Swoopes Has an MVP Look for Western Finals Opener

HOUSTON —  To continue this season’s mastery over the only champion the WNBA has known since it geared up in 1997, who better for the Sparks to place in their cross-hairs tonight than Sheryl Swoopes?

There were indications Wednesday that Swoopes, already named the WNBA’s defensive player of the year, would be named most valuable player today as well. For one thing, the league scheduled a news conference for noon today in Houston.

Swoopes only grinned at a media session Wednesday, when asked if she’d been told she, not Lisa Leslie, would be so anointed today. The Sparks and the Comets clash tonight in Game 1 of the best-of-three Western Conference finals.

“You can talk all you want about awards, things you accomplished during the regular season--but when the playoffs start, and everyone’s even, it finally comes down to mental toughness,” she said.

“Now it’s about not letting referees’ calls bother you, it’s about focus, concentration--if we do all that, we have a good chance.”

Swoopes, 6 feet, cat quick and graceful, came to the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta in 1993 and stood the women’s game on its ear with a 47-point performance that gave Texas Tech an 84-82 victory over Ohio State and the national championship.

Then came the 1996 Olympic gold medal with the U.S. women’s dream team. And with her first WNBA title, she joined the small club of athletes who’ve won NCAA, Olympic and pro championships--just like her teammate, Cynthia Cooper.

But for all her success as a pro, it hasn’t been a smooth ride. There was a divorce last year and there have been squabbles with her superstar teammate, Cooper.

“There is absolutely nothing left for me to accomplish in basketball,” she said. “I’ve won championships at every level. I’ve even met Michael Jordan [her son is named for him]. I just love playing this game.”

A victory tonight over the Sparks, Cooper said, is imperative if the Comets are to win a fourth consecutive title.

“If we’re to put any pressure on them at all, we have to win here,” she said. “How can we expect to win twice in L.A. if we can’t beat them once at our place?”

Asked to explain the season sweep the Sparks achieved, she spoke of Spark depth.

“L.A. has a lot of good players, and they all come in and contribute,” she said. “To beat the Sparks, you have to play great defense against all five players they have on the floor.”

The Sparks have two strong assets in this matchup. One, they have Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton inside and Houston has virtually no inside game, save for Tina Thompson. Second, the Comets haven’t had a true point guard since the late Kim Perrot.

So a key for this series seems to be how well Houston can shoot three-point shots. In the regular season, the Comets shot 35%, third best in the league. However, the Spark defense held teams to 29.5% from beyond the arc, second best.

“Houston needs eight to 16 three-point attempts to open up their whole offense, and Swoopes can hit that shot from two steps behind the NBA line,” Spark Coach Michael Cooper said. “But we have very quick players who can get out there on the perimeter and defend that shot.”