And We're Off

The 2007 WNBA season kicked off this afternoon with the host Detroit Shock receiving their WNBA Championship rings, then beating the Sacramento Monarchs 75-68 in a Finals rematch.

In Jenny Boucek's first game on the sidelines, the Monarchs looked mostly the same as they did under John Whisenant. As Doris Burke emphasized during the ABC broadcast, Boucek was very poised. She'll do great.

Looking at the boxscore, the Monarchs got big efforts from shooting guards Kara Lawson and Chelsea Newton, who scored 14 points apiece. Veteran Yolanda Griffith, however, spent much of the game in foul trouble and was quiet when she did play. Yo had one point and three rebounds in about 19 minutes of action.

For Detroit, Plenette Pierson played just about as good of a game as she ever has in the WNBA, scoring 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting and pulling down eight rebounds (six offensive). Is it just me or does Pierson always have big games on ABC? She's a nice fit for her role as Detroit's top reserve post because she can be streaky, but the Shock can roll with her when she's playing well and go with their starters when Pierson doesn't have it.

Connecticut and Washington are just tipping off on NBA TV and WNBA.com Broadband. Alana Beard is not playing tonight and her shoulder injury was just described as "week-to-week" instead of "day-to-day." Keep an eye on that injury, which is huge for the Mystics.