Semua Info Dan Trik: BasketBall

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As ping pong balls bounce, fates of 14 teams hang in balance

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Tuesday at 8 p.m. (ESPN), the annual NBA Draft lottery will be conducted in Secaucus, N.J. All 14 teams will send a representative -- some their General Manager (Larry Riley, John Hammond), others their coach (Alvin Gentry, Scott Brooks), others a star player (Kevin Love) -- to watch the excruciatingly painful process of seeing their team's future being decided by a bunch of ping pong balls.</div>
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In a Draft such as this, where there appears to be a huge dropoff between the second and third picks, there is that much more on the line.</div>
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Here's what will actually happen behind the scenes, from the official NBA press release:</div>
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"Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a drum. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Prior to the Lottery, 1,000 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating Lottery teams by a computer.</div>
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The Sacramento Kings finished the season with the NBA's worst record (17-65), so they will be assigned 250 combinations. The Phoenix Suns, the best team in the lottery at 46-36, will have five combinations out of 1,000.</div>
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Four balls will be drawn to the top to determine a four-digit combination. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the number one pick. The four balls are placed back in the drum and the process is repeated to determine the number two and three picks. (Note: If the one unassigned combination is drawn, the balls are drawn to the top again.)</div>
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The order of selection for the teams that do not win one of the top three picks will be determined by inverse order of their regular season record. Thus, Sacramento can pick no lower than fourth, Washington (19-63) no lower than fifth and the L.A. Clippers (19-63) no lower than sixth.</div>
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The actual Lottery procedure will take place in a separate room prior to the national broadcast with NBA officials and representatives of the participating teams and the accounting firm of Ernst & Young in attendance.</div>
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Following the drawing, team logo cards will be inserted into envelopes marked 1 through 14 by an Ernst & Young representative. These envelopes then will be sealed and brought on-stage, where the announcement of the Lottery results will be made by NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. A second representative from each participating team will be seated on-stage. Neither the Deputy Commissioner nor the team representatives will be informed of the Lottery results prior to the opening of the envelopes.</div>
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The team whose logo is in the last envelope opened will pick first in NBA Draft 2009, to be held on Thursday, June 25, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City."</div>
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Here's what's at stake for all 14 teams participating in the lottery, as well as their odds of coming away with the first, second or third pick.</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">source from : <a href="http://nba.com/">NBA.com</a></span></div>

As ping pong balls bounce, fates of 14 teams hang in balance

Tuesday at 8 p.m. (ESPN), the annual NBA Draft lottery will be conducted in Secaucus, N.J. All 14 teams will send a representative -- som...

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Georgia Tech profs put heads together, pick an NBA champ

<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="cavs608.jpg" border="0" height="262" src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/2009/playoffs2009/04/17/gatech20090417/cavs608.jpg" style="margin: 0px;" width="608"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">David Liam Kyle<br /></font></div></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Playoffs are filled with talking heads. They're NBA veterans in nice suits, or hard-nosed reporters spending their lives in the locker rooms, all spewing opinions on who the next NBA champion migt be. Once in a while, they even turn out to be right.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What if there were some guys who were never in the league, though, and who never appeared on TV, and they turned out to be better analysts than your typical talking head?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And what if they could kick your butt in a game of Jeopardy, too?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Those guys are professors Joel Sokol, 37, Paul Kvam, 46, and George Nemhauser, 71, at the Georgia Institute of Technology's H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Together, the professors have invented an equation called the Logistic Regression Markov Chain (LRMC) that can predict the outcome of sporting tournaments. Using this highly complex mathematical equation, they can pick the NBA champion for the 2008-09 season without watching a game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With the LRMC by their side, these group of mathletes claim to be better prognosticators than Charles Barkley, Gary Payton or any other talking-head analyst on the planet.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I think we could take on Gary and the guys, when it comes to predictions," says Sokol, the mastermind behind the LRMC.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"We could give this talk about the LRMC to thousands of professors at universities who would love to hear the equation," says Kvam. "But most of them would probably say 'What are Cleveland Cavaliers and why are they playing Jazz in Utah?'"</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The LRMC initially was designed to decide the champion of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The professors were inspired by a last-second shot by Tennessee that knocked Tech out of the tournament in 2002.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Since that game, the LRMC has picked the correct NCAA tournament winner three out of five times, including this year, when North Carolina won. In addition to picking the champ, in 2008 the LRMC got all three of the final rounds correct, and it even got the NIT champion right, too.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Everyone has this intuition just by looking at head-to-heads and blowouts for who is going to win," says Sokol. "All we are doing is making a more rigorous argument."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Because the professors seemed so sure in their equation, and did pretty well in the NCAAs, we decided to challenge them to see if they could predict the outcome of the NBA Playoffs.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">They scoffed. They said they could do it in 20 minutes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Which, when you think about it, easily beats hours of sports chatter from the talking-head analysts.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The professors took 16 years worth of NBA data from every team in the Playoffs and used that to determine the strength of each team and its ranking. The professors then picked random matches between teams from the past 16 years, took the outcomes and plugged them into a logistic-reasoning equation.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

