Aussie Phillips helps Fever to WNBA title

Updated October 22, 2012 19:31:40

It may have cost her an Olympic medal around her neck but Australian basketball star Erin Phillips' commitment to her club yielded a WNBA championship ring for her finger.

Phillips' Indiana Fever secured their first WNBA title with an 87-78 win over defending champion Minnesota (Monday morning AEDT), the victory handing the Fever a 3-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

The 27-year-old from Melbourne produced one of the best performances of her career in the game four win with 18 points and eight rebounds as she joined the likes of fellow Australians Lauren Jackson, Tully Bevilaqua, Belinda Snell and Penny Taylor in winning a WNBA championship.

"They made some huge runs at us and gave it everything at us, and I'm just relieved more than anything because we deserve this," Phillips told reporters.

"We've been through so much as a team, we've lost in crucial times and we've stuck together. I'm just so proud right now."

But there was a price to pay for Phillips' success after she was overlooked by Australian coach Carrie Graf for the Opals squad which collected Olympic bronze in London.

Unlike Jackson - who opted to stay in Australia to prepare for the Olympics before rejoining Seattle after the Games - Phillips played the entire season for the Fever.

It is a decision the speedy guard believes played a role in her omission from the national side.

Having been a member of the Australian squad which claimed silver at the 2008 Games, Phillips was devastated at the snub.

But two months on, her decision was somewhat vindicated with her stand-out performances during the finals series.

Phillips, who won a WNBL title with Adelaide Lightning in 2007/08, took her game to a new level to help cover for the absence of injured star Katie Douglas.

Elevated to the starting side after the Fever's opening play-off game, Phillips went from strength to strength as the postseason went on.

Having averaged 6.1 points during the regular season, she stepped it up to average 6.7 points in the semi-finals and nine points per game in the conference finals.

Then in the finals series she more than doubled her regular season output as she averaged 13.5 points a game - which included her break-out performance in the title-clinching win.

She proved to be the perfect foil for final MVP Tamika Catchings, who top-scored with 25 points in the nine-point win over the Lynx.

An Olympic gold medallist and regular season MVP, the NBA title was the final entry into a glittering resume for the American superstar.

"When you come into this league, your goal and dream is to win a WNBA championship," Catchings said.

"Twelve years later ... it's so sweet right now."

AAP

Tags: basketball, sport, united-states

First posted October 22, 2012 19:31:40

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Doubts emerge over Aussie NBA tour

Updated October 27, 2011 21:14:33

A global NBA all-star tour will officially get underway in Puerto Rico this Sunday (Monday AEDT) - but Australian fans could still be left in the lurch.

In a statement released on Thursday, the organisers of the tour confirmed Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade were expected to take part in the Puerto Rico exhibition match.

That match was to be the first on a six-game supertour dubbed "the World All-Star Classic" that would take in London and Macau before finishing in Melbourne on November 8 and 9.

But curiously the release did not confirm the previously scheduled games outside of Puerto Rico, casting serious doubt over any of the stars appearing Down Under.

Also among those boarding planes for the tour are Boston trio Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce, excitement machine Blake Griffin, New York's Amar'e Stoudemire and Dallas' championship-winning centre Tyson Chandler.

"I'm looking forward to it ... I've never been to Australia," Chandler told ESPN.

"I'm looking forward to getting to play again with some great talent and the opportunity to see new lands."

There is some concern about the length of time the players will spend in the air - with flights from Melbourne to Los Angeles alone taking roughly 15 hours, and the total time on planes possibly chewing up to 60 hours over the two-week trip.

This has contributed towards some players pulling out of the trip including superstar LeBron James, reigning MVP Derrick Rose and perennial all-stars Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony.

Each player will receive a salary of up to $1 million for the exhibition matches, with much of the proceeds to go towards charity.

Atlanta businessman Calvin Darden has worked with player agents for almost three months to organise the tour, ESPN reported.

Meanwhile, NBA clubs owners and players resumed talks on a new contract and negotiated for more than 14 hours as the prospect loomed of more games being wiped off the 2011-2012 schedule.

The NBA has already called off the first 100 scheduled games of the season and league officials are expected to cancel at least the remainder of November's schedule if these latest negotiations fail.

The continuation of the lockout is good news for Melbourne Tigers, who have recruited Boomers point guard Patty Mills for the lockout's duration, but is not as pleasing for stranded Milwaukee centre Andrew Bogut.

Last month, Bogut missed out on a chance to join NBL strugglers the Sydney Kings when his management were unable to secure the necessary insurance for him to suit up - forcing him to train on his own while the stalemate continues.

AAP

Tags: basketball, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, united-states

First posted October 27, 2011 20:31:04

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Aussie great Longley fears for Yao

Posted June 9, 2011 19:56:00

Australian basketball great Luc Longley has warned Chinese giant Yao Ming could be headed for a "dead end" as he struggles to shake off long-term injury.

Longley, who won three straight NBA championships alongside Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls, said Yao's situation reminded him of when his playing days were ended by a persistent ankle problem.

"We're just getting so well fed and the population's getting so large that the occasional giant like Yao Ming or myself comes along," the 7'2" Longley said.

"But it's hard to keep a body of that size and weight injury-free for a long period of time. That's probably the biggest challenge I had in my career. I imagine if Yao Ming is anything like me, it's frustrating no end.

"You spend your whole time searching for solutions and ways to keep your body in shape, and sometimes you run into a dead end like I did. But I'm sure he's doing everything he can."

Longley was speaking before this month's two-match Youyi Games friendly series between Australia and China, which the 7'6" Yao is missing as he recovers from a broken foot which sidelined him for most of the NBA season.

Longley, 42, played 11 NBA seasons before being forced to quit in 2001 while Yao, who also plays centre, has been at the Houston Rockets since 2002.

Yao, 30, says his injury is improving but he will not know whether he can return to the NBA next season until August or September.

Australia hosts China in Perth on June 24 before the second game in Singapore on June 26.

The games will expand to a three-match series played in Australia, China and an unconfirmed South East Asian venue next year, organisers said.

- AFP

Tags: sport, basketball, australia, china

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Aussie girls headed to WNBA

Published:Tuesday, April 12, 2011 9:39 AESTExpires:Monday, July 11, 2011 9:39 AEST

Australian basketballers Liz Cambage and Rachel Jarry have been taken at picks two and 18 respectively in the WNBA draft.

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Aussie taken second in WNBA draft

Updated April 12, 2011 09:35:00

Australian basketballer Liz Cambage will play at the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA, after being taken at pick two in the draft in Connecticut.

The 19-year-old, 204-centimetre Victorian was named the most valuable player in the WNBL while playing for Bulleen last season.

"I have been given a wonderful opportunity to play with and against the highest quality players in the world. It is a dream come true," Cambage said in a statement.

"It will be a great challenge physically and mentally that will enable me to develop as a player and learn a different style of game from what we play in Australia.

"I've already met some of the Tulsa fans, who have been very welcoming."

Cambage, who averaged more than 22 points and 8.3 rebounds for Bulleen last season, told ESPN she is a very different player to compatriot and WNBA star Lauren Jackson.

"I think the American league is a lot more physical than the Australian league and I'm a really physical player so I'm really excited to finally get out and play hard," she said.

"Lauren's very, very versatile, she's got a very big outside game knocking down those threes every time so I'm a lot more inside from higher post and low post that's really my range."

Cambage's Boomers team-mate Rachel Jarry was selected at pick 18 by Atlanta Dream.

She was then on-traded to Minnesota Lynx, who also had the number one selection in the draft - American Maya Moore.

The WNBA season begins next month.

First posted April 12, 2011 06:33:00

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