In yesterday's most-watched game, the visiting Mercury dominated the first half, but Detroit dominated the second, making up a 17-point deficit en route to a three-point win.

Katie Smith flew to Sacramento with the Lynx on Saturday, discovered that she had been traded when the team arrived, boarded a plane for Detroit, arrived at 1am, suited up for the Shock that afternoon, and looked like a solid upgrade over Elaine Powell: Smith got 6 points on 2-9 shooting and 3 assists in 24 minutes, Powell no points, 4 fouls and 6 turnovers in 17.

Vodichkova provided the Mercury's only inside presence, but 37 minutes against Detroit's post rotation (Ford, Riley, Braxton and Pierson) left her exhausted and unable to score (3-11 from the field, 3-8 on free throws). For all Detroit's aggression, a competent backup banger might have won Phoenix the game.

Coach Graf: "They smashed us on the glass in the second half, and they smashed us on the glass down the stretch."

Officiating was another story: with Phoenix down three and 18 seconds to go, the Merc dribbled once after an inbounds play, hence couldn't advance the ball with a timeout. The Mercury called one anyway, and Diana Taurasi asked referee June Courteau whether another timeout, called after an inbounds pass but before anything else, would advance the ball. Courteau said yes, so that's what the Mercury did... but they weren't allowed to advance the ball. Adding injury to insult (if you're a Merc fan) or excuse to excuse (if you like the Shock), Anna DeForge says her final, potentially game-tying three was an airball because she got hit on the elbow, although no foul was called.

Coach Laimbeer says his team's turnovers "just fry my brain." If the Shock play as they did this weekend, but with fewer fouls and fewer mental mistakes, their rebounding strength and Nolan's speed may make them virtually unbeatable. But that's a pretty big "if."