Leslie Is the Star of Stars Again
Lisa Leslie isn’t ready to relinquish the WNBA spotlight to a younger generation.
Leslie scored 13 of her 18 points in the second half and earned her third All-Star most-valuable-player trophy, leading the Western Conference to an 81-76 victory over the East on Monday night.
The West has won all four All-Star games, and Leslie has been MVP in all but one.
She drew motivation Monday night from talk of a changing of the guard in the league, with high-profile rookies such as Sue Bird and Tamika Catchings challenging Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and other veterans for star status.
“It’s funny how all of the sudden this year everybody is calling us old-school ... just because a new class of young players has come in,” Leslie said.
“By no means are any of us done.”
Houston’s Tina Thompson led all scorers with 20 points.
West Coach Michael Cooper said he was impressed with the play of his veterans, Leslie, Thompson and Swoopes.
“The younger players coming in--the Sue Birds, the Lauren Jacksons--can learn from those players,” said Cooper, who coaches Leslie with the Sparks. “Because the passing of the torch ... has to be done so it’s not dropped, that the caliber of play doesn’t diminish.”
This was the closest of the West’s victories.
“We’re happy it was a competitive game because we’ve blown them out so many times in the past,” Leslie said. “I think it was great for the fans.”
The West took the lead for good on two free throws by Tina Thompson that made it 77-76 with 51 seconds left. Swoopes, her teammate with the Houston Comets, had two free throws with 19 seconds left to make it a three-point lead.
The East had a chance to tie the score with seven seconds left, but Catchings could not handle an inbounds pass, and turned the ball over. Thompson then made two free throws for the final margin.
Leslie, the league’s MVP last season with the champion Sparks, finished with an All-Star game-record 14 rebounds and blocked four shots.
Catchings, a rookie with the Indiana Fever who played with a mask protecting her broken nose, led the East with 12 points.
“It just goes to show you--the older players are smarter than the younger players,” Catchings said. “You see the older players, they always seem to get open at the right moment.”