Now that's more like it: last night the Merc won the best-of-three series against the suddenly hard-to-beat Silver Stars, in one of the best games I've watched in a really long time.

Both teams played Phoenix-style basketball, and until the fourth quarter, the SASS kept up; in a game with plenty of scrambles, plenty of fast breaks, and plenty of breathtaking long-range jump shots, Diana scored 30. Becky scored 29. Vicki Johnson, playing in her last-ever game, scored 24. "The way we play," said DT, "you always have opportunities."

The Merc found their opportunities on the offensive glass, against the worst rebounding team in the league; they now have the opportunity to stop the supposedly unstoppable Candace Parker, and to end Lisa Leslie's WNBA career.

What to expect? The past provides no guide: L.A. lost to Phoenix three times in the regular season, each time without Parker or else without Leslie available; the Sparks defeated the Mercury in September, but in that game, Diana never took the floor.