Georgia Tech profs put heads together, pick an NBA champ

David Liam Kyle The Playoffs are filled with talking heads. They're NBA veterans in nice suits, or hard-nosed reporters spending their l...

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Atlanta Dream Win Top Pick in 2009 WNBA Draft

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<b><span style="font-size: 100%;">-- Washington Mystics, Chicago Sky Round Out    Top Three Picks --</span></b></div>
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<b>NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2008 - </b>The Atlanta Dream won the eighth annual WNBA    Draft Lottery and earned the top pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft, the league announced    today.</div>
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The Atlanta Dream will get the ball rolling in the 2009 WNBA Draft after winning the lottery today in New York.</div>
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Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images</div>
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The winning team had 420 chances out of 1,000 to receive the first overall    selection. The lottery went exactly according to odds for the first time in    WNBA history. The Washington Mystics will have the second pick in the draft    followed by the Chicago Sky.</div>
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WNBA officials conducted the Draft Lottery in New York City, which included    the five teams that did not qualify for the 2008 Playoffs and established the    order of selection for the first five picks of the 2009 Draft. Additionally,    the order of selection for the remainder of the first round as well as the entire    second and third rounds is based on each team's finish during the 2008 regular    season.</div>
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Following are results of the 2009 WNBA Draft Lottery: </div>
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<table border="border" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="color: gainsboro; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left; width: 400px;">   <tbody>
<tr>      <td bg="bg" style="color: black;" width="38"><div align="center">
<b><span style="color: white;">PICK</span></b></div>
</td>     <td bg="bg" style="color: black;" width="171"><div align="center">
<b><span style="color: white;">TEAM</span></b></div>
</td>     <td bg="bg" style="color: black;" width="81"><div align="center">
<b><span style="color: white;">RECORD</span></b></div>
</td>     <td bg="bg" style="color: black;" width="84"><div align="center">
<b><span style="color: white;">CHANCE OF WINNING TOP PICK</span></b></div>
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<tr>      <td bgcolor="#666666" width="38"><br /></td>     <td bg="bg" style="color: #666666;" width="171"><div align="center">
<b><span style="color: white;">Lottery Teams</span></b></div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#666666" width="81"><br /></td>     <td bgcolor="#666666" width="84"><br /></td>   </tr>
<tr>      <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="38"><div align="center">
<b>1</b></div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="171"><div align="center">
Atlanta Dream</div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="81"><div align="center">
4-30</div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="84"><div align="center">
42.0%</div>
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<tr>      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>2</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Washington Mystics</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
10-24</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
26.1%</div>
</td>   </tr>
<tr>      <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="38"><div align="center">
<b>3</b></div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="171"><div align="center">
Chicago Sky</div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="81"><div align="center">
12-22</div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="84"><div align="center">
16.7%</div>
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<tr>      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>4</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Minnesota Lynx</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
16-18</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
7.6%</div>
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<tr>      <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="38"><div align="center">
<b>5</b></div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="171"><div align="center">
Phoenix Mercury</div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="81"><div align="center">
16-18</div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="84"><div align="center">
7.6%</div>
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Following is the remaining order for the first round as determined by overall    records from 2008:</div>
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<tr>      <td bgcolor="#666666" width="38"><br /></td>     <td bg="bg" style="color: #666666;" width="171"><div align="center">
<b><span style="color: white;">Non-Lottery Teams</span></b></div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#666666" width="81"><br /></td>     <td bgcolor="#666666" width="84"><br /></td>   </tr>
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<b>6</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Indiana Fever</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
17-17</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
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<tr bgcolor="#eaebed">      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>7</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Sacramento Monarchs</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
18-16</div>
</td>     <td bgcolor="#eaebed" width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
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<tr>      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>8</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
New York Liberty</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
19-15</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
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<tr bgcolor="#eaebed">      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>9</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Washington Mystics (from L.A.)</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
20-14 </div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
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<tr>      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>10</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Connecticut Sun</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
21-13</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
</td>   </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#eaebed">      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>11</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Detroit Shock</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
22-12</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
</td>   </tr>
<tr>      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>12</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Seattle Storm</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
22-12</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
</td>   </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#eaebed">      <td width="38"><div align="center">
<b>13</b></div>
</td>     <td width="171"><div align="center">
Atlanta Dream (from S.A.)</div>
</td>     <td width="81"><div align="center">
24-10</div>
</td>     <td width="84"><div align="center">
--</div>
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The WNBA will feature 13 teams in 2009, with the Eastern Conference comprised    of seven teams: the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Detroit Shock,    Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics. Six teams will compete    in the Western Conference: the Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury,    Sacramento Monarchs, San Antonio Silver Stars and Seattle Storm.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Source from :</span><a href="http://nba.com/" style="font-style: italic;">NBA.com</a></div>

