Surf Wiki
Save to docs
sports

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

2008 Detroit Shock season

The 2008 WNBA season was the 11th for the Detroit Shock, an American women's professional basketball team. The Shock returned to the WNBA Finals for the third consecutive year, winning their second WNBA Championship in three seasons, and their third in six years.

During the Finals, Katie Smith averaged a team high 21.7 points per game to be named WNBA Finals MVP. Similar to Kevin Garnett with the 2008 Boston Celtics, Taj McWilliams-Franklin won her first championship after 10 years in the league.

Offseason

The following player was lost in the Atlanta Dream expansion draft:

  • Katie Feenstra

WNBA draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/Team/Country
14 (from Atl. via Sea.)Alexis HornbuckleTennessee
11 (from SA)Tasha HumphreyGeorgia
218 (from Atl.)Olayinka SanniWest Virginia
342Valeriya BerezhynskaRice

Transactions

  • September 4: The Shock signed Ashley Shields.
  • August 19: The Shock signed Ashley Shields to a seven-day contract.
  • August 12: The Shock traded Tasha Humphrey, Eshaya Murphy and a second-round pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics for Taj McWilliams-Franklin.
  • August 8: The Shock waived Stacey Lovelace.
  • July 26: The Shock signed Kelly Schumacher.
  • July 25: The Shock waived Nancy Lieberman.
  • July 24: The Shock signed Nancy Lieberman to a seven-day contract.
  • July 11: The Shock signed Stacey Lovelace.
  • June 27: The Shock waived Chrissy Givens.
  • June 22: The Shock traded LaToya Thomas to the Minnesota Lynx for Eshaya Murphy.
  • June 18: The Shock waived Wanisha Smith and signed Chrissy Givens.
  • May 15: The Shock waived Michelle Campbell and Wanisha Smith.
  • May 8: The Shock signed Wanisha Smith to a training camp contract.
  • May 7: The Shock signed free agent Sheri Sam.
  • May 5: The Shock waived Valeriya Berezhynska, Natasha Lacy and Tyresa Smith.
  • April 26: The Shock waived Chakhia Cole, Fantasia Goodwin and Samantha Mahoney.
  • April 18: The Shock waived Nina Norman.
  • April 17: The Shock signed Samantha Mahoney to a training camp contract.
  • April 16: The Shock signed Chakhia Cole to a training camp contract.
  • March 31: The Shock signed Elaine Powell to a training camp contract.
  • March 10: The Shock re-signed free agents Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith.
  • March 4: The Shock signed Tyresa Smith and Michelle Campbell to training camp contracts.
  • February 29: The Shock signed Nina Norman to a training camp contract.
  • February 28: The Shock re-signed free agent Plenette Pierson and signed Chrissy Givens to a training camp contract.
  • February 19: The Shock traded Swin Cash to the Seattle Storm in exchange for the 4th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.
  • February 6: The Shock traded Ivory Latta to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for LaToya Thomas and the 18th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

Trades

DateTrade
February 6, 2008**To Detroit Shock**
LaToya Thomas and the 18th pick in the [2008 WNBA draft](2008-wnba-draft)Ivory Latta
February 19, 2008**To Detroit Shock**
The 4th pick in the [2008 WNBA draft](2008-wnba-draft)Swin Cash
June 22, 2008**To Detroit Shock**
Eshaya MurphyLaToya Thomas
August 12, 2008**To Detroit Shock**
Taj McWilliams-FranklinTasha Humphrey, Eshaya Murphy, and a second-round pick in the [2009 WNBA draft](2009-wnba-draft)

Free agents

Additions

**Ashley Shields**August 19, 2008Houston Comets

Subtractions

**Ayana Walker**2008free agent

Season Highlights

The Shock season opener resulted in a record-breaking debut for rookie guard Alexis Hornbuckle. Hornbuckle set a Shock record with seven steals to help the Shock beat the Houston Comets on May 17. Deanna Nolan scored a franchise-record 44 points (28 in the fourth quarter and overtime) in a 98-93 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on June 20.

