Kristi Toliver drains a ridiculous three in WNBA Finals (Video)
By John Buhler
In pivotal Game 5 of the 2016 WNBA Finals, Los Angeles Sparks guard Kristi Toliver hit an insane three-pointer falling down against the Minnesota Lynx.
The 2016 WNBA FInals were in a pivotal Game 5 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center Thursday night. The Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks were all tied up at two games apiece.
Los Angeles had been a dominant team back when the Sparks had Lisa Leslie. Now, the WNBA has to deal with Maya Moore and the Lynx.
The Lynx were heavily favored over the Sparks in this best-of-five series. Los Angeles would need at least one big play to knock off Minnesota in Game 5. The Sparks apparently got that from guard Kristi Toliver.
Up 66-63 on the Lynx with three seconds left on the shot clock, Toliver would hit a fadeaway three-pointer to put the Sparks up 69-63 with 3:45 left in the ball game. Los Angeles would go on to win the 2016 WNBA Championship, 77-76, over the Lynx.
Had Toliver been unable to get this shot off, Candace Parker would not be celebrating her first WNBA championship as a professional. The Sparks won Games 1, 3 and 5 of this best-of-five series.
Since 2011, the Lynx have won three of the last six WNBA championships (2011, 2013, 2015). Minnesota has made it to the WNBA Finals five of the last six seasons. The lone exception came in 2014, when the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Chicago Sky.
This is the first WNBA championship for the Sparks since the 2002 WNBA season when the Sparks defeated the New York Liberty for back-to-back WNBA championships. The WNBA Finals MVP that season was Leslie.
Next: Toughest NBA Teams Of All-Time
Los Angeles now has its third WNBA championship banner it can hang at the Staples Center. To beat Minnesota in the Target Center in Game 5 might be the most impressive win in WNBA history. Toliver’s three-pointer was the shot that largely decided this game.