Atlanta Dream Win Top Pick in 2009 WNBA Draft

-- Washington Mystics, Chicago Sky Round Out Top Three Picks -- NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2008 - The Atlanta Dream won the eighth annual...

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Top 12 Stories of the 12th WNBA Season

<div style="text-align: justify;" class="aLStoryViewIn"><div style="text-align: center;"> 		</div><div class="articleRight"><div style="text-align: center;"> 				 					</div><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100"> 					<tbody><tr><td><div style="text-align: center;"> 					             	</div><div class="articlePhoto"><div style="text-align: center;"> 		</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/candace-in_300_081012.jpg"> 	 	 		</div><div style="text-align: center;" class="aLPhotoCaptionViewIn"><font size="2">Candace Parker of the Sparks had a memorable debut season, winning both Rookie of the Year and MVP.</font></div><div> 	 		</div><div style="text-align: center;" class="aLPhotoCreditViewIn"><font size="2">Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images</font></div> 	 	<script> 		//Define properties of image 		var imageLocation = "/media/candace-in_300_081012.jpg"; 		var imageCaption = "Candace Parker of the Sparks had a memorable debut season, winning both Rookie of the Year and MVP."; 		var imageCredit = "Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images"; 		var imageWidth = 300; 		var imageHeight = 389; 		var iFrameEmbed = false; 		var omitEmailPhoto = false; 		var imageLink = ""; 		var linkWindow = ""; 	 	</script> 	<script language="JavaScript" src="http://www.wnba.com/js/emailAPhotoWNBA.js"></script> 	</div>      	 	 	  					</td></tr></tbody></table> 			 		</div> 		 <p>The 2008 season was one for the ages. From all of the pomp, circumstance and hype surrounding the April entry draft to the confetti streaming down on the Shock after they topped the Silver Stars for the WNBA title last weekend, there have been a great many stories that tell the tale of 2008. Here are the top 12, in no particular order. </p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-1.gif"> <b>The Candace Parker Effect</b></p> <p>Thought I'd start out with a softy? Wrong! <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/candace_parker/index.html">Candace Parker</a> was the most highly    touted player to come into the WNBA since <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/diana_taurasi/index.html">Diana Taurasi</a> four years ago…    and possibly since fellow Lady Vol Chamique Holdsclaw entered the fray in 1999.  </p> <p>When the Los Angeles Sparks won the draft lottery, it was akin to actually    winning the <i>real</i> lottery. Parker, a two-time Wooden Award winner and    two-time NCAA Tournament champ at Tennessee, joined an already solid core in    L.A. and paid dividends both at the box office and on the court for the Sparks.</p> <p>Parker averaged 18.5 points and led the league in rebounding at 9.5 per game,    not only becoming the unanimous Rookie of the Year, but also becoming the first    WNBA player to earn that and the MVP award… And not only in the same season…    ever.</p> <p>And she can dunk. And she has. Twice. In back-to-back games.</p> <p>The future of the league looks brighter than ever with Parker and the rest    of the first-year class ready to take the baton. Speaking of the other freshwomen…</p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-2.gif"> <b>Rookies Rule</b></p> <p>No. 3 pick <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/candice_wiggins/index.html">Candice Wiggins</a> came off the bench to earn the Sixth Woman of the    Year award and nearly helped the young and exciting Minnesota Lynx -- also featuring    fellow rookies <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/nicky_anosike/index.html">Nicky Anosike</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/charde_houston/index.html">Charde Houston</a> -- to the verge of the postseason.</p> <p>Second-pick <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/sylvia_fowles/index.html">Sylvia Fowles</a> missed 17 games with a knee injury suffered on a    play where she became the first player ever to earn a goaltending call. But    when she was healthy Big Syl shone brightly, averaging 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds    and 2.1 blocks per game in earning All-Rookie status.</p> <p>Some other highlights:</p> <p>- <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/matee_ajavon/index.html">Matee Ajavon</a> brough offense and excitement to an up-and-coming Comets team.