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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In training camp, Chamique Holdsclaw
guaranteed the playoffs for the Washington Mystics. In the last
half of the final regular-season game, on her 23rd birthday, she
and Nikki McCray made the prediction come true.
Holdsclaw scored 11 of her 18 points and grabbed eight of her 10
rebounds in the second half, and McCray scored 17 of her 20 points
after the break. The Mystics also had a franchise-record 19 steals
as they beat the Cleveland Rockers 60-48 to clinch the last Eastern
Conference playoff berth.
|  | | Keisha Anderson, left, and the Mystics didn't give the Rockers much room in the second half. |
"It's a great way to celebrate," said Holdsclaw, standing in
front of a "Happy Birthday" poster in her locker. "Now we're
going to go out and party as a team."
The Mystics (14-18) didn't get there the way Holdsclaw pictured
in May. They made the postseason despite losing five of their last
eight games and finishing four games below .500. They finished the
season under interim coach Darrell Walker, who had never coached
women before and is 5-7 since the resignation of Nancy Darsch.
"We did it the blue-collar way," Holdsclaw said. "We had an
opportunity to clinch it two times and we didn't, but it feels good
to do it at home."
Washington will entertain first-place New York on Saturday to
open a best-of-three playoff series. The Rockers (17-15) had
already clinched second place in the East and will face third-place
Orlando, with Game 1 on Friday night.
The Mystics trailed 26-24 at halftime, with Holdsclaw and McCray
shooting a combined 4-for-13. That's when Holdsclaw told teammate
Renee Robinson it was now or never.
"I know I'm going to make mistakes," Holdsclaw said. "But one
thing I told Renee at halftime, `The second half, I'm going to
play. We're going to make some things happen.' "
The Rockers led by as many as 11 in the first half, but they
became flustered by Walker's full-court pressure defense. Cleveland
point guard Suzie McConnell Serio and Ann Wauters each had five of
their team's 22 turnovers. Keisha Anderson had five steals for
Washington.
McConnell Serio and Rushia Brown finished with 12 points apiece
for the Rockers.
Tricia Bader's jump shot with 3:44 remaining cut Cleveland's
deficit to three at 51-48, but that was the last Rockers basket.
McCray hit two layups and a 15-foot jumper in the final 2½ minutes
to put the game away.
"Nikki stepped up. I've been riding her pretty hard," said
Walker, who didn't make the playoffs as interim coach of the NBA's
Washington Wizards earlier this year. "This team needs someone to
get into people's faces."
At the final buzzer, Holdsclaw threw the ball into the crowd as
the celebration began. Given a microphone, McCray asked the
audience: "What time is it?" They responded: "It's playoff
time!"
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ALSO SEE
WNBA Scoreboard
RECAPS
Miami 68
Orlando 64
Washington 60
Cleveland 48
Detroit 66
New York 63
Indiana 67
Charlotte 51
Houston 77
Minnesota 64
Utah 89
Los Angeles 77
Phoenix 68
Portland 60
Sacramento 79
Seattle 46
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