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SPORTSThursday 1 October 2015
Fever and Lynx to meet in
WNBA Finals in rematch of ‘12
DOUG FEINBERG one thinks we’ll win the fi- was the preseason favorite Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings (24) reacts against
AP Basketball Writer nals. We’re not done yet.” to win a third champion- the New York Liberty during the second half in Game 3 of the
NEW YORK (AP) — Four Catchings, who an- ship in five seasons, and WNBA basketball Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square
years ago, Tamika Catch- nounced she’s retiring at the Lynx nearly have Olym- Garden in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015
ings and the Indiana Fever the end of next season, has pians at every position,
came into the WNBA Finals willed her team to victo- headlined by Maya Moore. Associated Press
as a huge underdog to ries. The Fever won the final Still, Catchings has found a
Minnesota. two games in the opening way to will her team to vic- the league later said never was just anticipating them
Catchings and her squad round against Chicago. tories. Indiana is 8-2 in elimi- should have been made. passing the ball inside and
put forth an incredible ef- Then, against New York, nation games the past four She finished with a playoff just tried to get a deflec-
fort to pull off the upset, the Fever swept the final seasons, and Catchings is career-best 40 points. tion. That’s what I’ve been
knocking off the Lynx in two contests, rallying from a main reason why. She’s “You just keep playing until trying to do all year, lead
four games to win their only an 18-point deficit in the averaged 20.4 points in the last horn,” Moore said. “I my team in deflections.”q
championship in franchise second quarter in Game 2 those contests. She had 14
history. to force Tuesday’s contest, points and a bunch of key
Now the Lynx stand in the which they won 66-51. defensive plays in the win
way again of the Fever, “This is awesome,” Catch- over the Liberty on Tuesday
who, as Catchings put it, ings said. “If you had asked night.
weren’t even expected to me before the season if I’d She’ll have her hands full
make it out of the first round be sitting right here, we’re with the Lynx and Moore.
of the playoffs. The series going to try, I don’t know. The 2014 MVP came up
will begin Sunday in Minne- To be sitting here means a with a huge defensive
sota. lot for the organization, for play at the end of Game
“Nobody thought we’d my team.” 2’s win over Phoenix, and
win the first series,” Catch- Almost everyone thought then hit the game-winning
ings said. “No one thought Minnesota would be play- free throw with 1.5 seconds
we’d win this round. No ing for a championship. It left after a foul call that
U.S. women’s basketball team to train in Europe
ducted extensive interviews icans for the 2016 Olympics
with everyone involved, in Rio.
and because Brittney has The Americans will be miss-
continued to show remorse ing five members of the
and has dealt with this issue 2012 Olympic team: Maya
head-on, USA Basketball Moore, Seimone Augus-
believes that the discipline tus, Lindsay Whalen, Syl-
it is imposing on Brittney is via Fowles and Tamika
appropriate and fair.” Catchings are playing in
UConn senior Breanna the WNBA Finals that begin
Stewart will also be mak- Sunday.
ing the trip. The three-time “It’s one of the obstacles
Final Four most outstanding that we have every Olym-
player was part of the FIBA pic year — the amount of
world championship team time we get with our play-
that won a gold medal last ers,” said U.S. coach Geno
fall and qualified the Amer- Auriemma. “This is another
Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner (42) reacts to picking up her fourth foul against the Minnesota Refs in replay center will
Lynx, during Game 2 of the WNBA basketball Western Conference finals, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, make some rulings on
in Phoenix. NBA reviews
Associated Press
DOUG FEINBERG times a year that we can about 20 percent of camp NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA done in the Secaucus, New
AP Basketball Writer practice, and we need to once she gets there. says current referees will Jersey facility that opened
Fresh off their WNBA sea- make the most of it.” “USA Basketball does not staff its replay center this last season.
sons, Elena Delle Donne, Joining them will be Ste- condone violence of any season and be able to Those will include determi-
Candace Parker and Sue fanie Dolson, Candice Du- sort,” CEO Jim Tooley said. make decisions in certain nations such as whether a
Bird will lead a group of U.S. pree, Angel McCoughtry, “Brittney accepted respon- situations. shot was a 2- or 3-pointer,
basketball players to Eu- Danielle Robinson, Court- sibility for her actions and All replay reviews will still be or whether it beat the shot
rope to train in preparation ney Vandersloot and Tina has been complying with triggered by the three re- clock or end of quarter
for next year’s Olympics. Charles. Brittney Griner will the court order to attend views on the court. Howev- buzzer. Out of bounds calls
“It’s nice to get a group be with the team after serv- domestic violence coun- er, they will no longer make and goaltending rulings
together, since we have ing a suspension mandat- seling and has served a all the calls after the re- also will be handled by the
limited time because of ev- ed by USA Basketball for seven-game suspension in views, as some will now be replay center.q
eryone’s schedules,” Bird her domestic violence ar- the WNBA.
said. “There are only a few rest in April. Griner will miss “USA Basketball has con-