</p> <p>- <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/amber_holt/index.html">Amber Holt</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kerri_gardin/index.html">Kerri Gardin</a> started 49 games between them and helped make    up for the Sun's loss of <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/katie_douglas/index.html">Katie Douglas</a>, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/nykesha_sales/index.html">Nykesha Sales</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/margo_dydek/index.html">Margo Dydek</a>. </p> <p>- <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/alexis_hornbuckle/index.html">Alexis Hornbuckle</a> brought athleticism and incorrigible defense to the WNBA    champs in Detroit. </p> <p>- <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/essence_carson/index.html">Essence Carson</a>, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/erlana_larkins/index.html">Erlana Larkins</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/leilani_mitchell/index.html">Leilani Mitchell</a> all played valuable roles    in the Liberty's run to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.</p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" width="250">   <tbody><tr><td> <div align="center"><img src="http://www.wnba.com/media/lennox-dream_300_081012.jpg"></div></td></tr>   <tr>     <td bgcolor="#68380b"><div align="center"><font color="#ffffff">Betty Lennox and the Dream excited fans all over the country in their premiere season in the WNBA.</font></div></td>   </tr><tr align="center">     <td bgcolor="#f5eddb">Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images</td>   </tr></tbody></table> <img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-3.gif"> <b>Dream Realized in Atlanta</b></p> <p>No, they didn't win very many games, but the expansion Atlanta Dream had many    positives to take away from its flagship voyage in the WNBA. The Dream sold    out a bunch of games, played an exciting brand of up-and-down basketball and    gave us all much to look forward to, especially given the burgeoning careers    of <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/ivory_latta/index.html">Ivory Latta</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/tamera_young/index.html">Tamera Young</a>.</p> <hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-4.gif"> <b>Lisa Leslie Returns to La-La    Land</b></p> <p>After giving birth to beautiful Lauren Jolie on June 15 last year, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/lisa_leslie/index.html">Lisa Leslie</a> worked    her way back into shape and was raring to go for the Sparks on Opening Day 2008.    And the legendary center didn't miss a beat in L.A., averaging 15.1 points,    8.9 boards and 2.9 blocks, earning the second Defensive Player of the Year award    of her storied career. </p> <hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-5.gif"> <b>Slew of Wins in Seattle</b></p> <p>The team many thought would be the most improved heading into 2008 may have    underachieved a bit. Offseason pickups <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/swin_cash/index.html">Swin Cash</a>, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/yolanda_griffith/index.html">Yolanda Griffith</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/sheryl_swoopes/index.html">Sheryl Swoopes</a> missed a total of 12 games due to injury and ended up ceding time to    youngsters <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/tanisha_wright/index.html">Tanisha Wright</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/camille_little/index.html">Camille Little</a>.</p> <p>But a 22-12 season in which you earn the second seed in the West hardly seems    like underachieving. And with <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/lauren_jackson/index.html">Lauren Jackson</a> continuing her stellar play prior    to the Olympics (before she decided to undergo ankle surgery and miss the end    of the season and playoffs) and USA point guard <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/sue_bird/index.html">Sue Bird</a> making a serious case    for league MVP, Brian Agler has to be content with his first go-round in the    Emerald City.</p> <hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" width="250">   <tbody><tr><td> <div align="center"><img src="http://www.wnba.com/media/diana_300_081012.jpg"></div></td></tr>   <tr>     <td bgcolor="#68380b"><div align="center"><font color="#ffffff">Diana Taurasi led the league in scoring, though her defending champion Mercury did not qualify for the postseason.</font></div></td>   </tr><tr align="center">     <td bgcolor="#f5eddb">Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images</td>   </tr></tbody></table><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-6.gif"> <b>Mercury Falling</b></p> <p>It's hard to repeat in the professional ranks. It's even harder when you lose    one of your most important pieces. </p> <p>The moment forward Penny Taylor announced she would miss much of the 2008 season    to train with the Australian Olympic team, the Mercury knew that the already    uphill battle for a repeat would be even steeper. And despite having two of    the game's most entertaining stars in <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/diana_taurasi/index.html">Diana Taurasi</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/cappie_pondexter/index.html">Cappie Pondexter</a>, the    Mercury struggled with consistency and finished with a 16-18 record, tied for    worst in the West.</p> <p>It wasn't an easy debut season for head coach Corey Gaines, but with the competitiveness    and scoring firepower he has on his roster, something tells me that the Mercury    will be back in triple digits in 2009.