2006 WNBA Finals
Detroit Shock def. Sacramento Monarchs, 3-2
2006 WNBA Finals result: Detroit Shock def. Sacramento Monarchs, 3-2.
Result
| Team | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | Detroit Shock | 3-2 |
| Runner-up | Sacramento Monarchs |
Finals MVP: Deanna Nolan
Games
| Game | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | August 30, 2006 | Sacramento Monarchs 95–71 Detroit Shock | The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan |
| Game 2 | September 1, 2006 | Detroit Shock 73–63 Sacramento Monarchs | The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan |
| Game 3 | September 3, 2006 | Sacramento Monarchs 89–69 Detroit Shock | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California |
| Game 4 | September 6, 2006 | Detroit Shock 72–52 Sacramento Monarchs | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California |
| Game 5 | September 9, 2006 | Detroit Shock 80–75 Sacramento Monarchs | The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan |
Finals context
A rematch of sorts between two of the mid-2000s' strongest franchises, the 2006 Finals saw Sacramento, the defending champion, push Detroit to a full five games before the Shock reclaimed the title they had first won in 2003. Sacramento stunned Detroit in Game 1 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 95-71, setting Finals records with 35 field goals and 10 three-pointers, six of them from Kara Lawson (22 points); Detroit got 25 from Cheryl Ford and 21 from Katie Smith but committed a Finals-record 24 turnovers in the loss. Detroit responded in Game 2 in Sacramento, winning 73-63 as Deanna Nolan scored 21 and the Shock outscored the Monarchs 19-9 in the fourth quarter to even the series. Sacramento retook control in Game 3, 89-69, with Yolanda Griffith (15 points) and Nicole Powell (14 points) leading a Monarchs team that built a 44-33 halftime lead and extended its home playoff winning streak to 11 straight games. Detroit forced a decisive Game 5 with a 72-52 rout in Game 4, again in Sacramento, as Katie Smith (22 points) and Cheryl Ford (13 points, 10 rebounds) ended the Monarchs' home streak. Game 5, relocated from the Palace of Auburn Hills to Joe Louis Arena downtown because of a scheduling conflict with a Mariah Carey concert, drew 19,671 fans and delivered Detroit's second championship in four years. Nolan scored 24 points and was named Finals MVP, highlighted by 10 pivotal third-quarter points that gave the Shock a lead they would not relinquish despite a late Sacramento push; Smith added 17 points, including two clutch jumpers in the final two minutes, sealing an 80-75 win. For Smith, widely regarded at the time as the all-time leading scorer in women's professional basketball history across various leagues, the title was her first WNBA championship after a long and decorated career that had not previously included one. Detroit's second title in four seasons put the Shock alongside Houston (1997-2000) and Los Angeles (2001-2002) as the only multi-championship franchises in league history to that point, and the physical, defensively rugged identity coach Bill Laimbeer had instilled continued to define the team's success. Sacramento, meanwhile, suffered its first Finals loss after winning the title the year before, a defeat that, in retrospect, marked the beginning of the end for one of the league's most talented rosters; ownership troubles would eventually force the Monarchs' contraction in 2009, meaning this loss to Detroit was Sacramento's last Finals appearance in franchise history. The relocated Game 5, forced by an unrelated concert booking, also underscored how limited WNBA franchises' control over their own arena scheduling still was even a decade into the league's existence.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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