# WNBA news 9/07



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Minnesota Lynx and the World Championships*

MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL - The Minnesota Lynx will be heavily represented at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as four players have made the rosters of their respective countries: Seimone Augustus (USA), Svetlana Abrosimova (Russia), Kristi Harrower (Australia) and Nuria Martinez (Spain). Harrower and Martinez missed the entire 2006 WNBA season to train for the World Championships.

The 15th FIBA World Championship format will feature a round-robin competition in preliminary round play. The top three teams from each preliminary group advance to form two second round groups consisting of six teams each. Each team's results against advancing teams from its preliminary group carries over to the second round standings, and each team will play the other three teams in the second round group whom they have not faced previously. The top four teams from those two groups will advance to the medal round quarterfinals. The gold and bronze medal games will be played Sept. 23.

The World Championship has been contested essentially every four years since 1953. The United States captured the first two gold medals before the beginning of the Soviet domination of women's basketball at the 1959 World Championship. The former USSR put together a string of five straight golds (1959, 1964, 1967, 1971, 1975), before the United States reclaimed gold in 1979. The Soviet Union in 1983 earned its final World Championship crown as the USA went on to capture four of the next five World Championships (1986, 1990, 1998, 2002). The only other nation to break into the gold medal column at this event is Brazil, which defeated the USA in the 1994 semifinals and went on to take the top spot that year.

Preliminary round schedules are below:

Augustus and Team USA - Sept. 12 vs. China; Sept. 13 vs. Nigeria; Sept. 14 vs. Russia

Abrosimova and Russia - Sept. 12 vs. Nigeria; Sept. 13 vs. China; Sept. 14 vs. United States

Harrower and Australia - Sept. 12 vs. Lithuania; Sept. 13 vs. Senegal; Sept. 14 vs. Canada

Martinez and Spain - Sept. 12 vs. South Korea; Sept. 13 vs. Argentina; Sept. 14 vs. Brazil


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*WNBA fines Laimbeer*

The WNBA fined Detroit Shock coach Bill Laimbeer on Tuesday for criticizing the officiating after his club’s loss to the Sacramento Monarchs in Game 3 of the WNBA finals.

Laimbeer ripped his own players and the officiating with equal vigor Sunday in his animated comments after Detroit’s 89-69 loss.

“We’re tired of there being a double standard on the whistle,” Laimbeer said after Detroit was called for 28 fouls to Sacramento’s 23. The clubs were called for 42 fouls apiece in the series’ first two games.

“We’re tired of it, and it’s showing,” Laimbeer continued. “Players are becoming frustrated, and we expect — no, we demand — that we get the same calls as the other team. ... We demand that we get the same hand-checks, that we get the same cheap calls that go against us. Am I whining? No. I’m stating a fact.”

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060905/NEWS99/60905030complete article[/url


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Laimbeer not too happy with ESPN*

The attitude has resurfaced and is "growing," as Shock coach Bill Laimbeer said.

And that's just what he wants from his team.

The Shock is on the brink of elimination in the WNBA Finals, one loss away from cleaning out its lockers.

Detroit has studied enough film to have a firm grasp of what needs to change strategically for tonight's Game 4 at ARCO Arena.

complete article


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Shock, on verge of elimination, stay loose*

The Shock are in full us-against-the-world mode heading into Game 4 of the WNBA Finals tonight at ARCO Arena.

The Shock didn't seem to be a team on the brink of elimination before, or during, practice Tuesday afternoon. They were loose, relaxed and confident while working on their game plan.

The Shock trail the best-of-five series, 2-1. They suffered an 89-69 loss to Sacramento on Sunday at ARCO Arena, giving the Monarchs their 11th consecutive home playoff victory.

Shock coach Bill Laimbeer was working on giving his team the mental edge at the same time arena workers were pulling out boxes of Monarchs "Back-to-Back WNBA Champions" T-shirts.

complete article


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