</p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-7.gif"> <b>Mohegan Sun Rising</b></p> <p>As mentioned above, it was hard to tell how coach Mike Thibault would rebound    from the losses of Douglas, Sales and Dydek. Sure, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/lindsay_whalen/index.html">Lindsay Whalen</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/asjha_jones/index.html">Asjha Jones</a> remained from the previous title contenders, but with four rookies getting    serious playing time, it was hard to have an abundance of confidence in the    Sun. </p> <p>But Whalen stepped up her game at both ends, earning her first All-WNBA first    team spot and becoming a legit MVP contender. Jones, too, posted a career high    17.0 points and 6.1 boards a game. The rookies, too, overachieved in many fans'    minds and after leading the East for much of the regular season, the Sun finished    just behind Detroit for home-court advantage. Thibault too was honored, taking    home his second Coach of the Year honor. </p> <p>Yes, Connecticut fell at home to a hungry Liberty squad in a deciding first-round    game at home, but given the amount of turnover and new faces on the Sun roster,    2008 was a major success in the Nutmeg State.</p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-8.gif"> <b>Big-Time in Beijing</b></p> <p>While it wasn't officially part of the WNBA season, 41 current and former WNBA    players participated for their homelands in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.    There was <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/hamchetou_maiga/index.html">Hamchetou Maiga-Ba</a> and Mali making their first Olympic appearance…    There was American-born <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/becky_hammon/index.html">Becky Hammon</a> living her Olympic dream and earning bronze    with Russia... There were Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor earning silver with    the Opals…</p> <p>Oh, and there were 12 WNBA stars wearing the red, white and blue of the United    States. A hearty congratulations are due to <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/seimone_augustus/index.html">Seimone Augustus</a>, Sue Bird, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/tamika_catchings/index.html">Tamika Catchings</a>, Sylvia Fowles, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kara_lawson/index.html">Kara Lawson</a>, Lisa Leslie, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/delisha_milton/index.html">DeLisha Milton-Jones</a>, Candace    Parker, Cappie Pondexter, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/katie_smith/index.html">Katie Smith</a>, Diana Taurasi and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/tina_thompson/index.html">Tina Thompson</a>. </p> <p>And you shouldn't have any trouble spotting them. They're the ones with the    sun glistening off those gold medals around their necks. </p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" width="250">   <tbody><tr><td> <div align="center"><img src="http://www.wnba.com/media/seimone_300_081012.jpg"></div></td></tr>   <tr>     <td bgcolor="#68380b"><div align="center"><font color="#ffffff">U.S. gold medalist Seimone Augustus also had another terrific season with the up-and-coming Lynx.</font></div></td>   </tr><tr align="center">     <td bgcolor="#f5eddb">Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images</td>   </tr></tbody></table><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-9.gif"> <b>The Wild, Wild West</b></p> <p>In perhaps the league's best yet example of parity, every team in the West    was within shouting distance of a playoff spot until the final weeks of the    regular season. In fact, only eight games separated first place from seventh    place.</p> <p>And even the teams that didn't qualify for the postseason -- Minnesota, Houston    and Phoenix -- had positives to take from their 2008 campaigns. The Lynx and    their super core of young players (Augustus, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/lindsey_harding/index.html">Lindsey Harding</a> and Wiggins among    others) will be postseason contenders for years to come. The Tina Thompson-led    Comets showed promise thanks in large part to the vast improvement of <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/sancho_lyttle/index.html">Sancho Lyttle</a>. And even the Mercury, despite their disappointing follow-up to their    title campaign, looked like world-beaters at times and should be right back    on track with the expected return of Penny Taylor in 2009. </p> <hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-10.gif"> <b>Big Deal</b></p> <p>There were plenty of key transactions that played major roles in the 2008 season:    U.S. Olympian DeLisha Milton-Jones had another All-Star season in helping L.A.    to within a win of the WNBA Finals. Belgian <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/ann_wauters/index.html">Ann Wauters</a> returned to the WNBA    from overseas to help bring a Western Conference title to San Antonio. Katie    Douglas came home to Indiana to team with Tamika Catchings and lead the Fever    to the playoffs where they took the Shock to three games in the Eastern Conference    Semis.