Malice at the Palace

Main article: Sparks–Shock brawl

  • The Sparks–Shock brawl (also known as The Malice at the Palace II) was an altercation that occurred in a game between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks on July 22, 2008 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. With 4.2 seconds before the game was officially over, the fighting began on the court after Plenette Pierson made a hard block out after a free throw on Candace Parker. This was the second brawl to occur at the Palace, the other being the Pacers–Pistons brawl.

Nancy Lieberman

In July, the Detroit Shock signed Nancy Lieberman, the franchise's first head coach and general manager, to a 7-day contract. The 50-year-old Lieberman broke her own record for being the oldest player in the WNBA. Lieberman, a Hall of Famer since 1999, was 39 years old when she played with Phoenix during the league's first year in 1997.

The 50-year-old Lieberman played nine minutes and had two assists. One of the assists included a no-look pass in the closing minutes of the Detroit Shock's 79-61 loss to the Houston Comets on July 24.

Lieberman made an appearance in the Shock's first game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 22 due to the bench-clearing brawl. Five Shock players were suspended and Cheryl Ford suffered a season-ending injury, prompting coach Bill Laimbeer to offer Lieberman the seven-day contract.

Roster

Season standings

Schedule

Regular season

|- bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 1 | May 17 | Houston | 85-66 | Smith (21) | Ford (11) | Ford (4) | Palace of Auburn Hills 13,824 | 1-0 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 2 | May 18 | @ Minnesota | 70-84 | Smith (17) | Ford (9) | Nolan (6) | Target Center 9,972 | 1-1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 3 | May 21 | Indiana | 76-71 | Braxton (22) | Ford (10) | Nolan (8) | Palace of Auburn Hills 6,842 | 2-1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 4 | May 23 | @ Atlanta | 88-76 | Nolan (33) | Ford (13) | Nolan (8) | Philips Arena 11,609 | 3-1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 5 | May 25 | New York | 72-62 | Pierson (25) | Braxton, Powell (7) | Nolan (7) | Palace of Auburn Hills 8,068 | 4-1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 6 | May 31 | @ Indiana | 74-65 | Smith (19) | Ford (8) | Nolan, Powell (3) | Conseco Fieldhouse 9,219

