1. After leading for most of the game, the Liberty turned in one of the most dispiriting fourth quarters of playoff basketball I've ever seen: in Ypsilanti, the Detroit Shock prevailed. Game three will take place at the same arena tonight.

Freep journo Chris Lau credits Pierson's painful return, taped-up shoulder and all, for the Shock's late comeback, but to me it looked like a team effort. The Shock went on a 15-3 run; the Liberty scored just 9 points in the final frame.

2. Whatever New York pulls out of its hat tonight, there won't be an LA vs. NYC final: the Silver Stars Hammon Hammon and Young took care of the Sparks.

L.A. led for much of the second half behind far superior rebounding, and Candace Parker showed off plenty of moves. But Leslie spent most of that half in foul trouble, and Hammon and friends figured out just in time-- as in, during the final minute-- how to get open and find good looks off screens. In a game with eighteen lead changes overall, Becky scored on the last three possessions, with a trey and four free throws, to put her team ahead.

Becky's 35 points set a new Silver Stars record. The South Dakotan guard spread the credit around: "We always think we have a chance,” she said. “When you have belief like that in your teammates and yourself, you can put yourself in positions that seem impossible to overcome, and you overcome."