</p> <p>But the biggest trade of all was orchestrated by… no shock… "Trader"    Bill Laimbeer. While other GMs were enjoying the Olympic break in August, Laimbeer    dealt rooke <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/tasha_humphrey/index.html">Tasha Humphrey</a>, second-year guard <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/eshaya_murphy/index.html">Shay Murphy</a> and a 2009 draft pick    to Washington for veteran forward <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/taj_mcwilliams-franklin/index.html">Taj McWilliams-Franklin</a>. See, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/cheryl_ford/index.html">Cheryl Ford</a>   had gone down with a season-ending knee injury on July 22 and the Shock needed    some strength and experience to make up for her loss. Well, after joining this    Shock, Taj averaged 12.9 points and 7.0 rebounds a game in the playoffs. And    we all remember how her season ended up: with Taj hoisting her first ever WNBA    Championship trophy. </p> <hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-11.gif"> <b>Silver Stars Shooting to the    Top</b></p> <p>Best regular season record in the WNBA. One of the most beloved players in    the game in Becky Hammon. One of the league's most exciting young stars in <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/sophia_young/index.html">Sophia Young</a>. One of the league's most respected leaders, Dan Hughes, just a year removed    from his first Coach of the Year prize. </p> <p>It was an equation built for success in San Antonio. And succeed they did,    overcoming the Monarchs in the first round of the playoffs and sneaking by the    Sparks in the Western Conference Finals (thanks to a miracle, last-second heave    by Young in Game 2… truly one of the league's most exciting plays in its    history).</p> <p>But with an injury-ridden bench, the Silver Stars were no match for the Shock    in the Finals, falling in three straight. Still, the support and excitement    in San Antonio were second to none and those fans will continue to cheer for    their Stars in the seasons to come. </p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <p><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" width="300">   <tbody><tr><td> <div align="center"><img src="http://www.wnba.com/media/shock-in_300_081012.jpg"></div></td></tr>   <tr>     <td bgcolor="#68380b"><div align="center"><font color="#ffffff">Katie Smith and the Shock celebrated their third title in six seasons on Oct. 5.</font></div></td>   </tr><tr align="center">     <td bgcolor="#f5eddb">David Dow/NBAE/Getty Images</td>   </tr></tbody></table><img align="left" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/top12-12.gif"> <b>Triple Platinum in Motown</b></p> <p>I remind everyone who will listen that I picked the Shock to win the title    in 2008. Why? Veteran leadership. Determined coaching. Young talent. Size. Depth.    Athleticism. Need I go on? </p> <p>The midseason loss of Cheryl Ford to injury was obviously a major blow to the    Shock's hopes of winning a third straight Eastern Conference crown. But Trader    Bill worked his magic, extracting Taj from the Mystics, and had the Shock at    the top of their game in the playoffs.</p> <p>No, it wasn't easy getting through three-game series against both the feisty    Fever and lively Liberty, but they did it. Then they came into San Antonio,    took the wind out of the Stars' sails by earning two hard-fought victories and    took the title with a comfortable win in Game 3. All of this despite playing    three home games in at Eastern Michigan's Convocation Center, a good hour from    their normal home at the Palace of Auburn Hills. </p> <p>But with steady-as-a-rock Katie Smith leading the charge… <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/deanna_nolan/index.html">Deanna Nolan</a>   being her scintillating self with her unparalleled quickness and monster blocks    at just 5'9"… Taj McWilliams-Franklin stepping up her game in the    postseason… <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/plenette_pierson/index.html">Plenette Pierson</a> working tirelessly on the boards… your    <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/elaine_powell/index.html">Elaine Powell</a>s, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kara_braxton/index.html">Kara Braxton</a>s, <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kelly_schumacher/index.html">Kelly Schumacher</a>s, Alexis Hornbuckles and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/olayinka_sanni/index.html">Olayinka Sanni</a>s contributing where they can… the big personalities of Laimbeer and    assistant Rick Mahorn joining forces with remarkably effective assistant Cheryl    Reeve… and even trainer Laura Ramus working 24/7 to keep everyone healthy,    the Shock are a legitimate dynasty in this world of WNBA parity. </p> <p>Wow, I can't wait for 2009.</p><p>Source from :<a href="http://wnba.com"> WNBA.com</a><br /></p>  		</div>

