WNBA Finals preview
Detroit (24-10) vs. Phoenix (23-11)
Game 1: Today at Detroit, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday at Detroit, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 3: Tuesday at Phoenix, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Game 4: Thursday, Sept. 13 at Phoenix, 7:30 p.m., if necessary
Game 5: Sunday, Sept. 16 at Detroit, 3:30 p.m., if necessary
Season series: Shock won 2-0
Detroit at a glance: The defending champion survived a tough challenge from fourth-place New York in the opening round, and then beat Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals. Detroit lost the opening game on the road in both series before sweeping at home each time, including an 81-65 win in the finale against the Fever. The Shock, seeking its third title in five years, was dominant in the regular season before losing the last four games after clinching homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Deanna Nolan averaged a career-high 16.3 points and 4.4 rebounds during the season, then increased those numbers to 20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in the postseason. She had a franchise playoff-record 30 points in the clinching game against Indiana. All-Star Game MVP Cheryl Ford (13.0 points and 11.2 rebounds in 15 games) returned for the playoffs after aggravating her sprained left knee on July 20 and sitting out the rest of the season. She is averaging 10.0 points and 10.4 rebounds in the last five games. Known for its dominant inside game, the Shock was 17-for-33 (52 percent) on 3-pointers against the Fever. Detroit is averaging just 70.2 points per game in the playoffs but is also limiting opponents to 69.8. In the two regular-season meetings against the Mercury, Shannon Johnson averaged 18.5 points, Katie Smith 18.0, and Plenette Pierson 14.0 points and 12.5 rebounds.
Phoenix at a glance: The Mercury swept Seattle in the opening round and San Antonio in the West finals. Phoenix closed out the Silver Stars with a 98-92 victory in Game 2 to return to the Finals for the first time since 1998. Second-year forward Cappie Pondexter is the league's top scorer in the postseason, averaging 26.3 points -- 9.1 above her production during the season. She had 33 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds and 8 assists in the clinching game against San Antonio. Penny Taylor (20.3), Diana Taurasi (20.0), Kelly Miller (12.8) and Tangela Smith (10.8) are also averaging double digits. Smith is averaging 9.0 rebounds, Taylor 8.0 and Pondexter 6.8. The Mercury won 11 of its last 12 games in the regular season to earn the West's top seed while returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2000. As part of coach Paul Westhead's frenetic pace, Phoenix averaged a league-best 89.0 points per game during the season -- topping 100 in eight games -- and have increased that to 99.0 on 46 percent shooting in the first two rounds. Westhead, who won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980, will be seeking to become the first coach to win titles in the NBA and WNBA. Taylor, who averaged career highs of 17.8 points and 6.3 rebounds during the season, had 18.5 points per game in two meetings with the Shock.
Prediction: Mercury in four.
-- Vin A. Cherwoo, Associated Press