This is not a joke: Sacramento scored 2 points in the fourth quarter. In a title game, in a game to avoid going back to Detroit, in game that they could have won... they scored 2 points in the fourth quarter.

It was supposed to be a party. Instead, it was a disaster.

The hackneyed "respect" angle apparently worked for Laimbeer. "It was a fun game for our team because the last two days, we have watched us be maligned by ESPN's Doris Burke and Nancy Lieberman in particular, calling us all kinds of mean, nasty ugly things," he said.

Voison says Laimbeer whined his way to a masterpiece. (At least we didn't have to hear it on the broadcast all game long.) Graham Hays says that last night's game actually validates those who have criticized Bill and his team.

Simply put, the Shock are vulnerable to criticism precisely because they're capable of playing like they did on Wednesday night.

Katie Smith was fabulous on both ends. "We played a little harder, and we played a little smarter, and basically, that's how we ended up where we were," she said.

And after getting beaten up for much of the series, the Shock's posts played great. Detroit dominated the boards and points in the paint. Yo had a double-double, but she shot only 3 for 13, and she didn't look like herself. After the game, she apologized to fans. "We know we stunk up the place tonight, and we have another game," she said.

So we head back to Detroit for Game 5. But we head to Joe Louis Arena rather than the Palace. Why? Because Mariah Carey is at the Palace. Normally, this sort of thing would upset me, but I can never stay mad at Mariah, no matter how many times she lets me down.