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SPORTSThursday 25 August 2016

Olympics done, WNBA ready for sprint to the finishÂ

DOUG FEINBERG United States team members pose for a photo after the gold medal basketball game against person retiring at the end
AP Basketball Writer Spain at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. of the season. Penny Tay-
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) With lor also announced this is
the Olympics behind it, the Associated Press her last year playing pro-
WNBA is ready to restart its fessionally . Swin Cash an-
season after a month-long need to start playing like it.” Reeve isn’t worried about Here are a few other things nounced her retirement in
break. Los Angeles and Minneso- the impact playing in the to watch as the WNBA gets the middle of the season,
There should be quite the ta have already clinched Olympics has had on her back underway: effective at the end of this
sprint to the finish over the playoff spots and most like- core four. RETURNING FROM INJURY: year. San Antonio coach
league’s final weeks. ly will be the top two seeds, “They would have been New York sits in third place Dan Hughes said before
“Very excited to get the earning them byes into the playing anywhere whether and should get a boost the season it would be his
back end of the season semifinals. The Sparks had it was here or there,” she from the return of Epiph- final one on the bench.
going,” WNBA President plenty of time to rest over said. “The domestic stuff anny Prince, who missed POWER POLL: The AP pow-
Lisa Borders said. “You think the last month as none was pretty challenging on the first 26 games while re- er poll will pick back up on
about the format changes, of their players was in the their time and their bodies. covering from an ACL in- Tuesday, Aug. 31. In the
top eight teams make the Olympics. Once we got to Rio and jury . Coach Bill Laimbeer last one before the break
playoffs, doesn’t matter Not the case for Minneso- settled on the (cruise) ship expects her to be ready the order was Los Ange-
what your geography is, it ta, which had coach Cher- and got a little more of a come playoff time. les, Minnesota, New York,
matters what your record yl Reeve and stars Maya rhythm and downtime. ... FAREWELL: Tamika Catch- Indiana, Atlanta, Chicago,
is.” Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Geno’s done a great job ings won her fourth gold Phoenix, Seattle, Connecti-
Only 4 1-2 games separate Seimone Augustus and Syl- managing their bodies. medal and now winds cut, Dallas, Washington
fourth place and 11th af- via Fowles all with the gold We’ll continue down that down her playing career in and San Antonio.
ter the league changed its medal-winning U.S. team. path.” Indiana. She’s not the only SUPER 20: The WNBA is cel-
playoff format this season ebrating the end of the
to get rid of conferences. season with a new ad and
The top eight teams will a sweepstakes. With only
make the playoffs. 58 games left, the WNBA
“The league is very close is offering any fan who
right now and anybody buys a ticket entry into a
can make it into the play- sweepstakes to attend
offs or get kicked out at this next year’s All-Star game
point,” Chicago Sky star or the NBA All-Star game or
Elena Delle Donne said. a cash prize.
“Every game is do or die.” “The thought behind WNBA
Phoenix, which had near- Super20 was with all the in-
ly half its team go to Rio, terest coming out of the
had been the biggest dis- Olympics and our wom-
appointment this season. en’s national team, with
Picked in preseason by the their sixth consecutive gold
league’s general manag- medal, we really wanted
ers to win the title, the Mer- to do something special for
cury sit at 10-14 and in sev- our fans and create some-
enth place. thing that would say thank
“The WNBA season is very you to our core fans,”
tricky, especially with the WNBA chief operating of-
Olympic break,” Diana ficer Jay Parry said. “And
Taurasi said. “If we can also introduce the WNBA
start building momentum to casual fans and give
and playing good basket- them a reason to come to
ball, we have champion- a WNBA game as we race
ship caliber talent. We just towards the playoffs.”q

Dynamic Doubles Duo: Federer,

Nadal to team up in Laver Cup

 In this Jan. 24, 2014, file photo, Rafael Nadal of Spain, right, and the inaugural Laver Cup. in Prague on Sept. 22-24, ally, except during Olympic
Roger Federer of Switzerland pose at the net before their semi- With a combined 31 Grand 2017, indoors at the O2 years, two weeks after the
final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Slam titles, Federer and Arena. U.S. Open, with the loca-
Australia. Nadal have committed to Former rivals Bjorn Borg of tion rotating. There will be
the team event, which at- Sweden (Europe) and John six men on each team: four
Associated Press tempts to create a tennis McEnroe of the U.S. (World based on the rankings after
version of golf’s Ryder Cup. team) will serve as captains Wimbledon, and two cap-
NEW YORK (AP) — Roger other in eight major finals, Named for Australian great for the first three years. tain’s picks announced af-
Federer and Rafael Nad- plan to team up as doubles Rod Laver, the competition Laver, Borg, McEnroe, Fe- ter the U.S. Open.
al, who have faced each partners next year during pitting a squad of Europe- derer and Nadal — ac- There will be 12 matches
an men’s players against a counting for 60 major sin- played over three days
group from the rest of the gles titles — gathered at a (nine singles and three
world was first announced Manhattan hotel Wednes- doubles), with the number
in January. On Wednes- day for the announce- of points awarded for vic-
day, organizers said the ments. The plan is for the tories increasing each day.
first edition would be held Laver Cup to be held annu- q