The WNBA released information on postseason dates and information on a new format for conference semifinals and finals today. The release:

As teams continue to jockey for playoff positioning, the WNBA today announced dates for the first two rounds of the postseason, as well as a new format for the conference semifinals and conference finals. Semifinals games will be played Aug. 25-30 with the conference finals played Sept. 2-8. Both series will now be played in a 1-1-1 best-of-three format, with the higher-seeded teams hosting games 1 and 3.  In years prior, the first two rounds were played 1-2, with the higher-seed opening on the road. 

“Every team plays hard to gain competitive home-court advantage in the postseason. This change provides incentive and reward for teams who perform at the highest-level, while giving fans the opportunity to see their playoff series tip-off at home,” said WNBA President Donna Orender.

The WNBA Finals, scheduled to begin on Sept. 12, will remain a 2-2-1 best-of-five format in which the higher-seeded team will host games 1, 2, and 5.  All WNBA Playoff games will be televised nationally, with ESPN2 and ABC airing up to 10 games, including all contests during the WNBA Finals.  NBA TV will also air up to 12 games as part of its conference semifinals and conference finals coverage. 

In the Western Conference, the Seattle Storm (21-2) has locked up the No. 1 seed, and is on pace to surpass the WNBA record for best regular season winning percentage, held by the 1998 Houston Comets (.900).  The Storm is led by a pair of WNBA All-Stars, center Lauren Jackson and point guard Sue Bird. Jackson ranks second in the league in scoring (22.3 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (9.3 rpg), while Bird ranks first in the league in assists (5.6 apg).

The defending WNBA champion, Phoenix Mercury, is showing signs of returning to championship form. Phoenix is 3-2 since the All-Star break, led by league scoring leader Diana Taurasi (23.9 ppg). On three separate occasions this season, the Mercury has set new-single game scoring records, including 123 points against the Tulsa Shock and 127 points the following game against the Minnesota Lynx in a thrilling double-overtime win. 

In the Eastern Conference, each remaining regular season game has playoff implications that will help determine the top four seeds. All six teams in the Eastern Conference continue to be in playoff contention, with the Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, and Connecticut Sun leading the way. The Chicago Sky (12-13) is looking to make its first postseason appearance in franchise history.

With her non-profit organization Meek’s Hope well on its way to becoming an established presence in Louisiana, Phoenix Mercury guard Temeka Johnson adds to her humanitarian efforts with the launch of a children’s book series.

Johnson’s first book Decisions, Decisions, Decisions is an autobiographical tale of a young girl who loves basketball. The protagonist is raised by a warm and loving yet stern grandmother who imparts lessons about work ethic and education.

Johnson is set to host a launch party for the book this weekend in Phoenix at a fete that doubles as a fundraiser for Meek’s Hope. "Night of HOPE" takes place in a luxury suite at US Airways Center and Johnson will sign copies of her book at the event. All proceeds from Decisions, Decisions, Decisions go towards the organization’s scholarship program.

Meek took some time out of her schedule this week to complete a Q&A with Hoopfeed.com about the book, her humanitarian work and her thoughts on the recent Mercury trade of forward/center Nicole Ohlde for forward/center Kara Braxton.

Where did the idea of a children’s book come from?

Writing a book has been something that I have been talking about for nearly four years now. It began as an autobiography, but after starting the HOPE Foundation, it turned into something that was bigger than me. After reading to some students at my adopted Magnolia Woods Elementary School, and seeing how they were inspired by me, I worked with my team to make a children’s book that was based on my life.

How many books do you anticipate in the series?

For this first series, we will have 3 books, but we hope to turn this into a book series that will be much more than just the three books. I’m hoping that everyone loves it, and we’ll make many more. I have a lot of stories to tell!

How does the book fit in with your Meek’s Hope organization goals?

The book is a perfect fit for the HOPE Foundation. The best part is that we reach the young and the older children. Education is important to me and my foundation, so getting the kids interested in reading at a young age is great. But, also, with the proceeds going to the Jewel Johnson Scholarship Fund, I’ll be able to help older students get to college. It’s a perfect balance for me and the foundation.

Do you feel a special mission to connect with children who were raised by their grandparents?

There is a special connection, because my grandmother raised me and a lot of my family, but I just want to create a stronger community. We are raised by our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, everyone, and to be honest, we need to get back to the days where the communities raised our children. That’s my biggest goal.

The illustrations are great. Do you feel they captured your spirit and how were you able to convey your message so well to the artist?

Did they?! The illustrations were perfect! All of my family and everyone said the same thing. I have to thank Quency and my FAM for that. Quency and I sat down to write this book over my Temeka Johnson Weekend last year, and he got it. Honestly, I was surprised at how well they worked to make it perfect. I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.

