WNBA Playoffs
*--* WESTERN CONFERENCE Sparks vs. Seattle Records--Sparks 25-7, Storm 17-15 Season series--Storm, 2-1 Schedule--Today at Seattle, 7 p.m., ESPN2; Saturday at Sparks, 1, Ch. 4; Monday at Sparks, TBA, ESPN2* Update--The Sparks’ task of playing--and winning--their final three games on the road will either have them feeling very sharp or very stale. Seattle is here because Sacramento got off to a horrible start due to injuries, and Portland wasn’t good enough down the stretch. Now it’s up to forward Lauren Jackson and rookie guard Sue Bird--both All-Star selections--to show they can take their game up another notch. Like most WNBA teams, the Storm is strong at home (10-6), and should it win tonight it would be the third straight win over the defending champions. The defending-champion Sparks insist they are not one-year wonders, and they still boast arguably the best starting five in the league. But with seven losses this season, some of the Sparks’ intimidation factor has ebbed. It will be up to Lisa Leslie, Mwadi Mabika and DeLisha Milton (if she starts) to lead Los Angeles to the dominant level it reached last year Houston vs. Utah Records--Comets 24-8, Starzz 20-12 Season series--Comets, 2-1 Schedule--Friday at Utah, 6, ESPN; Sunday at Houston, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2; Tuesday at Houston, TBA, Oxygen* Update--Comet forward Sheryl Swoopes returned to her most valuable player form after sitting out last season because of a torn knee ligament. Houston would have won the West had it not been for a late stumble against red-hot Sacramento, which did not make the playoffs. The Comets have the lowest scoring average of all playoff teams (64.8), but they are also the league’s best defensive team (59.1). Forward Tina Thompson is as dependable a scorer as Swoopes. But look out if guard Janeth Arcain, who had a relatively quiet regular season, regains the form that made her a first-team All-WNBA selection last year. The Starzz, who joined Los Angeles and Houston as 20-game winners, were second behind the Sparks in team scoring average (75.6) and have a solid core in forward Natalie Williams, guard Marie Ferdinand and center Margo Dydek. But Utah’s defense is a sieve (73.3), and the Starzz have yet to show they can regularly compete with the Sparks or Comets EASTERN CONFERENCE New York vs. Indiana Records--Liberty 18-14, Fever 16-16 Season series--Liberty, 2-1 Schedule--Friday at Indiana, 4, ESPN; Sunday at New York, 9 a.m., Ch. 4; Tuesday at New York, 5, Oxygen* Update--This may be the last chance for Liberty veterans Tara Phillips, Teresa Weatherspoon and Crystal Robinson to capture that elusive championship ring. But New York--which claimed the East’s top seeding by virtue of a tiebreaker over Charlotte--has lost four of its last five games. The Liberty was 8-8 on the road this season and has the second-lowest team scoring average (65.3) among teams in the playoffs. New York needs Tamika Whitmore to continue her breakout year. Indiana won eight of its last 11 games to squeeze past Orlando for the fourth and final playoff berth. The Fever, which barely scores more than New York (65.5), does have one of the game’s brightest talents in Tamika Catchings. With New York committed to stopping Catchings, Indiana needs another consistent scoring threat, especially with guard Nikki McCray slowed by a dislocated right pinkie finger Charlotte vs. Washington Records--Sting 18-14, Mystics 17-15 Season series--Sting, 2-1 Schedule--Today at Washington, 5, ESPN 2; Saturday at Charlotte, 9 a.m., ESPN2; Monday at Charlotte, 4, ESPN2* Update--In early July, Washington looked like the East’s best team, riding a 10-2 record. But when star forward Chamique Holdsclaw got hurt, the Mystics went tumbling from the ranks of the league elite, losing 13 of their final 20 games. Even though Charlotte passed them on the final day to claim second place, this series--on paper--is the most competitive first-round match in the WNBA. The Sting, which reached the WNBA Finals last year after a 1-10 start, won’t have the same Cinderella story line this time around. But it has a playoff tested nucleus in Allison Feaster, Andrea Stinson and Dawn Staley, steady role players in Kelly Miller and Tammy Sutton-Brown, and it was the only East team to average 70 points a game
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