Business-as-Usual Approach Brings Comets Closer to Title

Watching the Houston Comets take apart the Charlotte Sting again Monday night, you were reminded of the “Jaws” skipper, talking about sharks eating people with “those cold, lifeless eyes.”

That’s the way this basketball team went 27-3 this WNBA season, with an almost cold-blooded efficiency, breaking opponents’ hearts with unerring shooting, an attack defense . . . then walking off the court unsmiling, showing no emotion--even on Monday night, when they’d just won a semifinal playoff series.

Before a noisy 11,901 at Compaq Center, they sent Charlotte home, 77-61, then in proper, business-like fashion, congratulated the losers.

Then walked off the court, down the hallway . . . and not one player was even smiling entering the locker room. Not even Sheryl Swoopes, who’d played brilliantly.

No emotion, no laughing, no high-fives, no smiles.

Are these ladies having any fun?

“We’re very business-like when we play, that’s been the case since last year,” said Coach Van Chancellor.

“We might show you a little emotion if we win a championship, but that’s about it. It’s a cliche, but this team really does play ‘em one game at a time.

“Even when we won 15 in a row, it was like ‘so what?’ Not once this season have I heard any of my players even talk about winning a championship.”

The win, coming after Saturday’s 85-71 victory in Charlotte, sends Houston into the championship finals, a best-of-three series beginning Thursday, in either Phoenix or Cleveland.

Charlotte Coach Marynell Meadors summed up the obvious afterward, seeing in her box score that Houston’s big three--Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson--had just scored 55 points.

“Every team team in the league has at least three good players, but Houston has three great players,” she said.

“And when those three are on, no one matches up with them.”

Swoopes, in 37 minutes, had 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Cooper had a game-high 23 points and five assists.

And again, the WNBA’s best-shooting team was on.

They were 48% from the floor, to Charlotte’s 38%; and 15 for 20 from the line, to the Sting’s eight for 18.

But did they have fun?

“We’re definitely having fun, we just don’t show it much,” Swoopes said.

“We’re just not satisfied yet, not until we get another title.”

Said Cooper, in response to the same question: “Have you considered maybe we’re just tired?”

The Sting, who finished 0-5 against Houston this summer, hung around early, until the Comets assumed command midway through the first half.

With 10:22 left before the break until 1:18 remained, the Comets raced from a 25-22 deficit to a 42-31 lead.

Swoopes sizzled, scoring nine in the run, finishing with a 16-foot, line-drive jump shot that was somehow all net.

Houston broke fast after intermission but faltered, letting Charlotte creep within 55-50.

But Chancellor’s team ran off a 10-0 burst, highlighted by point guard Kim Perrot’s acrobatic drive down the key, prompting her to display the only sign of emotion her team had all night.

She raised her index finger to the crowd.

Thompson, the former USC forward, drew the defensive assignment on Vicky Bullett, holding her to 10 points on four-for-14 shooting.

“Tina was great, she had those 14 rebounds and just did a great job on Bullett,” Chancellor said.

*

Jennifer Gillom had 27 points but missed a 17-footer at the buzzer as the Cleveland Rockers forced a decisive third game in the semifinal series with a 67-66 victory over the visiting Phoenix Mercury.

Game 3 is tonight at Cleveland.

Michelle Edwards led the Rockers with 18 points.

WNBA Notes

Houston guard Cynthia Cooper was named the league’s most valuable player and Comet Coach Van Chancellor won coach of the year honors, each repeating as the award winner in the league’s second season. Cooper, who lead the league in scoring for the second straight year at 22.7 points per game, received 37 first-place votes and a total of 426 points in balloting by media covering the league. Her closest rival was Jennifer Gillom of Phoenix, who received eight first-place votes and 303 total points. Chancellor received 26 media votes. Detroit’s Nancy Lieberman-Cline finished second with 11 votes, followed by Cleveland’s Linda Hill-MacDonald with six. Suzie McConnell Serio of the Cleveland Rockers, who averaged 8.6 points and 6.4 assists per game, was named newcomer of the year.