Leslie Fuels West All-Stars

Lisa Leslie acknowledged she was on a mission.

This time that fact didn’t escape the All-Star voters.

The Spark center was selected most valuable player of the third annual WNBA All-Star game after a 20-point, nine-rebound performance that led the West over the East, 80-72, Monday night.

It was vindication for Leslie, who had not been voted by fans as an All-Star starter despite averaging 19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals for the Sparks, who have the WNBA’s best record at 17-3.

In 23 minutes, as a reserve, Leslie broke her own All-Star record for points and blocked three shots, before a sellout crowd of 16,906.

“I was very focused on what I wanted to do, and my goal was to be MVP,” said Leslie, who made eight of 14 shots.

“When you set a goal for yourself prior to going out and stepping on the court and then being able to play well, it feels good.”

Sacramento’s Yolanda Griffith, voted starting center by the fans, added 17 points and seven rebounds for the West, which has won all three All-Star games with Houston Coach Van Chancellor at the helm. Rookie Lauren Jackson of Seattle added 11 points.

“Looked to me like [Leslie] was on a mission,” Chancellor said. “She wanted to make everybody know that they should’ve voted for her.”

Cleveland’s Merlakia Jones led the East with 12 points, including 10 in the second half.

As soon as Leslie entered the game as a substitute, she became a force in the post--and beyond. She had 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks in slightly less than six minutes of play.

“We’ve played against her enough, I’ve seen enough performances by her to know that she plays the game with a passion,” East Coach Richie Adubato said. “She’s out to prove something every night.”

Leslie was slowed only by foul trouble late in the second half.

The West compensated by switching to a zone defense, a violation of All-Star protocol that drew howls of mock protests from New York Liberty point guard Teresa Weatherspoon.

The West led by 17 points with 10:39 left after Leslie’s drive and score, but the West had to hold off a furious East charge as Miami center Elena Baranova sank a 17-foot shot to cut the lead to 78-72 in the closing minutes.

However, guard Ticha Penicheiro, one of three Sacramento players in the West starting lineup, sank two free throws in the final minute, and the East was unable to get off a shot in the final seconds.

Apparently, the memo that defense is a foreign concept in basketball all-star games didn’t get distributed before the game, as the Eastern and Western teams shot a combined 26 for 79 in the first half. Only Leslie reached in double figures in scoring in the half, with 12 points off the bench.

The only other Sparks’ representative, Tamecka Dixon, had eight points on four-for-seven shooting and added four assists.