(August 1, 2002)                                                                                              Hot News Main Page 

National Television Schedule Announced For 2002 WNBA Playoffs
Schedule Features Start-to-Finish Coverage All the Way to Labor Day on NBC, ESPN, ESPN2 and Oxygen

NEW YORK NY (August 1, 2002) From the opening tip of the 2002 WNBA Playoffs to the presentation of the WNBA Finals trophy, all the excitement of WNBA postseason action will be televised nationally, with NBC, ESPN, ESPN2 and Oxygen scheduled to telecast every game all the way to Labor Day.

ESPN and ESPN2 will televise up to 14 games, opening its coverage on August 15 with the "Playoffs Preview: All the Way to Labor Day" on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. EDT, and concluding with Game 1 of the Finals. Oxygen will make its WNBA postseason debut with coverage in the first round.

Eight teams (the top four teams from each conference) will advance to the 2002 WNBA Playoffs, and final playoff spots may be decided on the last day of the regular season, with 14 of the 16 WNBA teams in action on Tuesday, August 13. The first-round match-ups will be released following the conclusion of that day's games.

Each round of the 2002 WNBA Playoffs will consist of a best-of-three series. In the first-round series, the first-place teams in the Eastern and Western Conference will play the respective fourth-place teams, and the second- and third-place teams in each conference will face off. The teams with the best regular-season records will have home-court advantage and will host Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) after playing Game 1 on the road.

The first-round winners will meet in the Eastern and Western Conference Finals beginning on Thursday, August 22. The winners of the Conference Finals will advance to the 2002 WNBA Finals, which begin on Thursday, August 29.

The complete 2002 WNBA Playoffs schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):

FIRST ROUND
Thursday 8/15/2002 8:00 PM Game 1 - East ESPN2
Thursday 8/15/2002 10:00 PM Game 1 - West ESPN2
Friday 8/16/2002 7:00 PM Game 1 - East ESPN2
Friday 8/16/2002 9:00 PM Game 1 - West ESPN
Saturday 8/17/2002 12:00 PM Game 2 - East ESPN2
Saturday 8/17/2002 4:00 PM Game 2 - West NBC
Sunday 8/18/2002 12:00 PM Game 2 - East NBC
Sunday 8/18/2002 4:30 PM Game 2 - West ESPN2
Monday 8/19/2002 TBD Game 3* ESPN2
Monday 8/19/2002 TBD Game 3* ESPN2
Tuesday 8/20/2002 TBD Game 3* Oxygen
Tuesday 8/20/2002 TBD Game 3* Oxygen

CONFERENCE FINALS
Thursday 8/22/2002 8:00 PM Game 1 ESPN2
Thursday 8/22/2002 10:00 PM Game 1 ESPN2
Saturday 8/24/2002 4:00 PM Game 2 NBC
Saturday 8/24/2002 8:00 PM Game 2 ESPN2
Sunday 8/25/2002 5:00 PM Game 3* ESPN2
Sunday 8/25/2002 7:00 PM Game 3* ESPN2

FINALS
Thursday 8/29/2002 8:00 PM Game 1 ESPN2
Saturday 8/31/2002 3:30 PM Game 2 NBC
Sunday 9/01/2002 3:30 PM Game 3* NBC

*if necessary
Schedule subject to change

For more information on the WNBA and the 2002 WNBA Playoffs, log onto
www.wnba.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maureen Coyle at the WNBA: (212) 407-8414
Rita Sullivan at the WNBA: (212) 407-8727
Dave Nagle at ESPN: (860) 766-2000

[Source: ESPN]