Do you have any other creative projects in the works?

The other books are coming, but I’m also working on a book of inspirational quotes that will be out in 2011. My LSU coach, Robert Starkey, helped me with this. It looks amazing, and we’re now working to get sponsors and clearances. It’ll be called Meek’s Little Book of HOPE, and I’m excited! We’re also working on a comic strip, too, with the artist that we have from the children’s book. It’s going to be fun! I think we need to be creative when reaching the youth, so we’re doing all that we can!

The Gulf area is still recovering from Katrina and residents now have to deal with the aftermath of the BP oil spill. Has the spill affected your outlook on your humanitarian work in the area?

I’ve always been working in Louisiana, but I do feel that more is needed. I wish I had more time to do more, but our schedule is crazy with heading overseas after the season. But, I am working to support other organizations down in my home state when I can’t be there to do more myself. All I know is that we still have a long way to go and Louisiana knows that they can count on me!

What are your thoughts on the Kara Braxton/Nicole Ohlde trade?

First, let me say that we all miss Ohlde. She was a great teammate and it feels different to not see her every day. I wish her the best and hope that she shows Tulsa just how good she can be. Kara will be good for us. She gives us a strong force down in the middle, and will help out Candice, Tan, DB and Brooke with her rebounding. She can also run the floor, which most people don’t give her credit for. I think people will be surprised at how well she fits in with us.

• Meek’s Hope
• Order Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
• Temeka Johnson on Twitter: @QuickDeuce
• Temeka Johnson’s post on WhiteHouse.gov about meeting the President

With a trade of Alexis Hornbuckle to the Minnesota Lynx for Rashanda McCants, Nolan Richardson’s Tulsa squad is completely free of any former Detroit Shock players in action this season. Of the other players who were on the team in the Motor City, Cheryl Ford is out of action this summer due to injury and Deanna Nolan chose not to play this summer.

The release from Tulsa:

A flurry of mid-season lineup changes for the Tulsa Shock continued this morning as they acquired forward Rashanda McCants from Minnesota in exchange for Alexis Hornbuckle.

Hornbuckle, the last remaining player on the Shock roster who played in Detroit last year, averaged 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game for Tulsa. She started 10 of the 14 games in which she appeared.

McCants is a second year player from the University of North Carolina. She has appeared in 17 of Minnesota’s 21 games this season, averaging 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.

President Barack Obama honored the 2009 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury for their accomplishments both on and off the court at a ceremony at the White House on Monday, July 19, 2010.

“I live with three tall, good-looking women who are quite competitive and push me around under the boards all the time,” said Obama when talking about the positive influence of women like the Mercury. “I want Malia and Sasha to know there is absolutely no contradiction between women who are beautiful and healthy and contributing and athletic and competitive.”

The full text of the President’s remarks:

THE PRESIDENT: All right, everybody, have a seat now, have a seat. Well, it is just wonderful to welcome all of you here to the White House. And congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury on winning your second WNBA title in the last three years. (Applause.)

Now, I noticed my Department of Homeland Security Secretary — (laughter) — is kind of horning in on our event here. (Laughter.) She has been a huge fan of Mercury ever since her days as governor of Arizona. She’s — I didn’t know you’d been a guest coach. That is cool. Did you guys win that game? Nice, nice, nice. So I’m impressed.

I want to congratulate head coach Corey Gaines. He won a ring as assistant coach — now he’s got a ring as head coach. So congratulations. (Applause.)

I know how much hard work goes into a championship — (reacts to a noise) — you guys all right back there? (Laughter.) I know how much hard work goes into a championship season. But I hear that one of the real keys to the Mercury’s title is sitting in the audience. For those of you who don’t know, assistant coach Julie Hairgrove and her kids are the lucky charms of this team. Where are they? Sleeping? Not that excited to see the President. (Laughter.)

My understanding, when the Mercury won their first title in 2007, Julie was pregnant with her second child. Where’s Julie by the way? Nice. When they won their second title, Julie was pregnant with her third child, Grace, who’s now three months old. And I understand the team is trying to talk Julie and her husband into their fourth. (Laughter.) One more? (Laughter.)

But beyond your lucky charms, the sacrifice, the dedication, and the heart that all of you have put into this sport is obvious. Team captain Diana Taurasi was named regular season and WNBA Finals MVP this year. That’s pretty good. (Applause.) Last week, she won the ESPY Award for Best WNBA Player of 2010. Congratulations. (Applause.)

Tangela Smith became only the fourth player in WNBA history to score 4,500 career points and rack up 2,000 rebounds. Congratulations, Tangela. (Applause.) Nice! Nice!