Top 12 Stories of the 12th WNBA Season

Candace Parker of the Sparks had a memorable debut season, winning both Rookie o...

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The Best WNBA Images of 2008

<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/photo_of_year_08.html#" onclick="window.open('/photos/snap2008_oly_beckyanthem750.html', 'new_window',  'width=758, height=642, toolbar=0, status=0');"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/snap-oly-beckyanthem_200.jpg"></a><font color="#000000">Another    Snap Judgment Photo of the Year contest is in the books, and we have a worthy    champion in photographer <strong>Jesse D. Garrabrant</strong>'s amazing and    poignant image of San Antonio superstar</font> <a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/photo_of_year_08.html#" onclick="window.open('/photos/snap2008_oly_beckyanthem750.html', 'new_window',  'width=758, height=642, toolbar=0, status=0');"><b>Becky    Hammon</b></a><font color="#000000"> (right), decked out in her Russian Olympic    team uniform, with her hand over her heart during the Star Spangled Banner prior    to her matchup in Beijing against her native United States.</font> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><font color="#000000">Garrabrant's photo topped Gary Dineen's shot of Armintie    Price reaching in during the contest finals 73% to 27% as a new record 137,316    votes were cast in the final round alone. In total, over 420,000 votes were    logged in the two-month tournament. </font>     </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> <font color="#000000">Thanks for voting and be sure to tune back in next year!</font><br /> <br /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><font color="#000000">Instructions</font></i><font color="#000000">:</font></b><font color="#000000">    Click on each photo thumbnail to see the photos from each voting group, click    on those thumbnails to see full-size versions of the photos and vote for your    favorite. </font>  </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> <table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600">   <tbody><tr>      <td colspan="3">        <div align="center"><img src="http://www.wnba.com/media/western300.jpg"></div>     </td>     <td colspan="3">        <div align="center"><img src="http://www.wnba.com/media/eastern300.jpg"></div>     </td>   </tr> </tbody></table> <table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600">   <tbody><tr bgcolor="#ffcf9f">      <td width="100">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b>Sweet 16</b></font></div>     </td>     <td width="100">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b>Final 4</b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b>Final</b></font></div>     </td>     <td width="100">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b>Final 4</b></font></div>     </td>     <td width="100">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b>Sweet 16</b></font></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr>      <td bgcolor="#000000" width="100">        <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff"><b>PACIFIC</b></font></div>     </td>     <td rowspan="4" width="100">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_west4.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/west-final_100_081214.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td rowspan="4" colspan="2">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_finalvote.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/final-center-spot_200b.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td rowspan="4" width="100">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_east4.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/east-final_100_081214.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td bgcolor="#000000" width="100">        <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff"><b>ATLANTIC</b></font></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr>      <td width="100">        <div align="center"><b><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_pacific16.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/PACIFIC_100_081130.jpg"></a></b></div>     </td>     <td width="100">        <div align="center"><b><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_atlantic16.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/ATLANTIC_100_081130.jpg"></a></b></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr>      <td bgcolor="#000000" width="100">        <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff"><b>SOUTHWEST</b></font></div>     </td>     <td bgcolor="#000000" width="100">        <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff"><b>CENTRAL</b></font></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr>      <td width="100">        <div align="center"><b><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_southwest16.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/SOUTHWEST_100_081130.jpg"></a></b></div>     </td>     <td width="100">        <div align="center"><b><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_central16.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/CENTRAL_100_081130.jpg"></a></b></div>     </td>   </tr> </tbody></table><br /></p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><font size="4"><b><font color="#7c5027">Central Division</font></b></font> <font color="#7c5027">    - <font size="2"><i><b>And the winners are...</b></i></font></font><br /> <br /><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="628">   <tbody><tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">CHICAGO</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">DETROIT</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">INDIANA</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">MINNESOTA</font></b></font></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_chi.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/chi-photo_150_081125.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_det.