5-1
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
7
June 4
Seattle
77-67
Smith (33)
Ford (11)
Nolan (8)
Palace of Auburn Hills
8,108
6-1
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
8
June 6
@ Sacramento
84-70
Smith (30)
Braxton, Ford, Nolan (6)
Nolan (9)
ARCO Arena
6,663
7-1
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
9
June 7
@ Seattle
67-75
Smith (18)
Pierson (10)
Hornbuckle, Pierson (3)
KeyArena
7,105
7-2
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
10
June 11
@ Los Angeles
73-80
Smith (16)
Pierson, Smith (7)
Smith (4)
STAPLES Center
8,520
7-3
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
11
June 14
@ Phoenix
89-79
Humphrey (28)
Hornbuckle (15)
Nolan (8)
US Airways Center
7,696
8-3
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
12
June 20
Minnesota
98-93 (OT)
Nolan (44)
Ford (14)
Pierson (4)
Palace of Auburn Hills
8,916
9-3
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
13
June 22
@ Atlanta
97-76
Ford (20)
Ford (12)
Nolan (7)
Philips Arena
7,865
10-3
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
14
June 24
@ Connecticut
68-85
Nolan (17)
Ford (11)
Smith (4)
Mohegan Sun Arena
7,501
10-4
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
15
June 26
Connecticut
70-61
Nolan (13)
Ford (9)
Smith (4)
Palace of Auburn Hills
8,636
11-4
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
16
June 28
@ Chicago
59-76
Murphy (13)
Ford (8)
Hornbuckle, Sam (4)
UIC Pavilion
3,407
11-5
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
17
June 29
Atlanta
100-92
Braxton (26)
Braxton (9)
Nolan (11)
Palace of Auburn Hills
8,798
12-5
-
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
18
July 1
@ San Antonio
72-79 (OT)
Smith (17)
Ford, Sam (8)
Smith (9)
AT&T Center
5,656
12-6
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
19
July 8
Connecticut
88-82
Pierson (23)
Braxton (8)
Nolan (8)
Palace of Auburn Hills
7,623
13-6
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
20
July 11
Washington
79-66
Smith (23)
Braxton, Ford (7)
Nolan (4)
Palace of Auburn Hills
8,596
14-6
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
21
July 12
@ New York
64-74
Smith, Pierson (13)
Ford (12)
Nolan (4)
Madison Square Garden
8,661
14-7
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
22
July 16
Chicago
66-63
Ford (14)
Pierson (8)
Nolan, Smith (4)
Palace of Auburn Hills
15,210
15-7
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
23
July 18
@ Washington
99-62
Nolan (26)
Braxton, Hornbuckle (6)
Sam (8)
Verizon Center
6,834
16-7
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
24
July 20
Sacramento
85-88
Nolan (27)
Ford (10)
Smith (6)
Palace of Auburn Hills
9,138
16-8
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
25
July 22
Los Angeles
81-84
Smith (20)
Ford (9)
Hornbuckle, Smith (5)
Palace of Auburn Hills
12,930
16-9
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
26
July 24
@ Houston
61-79
Nolan (23)
Nolan, Sam (9)
Nolan (4)
Reliant Arena
7,261
16-10
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
27
July 27
San Antonio
64-76
Nolan (25)
Braxton (9)
Smith (6)
Palace of Auburn Hills
9,537
16-11
-
-
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
28
August 29
New York
83-69
Nolan (26)
Braxton, McWilliams-Franklin (7)
Smith (6)
Palace of Auburn Hills
11,516
17-11
- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
29
August 31
@ Chicago
81-82 (OT)
Smith (23)
McWilliams-Franklin (11)
Nolan (6)
UIC Pavilion
4,197
17-12
-
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
30
September 5
Indiana
90-68
Pierson (20)
Pierson (6)
McWilliams-Franklin, Pierson (4)
Palace of Auburn Hills
9,287
18-12
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
31
September 6
@ Washington
84-69
McWilliams-Franklin (21)
Nolan (10)
Smith (8)
Verizon Center
9,976
19-12
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
32
September 9
Phoenix
89-78
Nolan (18)
Braxton, Hornbuckle, McWilliams-Franklin (8)
Pierson, Smith (5)
Palace of Auburn Hills
7,495
20-12
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
33
September 11
Washington
78-66
Nolan (17)
McWilliams-Franklin (8)
Smith (6)
Palace of Auburn Hills
8,145
21-12
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
34
September 14
@ New York
61-59
Nolan, Pierson (11)
Hornbuckle, Nolan (7)
Powell (4)
Madison Square Garden
10,042
22-12
-

Postseason

|- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 1 | September 19 | @ Indiana | 81-72 | Nolan (22) | Braxton, McWilliams-Franklin (7) | Powell, Smith (3) | Conseco Fieldhouse 7,613 | 1-0 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 2 | September 21 | Indiana | 82-89 | Nolan, Pierson (16) | Pierson, Powell (7) | Pierson (5) | Palace of Auburn Hills 8,219 | 1-1 |-bgcolor="bbffbb" | 3 | September 23 | Indiana | 80-61 | Nolan (21) | Hornbuckle (8) | Hornbuckle, McWilliams-Franklin (4) | Palace of Auburn Hills 8,296

