Elsewhere ...

While we await Game 3 of the Storm-Sparks series, a pair of series concluded with deciding games last night.

In Connecticut, the New York Liberty surprised the favored Sun and surprised me. Nothing against New York, but I really thought that Connecticut would come out of the Eastern Conference. Having not really seen much of the series, I'm not sure whether the Sun's disappointing 12-of-55 three-point shooting was due to the Liberty's defense or Connecticut's offense. Either way, the three-heavy Sun could not survive the slump.

I'm a believer to some extent in the importance of experience in the postseason, but the Libkids are pretty clearly an exception at this point. Last year New York played way over its head by giving the Shock a first-round scare, and this year the Liberty pulled off the upset. Be wary, Detroit or Indiana.

After seeing Game 1, I also missed nearly all of the Sacramento-San Antonio series, which is a shame. I would have loved to see how the Monarchs earned a blowout win on the road in Game 2 and then forced OT last night. Whatever the team's faults, Sacramento plays hard all the time, and that along with some timely shooting by Ticha Penicheiro and Nicole Powell put a scare into the Silver Stars.

Does the series being so much closer than expected reveal anything about San Antonio? My inclination is to say no. Last year, Detroit had an even more difficult time getting out of the first round and still came within one score of the championship. Sometimes, the matchups just aren't right.

How about Edwige Lawson-Wade putting up a big game for the Silver Stars last night? Edwige was always a favorite during her brief time in the Storm, and now she's translating her international success to the WNBA game. Mechelle Voepel highlighted Lawson-Wade and Liberty rookie Essence Carson in her postgame column.