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/shock_150_081130.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_ind.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/fever_150_081130.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_min.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/lynx_150_081130.jpg"></a></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Reaching In</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Zap's Big Jam</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Ballin' With Barack</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Candice on the Mic</b></div>     </td>   </tr> </tbody></table> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><font size="4"><b><font color="#7c5027">Southwest Division</font></b></font>    <font color="#7c5027"> - <font size="2"><i><b>And the winners are...</b></i></font></font>  </p><p style="text-align: justify;">  <table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="628">   <tbody><tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">HOUSTON</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">PHOENIX</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">SAN ANTONIO</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">MISCELLANEOUS</font></b></font></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_hou.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/tina-hou_150_081114.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_pho.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/pho-150x150.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_san.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/hammon-photo_150_081119.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_misc.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/candace_candid_150.jpg"></a></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Holding Out Hope</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Diana Gets Pumped</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Hammon to the Hoop</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Candid Candace</b></div>     </td>   </tr> </tbody></table> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><font size="4"><b><font color="#7c5027">Pacific Division</font></b></font><font color="#7c5027">    <b>- <font size="2"><i>And the winners are...</i></font></b></font>      <br /> <br /><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="628">   <tbody><tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">LOS ANGELES</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">SACRAMENTO</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">SEATTLE</font></b></font></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">OLYMPIC</font></b></font></div>     </td>   </tr>   <tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_la.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/la_swoopes150_081027.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_sac.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/rookies_sac_150_081029.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_sea.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/suesmiles_150_081031.jpg"></a></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_oly.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/snap-oly-becky_150_081103.jpg"></a></div>     </td>   </tr>    <tr valign="top">      <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Advice From a Legend</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Rookie Enthusiasm</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Sue Smiles</b></div>     </td>     <td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Seeing Red, White and Blue</b></div>     </td>   </tr> </tbody></table> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><font size="4"><b><font color="#7c5027">Atlantic Division</font></b></font>   <font color="#7c5027"><b>    - <font size="2"><i>And the winners are...</i></font></b></font><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="628"><tbody><tr valign="top"></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">ATLANTA</font></b></font></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">CONNECTICUT</font></b></font></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">NEW YORK</font></b></font></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><font size="3"><b><font color="#683a0b">WASHINGTON</font></b></font></div>     </td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_atl.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/atl-photo_150_081105.jpg"></a></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_con.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/whalen_150_081107.jpg"></a></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_ny.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/janel-photowin_150_081110.jpg"></a></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><a href="http://www.wnba.com/features/snapjudgment08_was.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.wnba.com/media/halloffame_150_081112.jpg"></a></div>     </td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Laughing at the Line </b></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Killer Crossover</b></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Pregame Fireworks</b></div>     </td><td colspan="2" width="25%">        <div align="center"><b>Hall of Fame Matchup<br /></b></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><font color="#7c5027"><font size="2">      </font></font> <table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="628">   <tbody><tr valign="top">           <td colspan="1" width="25%"><br /></td>             </tr>   <tr valign="top">           <td colspan="1" width="25%"><br /></td>             </tr>   <tr valign="top">           <td colspan="1" width="25%"><br /></td>          </tr></tbody></table></p>

The Best WNBA Images of 2008

Another Snap Judgment Photo of the Year contest is in the books, and we have a worthy champion in photographer Jesse D. Garrabrant ...

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