But this is a true team. When Diana was named Finals MVP, she turned around and gave the trophy to her teammates. She said, “It’s not one player that makes an MVP. It never has been…and it never will be.”

And this team set a new WNBA scoring record with 92.8 points per game. They made their way onto a box of Wheaties, I understand. (Laughter.) But they have managed to keep themselves pretty grounded. I hear that rookies Taylor Lilley and Sequoia Holmes are still doing luggage duty — is that true? (Laughter.) You guys didn’t even — (laughter) — rooks, huh? That’s rough. That’s rough. (Laughter.)

This team also goes above and beyond in serving the Phoenix community -– from putting on basketball camps for children of veterans to collecting clothes for the homeless. And today, they’re bringing that commitment here to the White House. After we’re done here, they’ll be holding a clinic as part of Michelle’s “Let’s Move!” initiative to help our young people live healthy and active lives.

So I want to thank all of you guys for your extraordinary service as well as your championship spirit. And I want to thank you for setting a wonderful example — because I live with three tall, good-looking women — (laughter) — who are quite competitive and push me around under the boards all the time. (Laughter.) But I want Malia and Sasha to know that there is absolutely no contradiction between women who are beautiful and healthy and contributing, and good athletes and competitive. And when they see you guys every day, that helps them in a way that — I think if you heard from Michelle, sometimes she feels like when she was coming up she didn’t always have that. And I think that is just so important to everybody.

So as a basketball fan, I congratulate you on your second championship. As a father, I thank you for being great role models. And good luck with the rest of the season. All right. (Applause.)

President Barack Obama is set to honor the Phoenix Mercury at the White House next Monday in commemoration of the team’s 2009 championship season. The team will meet with the president on Monday, July 19 at 1:40 p.m.

Members of the team will participate in a service project with local area youth during their visit to Washington, D.C.  This continues a tradition begun by President Obama of sports champions serving in the community as part of their visit.

The Mercury secured its second championship (2009, 2007) in three seasons after defeating the Indiana Fever in a five-game series during the 2009 WNBA Finals in October.  Diana Taurasi was named the regular season and finals MVP and led the team to a 30-15 record for the season.

Box Score

Sylvia Fowles scored 13 of her 23 points in the third quarter to lead the U.S. national team over the WNBA All-Stars 99-72 on Saturday in a midseason showcase. Fowles was named the MVP of the contest post-game.

All-star coach Brian said that his team  “played against the best team in the world today, the best players, great coach.”

They’re organized,”he said. “They’ve got decisions to make. We knew that this wasn’t your typical All‑Star Game. This was a team that was motivated to play from an individual standpoint because a lot of them are on the bubble trying to make this squad and they’re in preparation mode.”

• USA Basketball Postgame Quotes
• WNBA Stars Postgame Quotes
• Photos: The Stars at the Sun Game Action
• Video: Moore Up and Under
• Video: Moore to Charles

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2011 during "WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Game" Saturday at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The six members of the Class of 2011 are:

• Val Ackerman (contributor, she was the first president of the WNBA)
• Ruthie Bolton (player)
• Vicky Bullett (player)
• Muffet McGraw (coach)
• Pearl Moore (player)
• Lometa Odom (player)

The Class of 2011 is 13th group of inductees. The number individuals who have been recognized as Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees increases to 121.

Individuals must meet the following conditions in order to be considered for induction:

• Player: Must be retired from the highest level of play for at least five years.
• Coach: Must have coached the women’s game at least 20 years.
• Referee: Must have officiated the women’s game at least 10 years.
• Contributor: Must have significantly impacted the game of women’s basketball.

Candace Parker’s jersey is the best selling jersey in the history of both the NBA Store and WNBAStore.com according to the WNBA. She tops the league’s list of most popular jerseys, where she has reigned since October 2008.

Since last year, New York Liberty forward Janel McCarville of the New York Liberty moved up from No. 8 to the No. 5 spot. Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry made her debut on the list at No. 10.

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR PLAYER JERSEYS:
1. Candace Parker – Los Angeles Sparks
2. Diana Taurasi – Phoenix Mercury
3. Lisa Leslie – Los Angeles Sparks
4. Becky Hammon – San Antonio Silver Stars
5. Janel McCarville – New York Liberty
6. Essence Carson – New York Liberty
7. Shameka Christon – New York Liberty*
8. Cappie Pondexter – New York Liberty
9. Sue Bird – Seattle Storm
10. Angel McCoughtry – Atlanta Dream

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR TEAM MERCHANDISE:
1. Los Angeles Sparks
2. Phoenix Mercury
3. San Antonio Silver Stars
4. Seattle Storm
5. New York Liberty

*Shameka Christon was traded to the Chicago Sky in March 2010.

