With Cheryl Ford, Detroit might still be unbeatable. Last night, though, a knee sprain kept her in street clothes.

Without Ford, the defending champs rolled over for the Fever, who kept a big early lead for a convincing win.

Catch scored 26; Sharp had one of the best games of her career.

Coach Laimbeer refused to blame Ford's absence: "We didn't have the concentration and, more importantly, we didn't have the desire."