Last night's fourth quarter in Detroit was a bummer, not just for Sun fans, but for almost anyone who wanted to see close, competitive, playoff basketball.

Last night's fourth quarter in Sacto was superb. Down late after blowing an early lead, missing over and over from the line, and getting almost nothing from their vaunted bench, the Monarchs pulled ahead in the final seconds on a Griffith layup after a neat Lawson pass: the home crowd exploded, and the defending champs came out on top.

With Griffith taking Leslie out of her game, L.A.'s defense clogging the paint, and both teams often using the whole shot clock, the second half combined a three-point shooting contest and a defensive chess match.

For a while, Mwadi Mabika looked like the queen: Mwadi has had her best games against the 'Narchs, and last night she did it again-- 6-9 from downtown, almost all after halftime. "I think she likes purple," coach Whiz joked.

But the Monarchs like winning. Nicole Powell, who has had just an okay year, nailed five jumpers in a row to put her team back in the game. Lawson and Penichiero (yes, Penichiero) sank three-pointers to lead the final comeback.

The series now move to L.A., except that it doesn't: the Sparks have won almost all their games at Staples this year, but American Idol has taken over their building, sending the Sparks to Anaheim. Lisa Leslie: "I don't think we'd ever see the Lakers play at the Pond in the playoffs. That's just a slap in the face."

Want more? The sport's best journalist has the stories on Lawson's, and on her team's, resilience.