As I type there are three minutes left in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. (UPDATE: it's over.)

The Shock have a record of 10 and 2 in the last month. Indiana are under .500 for the same period.

Detroit have eliminated Indiana each time those teams have met in the postseason.

The Shock came within one Cappie Pondexter layup of three-peating in 2006-08.

This year, they beat Phoenix the last time these teams met; the Shock also crushed L.A. in June, with neither team at full strength (though the early-season Shock also lost first games with both teams).

Voepel, who hates making predictions, pointed out last week that the Shock can beat anybody. Detroit have often taken a cat-and-mouse approach to big games, spotting opponents a quarter, or a dozen points, then roaring back for a win; did the Shock bring that attitude to a whole season?

Did anyone, last week, pick Detroit to repeat? And does anyone doubt, given what's needed in Indy, and given the drawing power of Candace Parker, that Detroit vs. Phoenix (again) is the championship series that David Stern and Donna Orender least want to see?