2-1
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
1
September 26
@ New York
56-60
Nolan (22)
Hornbuckle, McWilliams-Franklin (7)
4 players (2)
Madison Square Garden
14,711
1-0
-bgcolor="ffbbbb"
2
September 28
New York
64-55
Nolan (22)
Taj McWilliams-Franklin (11)
4 players (2)
EMU Convocation Center
7,965
1-1
- bgcolor="bbffbb"
3
September 29
New York
75-73
Nolan (21)
Taj McWilliams-Franklin (8)
Nolan, Smith (3)
EMU Convocation Center
7,429
2-1
-
-bgcolor="bbffbb"
1
October 1
@ San Antonio
77-69
Smith (25)
Smith (9)
Nolan (4)
AT&T Center
9,380
1-0
-bgcolor="bbffbb"
2
October 3
@ San Antonio
69-61
Smith (22)
Nolan (7)
Smith (6)
AT&T Center
16,012
2-0
-bgcolor="bbffbb"
3
October 5
San Antonio
76-60
Smith (18)
Braxton, Hornbuckle (9)
Hornbuckle, Nolan (5)
EMU Convocation Center
8,952
3-0
-

Player stats

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
343433.6.465.374.8633.94.41.20.315.8
343433.9.383.360.8872.84.00.90.114.7
28023.2.457.000.7524.92.30.91.211.9
7726.2.4221.000.9096.71.90.40.710.7
242426.5.481.000.5608.70.91.00.410.1
331017.9.415.000.7435.10.80.40.78.9
221613.5.500.385.9552.91.00.60.37.3
34022.0.354.356.6364.12.12.30.35.4
161619.6.490.500.7503.12.20.40.73.6
31910.5.500.000.6492.10.20.40.23.4
706.3.364.333.7500.40.30.10.03.1
321514.9.309.286.6922.81.20.60.12.9
1339.4.300.263.6671.60.50.50.22.5
7012.7.375.0001.0002.90.70.30.42.0
726.3.286.400.6671.00.10.10.01.4
705.7.267.000.0000.70.10.10.11.1
303.3.000.0001.0000.00.70.00.00.7
100.0.000.000.0000.00.00.00.00.0
109.0.000.000.0000.02.00.00.00.0

Detroit Shock Regular Season Stats

Postseason

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
9938.8.359.341.9394.62.92.10.317.6
9934.3.410.354.7584.02.40.40.115.3
9932.6.490.500.8647.02.11.01.312.9
9920.0.500.000.6505.31.00.40.68.6
6017.8.474.000.8463.01.70.70.37.8
9024.4.429.375.7504.92.11.20.86.3
9919.0.588.000.8182.32.00.70.03.2
907.3.438.000.5001.80.30.30.01.8
8011.9.438.000.0003.00.40.10.41.8
605.0.286.0001.0000.50.00.20.01.0
301.3.200.000.0000.00.30.30.00.7

Detroit Shock Playoff Stats

Awards and honors

  • Katie Smith, WNBA Player of the Week (June 2–8)
  • Deanna Nolan, WNBA Player of the Week (June 16–22 and July 14–20)
  • Deanna Nolan, All-WNBA Defensive Second Team
  • Katie Smith, All-WNBA Defensive Second Team
  • Deanna Nolan, All-WNBA Second Team
  • Katie Smith, WNBA Finals MVP

References

References

  1. [http://www.wnba.com/playoffs2008/smith_mvp_081005.html Smith's Sheer Dominance Earns Her MVP Honors]
  2. "My Kevin Garnett Moment in WNBA Blogs in Fan Voice".
  3. "WNBA.com: Atlanta Dream Expansion Draft".
  4. http://www.wnba.com/transactions/WNBA_2008.html2008 WNBA Transactions. Accessed 2009-08-07. 2009-08-11.
  5. "Nancy Lieberman to play in WNBA at age of 50".
  6. [http://www.wnba.com/games/20080724/DETHOU/recap.html Lieberman's Shows Flash of Past in Shock Loss]
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

detroit-shock-seasons 2008-wnba-season eastern-conference-(wnba)-championship-seasons women's-national-basketball-association-championship-seasons 2008-in-sports-in-michigan
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 2008 Detroit Shock season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report