 | – |
| New York Liberty x | 17 | 11 | .607 | 8–4 | 1.0 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
| Cleveland Rockers o | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 | @ Cleveland | 76-56 | Win | 1-0 |
| June 24 | vs Phoenix | 70-55 | Win | 2-0 |
| June 26 | vs New York | 60-62 (OT) | Loss | 2-1 |
| June 28 | @ Utah | 76-58 | Win | 3-1 |
| June 30 | vs Los Angeles | 71-66 (OT) | Win | 4-1 |
| July 2 | @ New York | 67-70 | Loss | 4-2 |
| July 4 | vs New York | 58-65 | Loss | 4-3 |
| July 7 | vs Charlotte | 74-56 | Win | 5-3 |
| July 9 | @ Phoenix | 64-69 | Loss | 5-4 |
| July 12 | vs Sacramento | 89-61 | Win | 6-4 |
| July 14 | vs Utah | 79-56 | Win | 7-4 |
| July 16 | @ Los Angeles | 52-77 | Loss | 7-5 |
| July 18 | @ Sacramento | 82-60 | Win | 8-5 |
| July 22 | @ Phoenix | 77-69 | Win | 9-5 |
| July 25 | @ Sacramento | 86-76 | Win | 10-5 |
| July 29 | vs Cleveland | 64-73 | Loss | 10-6 |
| August 1 | @ Los Angeles | 81-57 | Win | 11-6 |
| August 2 | @ Utah | 63-74 | Loss | 11-7 |
| August 5 | @ Cleveland | 76-66 | Win | 12-7 |
| August 7 | vs Phoenix | 74-70 | Win | 13-7 |
| August 9 | vs Los Angeles | 72-71 | Win | 14-7 |
| August 11 | @ Charlotte | 72-62 | Win | 15-7 |
| August 12 | vs Utah | 76-56 | Win | 16-7 |
| August 16 | @ Charlotte | 71-80 | Loss | 16-8 |
| August 17 | @ New York | 70-55 | Win | 17-8 |
| August 19 | vs Charlotte | 77-69 | Win | 18-8 |
| August 21 | vs Cleveland | 75-76 | Loss | 18-9 |
| August 24 | vs Sacramento | 58-68 | Loss | 18-10 |
| August 28 (Playoffs) | vs Charlotte | 70-54 | Win | 1-0 |
| August 30 (WNBA Finals) | vs New York | 65-51 | Win | 2-0 |
Player stats
- Janeth Arcain ranked second in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .894
- Cynthia Cooper ranked fifth in the WNBA in assists with 131.
- Cynthia Cooper ranked sixth in the WNBA in Field Goal Percentage (.470)
- Cynthia Cooper ranked third in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .864
- Cynthia Cooper ranked first in the WNBA in field goals with 191.
- Cynthia Cooper ranked first in the WNBA in points with 621.
- Cynthia Cooper ranked fifth in the WNBA in minutes per game with 35.1
- Cynthia Cooper ranked fifth in the WNBA in steals with 59.
- Kim Perrot ranked ninth in the WNBA in assists with 88.
- Kim Perrot ranked third in the WNBA in steals with 69.
- Tina Thompson ranked ninth in the WNBA in points with 370 points.-
- Tina Thompson ranked seventh in the WNBA in total rebounds with 184
- Tina Thompson ranked ninth in the WNBA in points per game with 13.2
- Tina Thompson ranked seventh in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .838
- Tina Thompson tied for fifth in the WNBA in blocks with 28.
Playoffs
- Won WNBA Finals (1-0) over New York Liberty
- Won WNBA Semifinals (1-0) over Charlotte Sting
Awards and honors
- Cynthia Cooper, WNBA Most Valuable Player Award
- Cynthia Cooper, WNBA Finals MVP Award
- Cynthia Cooper, Guard, All-WNBA First Team
- Cynthia Cooper: Led WNBA, Field Goals 191[3]
- Cynthia Cooper: Led WNBA, 3-Pt Field Goals, 67[3]
- Cynthia Cooper: Led WNBA, Free Throws, 172[3]
- Cynthia Cooper: Led WNBA, Free Throw Attempts, 199[3]
- Cynthia Cooper: Led WNBA, Points, 621 [3]
- Cynthia Cooper: Led WNBA, Points per game, 22.2 [3]
- Cynthia Cooper: Ranked third in the WNBA in minutes played, 982
- Wanda Guyton: Second in WNBA (tied), Offensive Rebounds, 76 [3]
- Tina Thompson, Forward, All-WNBA First Team
- Van Chancellor, Coach of the Year [4]
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2008-10-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.wnba.com/history/comets_draft_history.html
- https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/years/1997.html
- http://www.wnba.com/history/awards_1997.html
External links
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