Based on sales at the NBA Store in New York City and WNBAStore.com from October 2009 through June 2010. Source: WNBA.com

The WNBA announced the the list of six players selected by WNBA coaches as reserves for the WNBA stars against the U.S. Women’s National Team in the “WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun.” The game is set to take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on July 10, will be televised by ESPN at 3:30 p.m. E.T

The reserves include reigning Most Improved Player Crystal Langhorne of the Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream teammates Sancho Lyttle and Iziane Castro, the Phoenix Mercury’s Penny Taylor, Indiana Fever’s Katie Douglas, and Minnesota Lynx’s Rebekkah Brunson.

Fans selected their ten favorite players and the league announced the results of those votes on June 29.

Brian Agler of the Seattle Storm is the coach of the WNBA stars. He earned the honor by virtue of his team having the best winning percentage through games of July 1. Nancy Darsch, the lead assistant under Agler with the Storm, will serve in the same capacity with the WNBA team during The Stars at the Sun.

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team is coached by Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Coach. His assistants are Doug Bruno (head coach, DePaul University), Jennifer Gillom (head coach, Los Angeles Sparks) and Marynell Meadors (head coach, Atlanta Dream).

2010 WNBA vs. USA BASKETBALL: THE STARS AT THE SUN TEAM ROSTERS

WNBA

Jayne Appel
San Antonio Silver Stars

Rebekkah Brunson
Minnesota Lynx

Becky Hammon
San Antonio Silver Stars

Iziane Castro Marques
Atlanta Dream

Katie Douglas
Indiana Fever

Lauren Jackson
Seattle Storm

Crystal Langhorne
Washington Mystics

Sancho Lyttle
Atlanta Dream

Michelle Snow
San Antonio Silver Stars

Penny Taylor
Phoenix Mercury

Sophia Young
San Antonio Silver Stars

USA BASKETBALL

Sue Bird
Seattle Storm

Swin Cash
Seattle Storm

Tamika Catchings
Indiana Fever

Tina Charles
Connecticut Sun

Candice Dupree
Phoenix Mercury

Sylvia Fowles
Chicago Sky

Angel McCoughtry
Atlanta Dream

Maya Moore
University of Connecticut

Renee Montgomery
Connecticut Sun

Cappie Pondexter
New York Liberty

Diana Taurasi
Phoenix Mercury

The WNBA announced Monday that Phoenix Mercury guard Ketia Swanier received a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area during an on-court incident in Saturday’s game against New York. The altercation involved New York Libery guard Cappie Pondexter, Mercury forward Penny Taylor and Mercury guard Diana Taurasi.

During the third quarter, Taylor drove to the basket and was fouled hard across the head by Pondexter. Taurasi went to aid Taylor and was shoved by Pondexter resulting in a brief altercation on the court. Members of both teams reacted to the incident. Taylor received a technical foul. Pondexter was called for a flagrant two personal foul and ejected from the game.

Concussions: Lauren Jackson and Sancho Lyttle

Seattle Storm starting center Lauren Jackson is questionable for Tuesday’s game against New York after suffering a concussion during Saturday’s game versus Los Angeles. Jackson did not practice with the team on Monday.

Atlanta Dream forward Sancho Lyttle left Saturday’s game against Chicago with a concussion after getting knocked on the left side of her face by an elbow from Sky center Sylvia Fowles.

Surgery for Sun forward Anete Jekabsone-Zogota
Anete Jekabsone-Zogota will undergo arthroscopic surgery on her right knee. The surgery is set for Thursday and she could miss up to four weeks.

More changes in Tulsa

The Tulsa Shock signed veteran free-agent guard Ivory Latta to a contract on Monday. The team waived rookie guard Natasha Lacy. Latta participated in the Shock’s training camp but was waived on May 13.

Natasha Lacy appeared in all 16 games for the Shock this season, averaging 6.3 points and 3.5 assists as a rookie in 18.3 minutes a game.

A former University of North Carolina standout, Latta is expected to practice with the Shock this week and be in uniform this Thursday when Tulsa travels to Indiana to play its final regular-season game before the All-Star break. During her three years in the league, the guard was a member of the Atlanta Dream and the Detroit Shock. She has a career average of 7.0 points and 2.0 assists per game.

Other Tulsa transactions from the regular season:

• June 13
  Traded Plenette Pierson to the New York Liberty in exchange for Tiffany Jackson.
• June 8
  Waived Ashley Walker and Amanda Thompson.
  Signed Kiesha Brown and Jennifer Lacy.
• May 27
  Traded Shavonte Zellous to the Indiana Fever in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2011 Draft.

San Antonio re-signings

Three days after putting them on waivers, the San Antonio Silver re-signed Crystal Kelly and Allie Quigley