2008 Detroit Shock season
| 2008 Detroit Shock season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Bill Laimbeer |
| Arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Attendance | 9,569 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 22–12 (.647) |
| Place | 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Won WNBA Finals |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Deanna Nolan (15.8) |
| Rebounds | Cheryl Ford (8.7) |
| Assists | Deanna Nolan (4.4) |
The 2008 WNBA season was the 11th for the Detroit Shock, an American women's professional basketball team. The Shock attempted to return to the WNBA Finals for the third consecutive year. They won the WNBA Finals for the third time in franchise history. 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.
The following player was lost in the Atlanta Dream expansion draft:
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.
In July, the Detroit Shock signed Nancy Lieberman 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 a one-time only appearance in the Shock's first game due to a bench-clearing melee with the Los Angeles Sparks on July 22. Five Shock players were suspended and Cheryl Ford suffered a season-ending injury, prompting coach Bill Laimbeer to offer Lieberman a seven-day contract.
Detroit Shock Regular Season Stats
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