The Monarchs are the defending champs and the number two seed in the West, but might be considered slight underdogs by some going into their series with the Comets. Houston won the regular season series 3-1.

Kara Lawson compares Houston to the New York Yankees. "They've got, like, 50 gold medals and a billion All-Star appearances. If you let it, it can be a little intimidating. We don't try to compare ourselves to them. You can't compare yourself to the players they have."

Despite winning 3 of 4 from the Monarchs, Tina Thompson said that does not mean much. "Playoffs is a totally different season in itself, so the fact that we had an advantage in the regular season doesn't mean much," she said. "(We) are going to take advantage of the experience itself, look at the film and the things that they do."