The Sparks lost in L.A. in a fast-paced back-and-forth game: they trailed, then came back, then trailed, then came back, and so on. "Our team does things the hard way," said Candace Parker.

CP and DT scored 28 apiece; Swish Appeal's Mike Lisboa asks, "Can we put them in the Hall of Fame tomorrow?"

The game took place not in Staples (thanks to a Britney Spears concert) but in UCLA's famed Pauley Pavilion: Diana, who hails from SoCal, looked comfortable enough. "I've come to Pauley since I was twelve," she said.

Also from Swish Appeal: Q on the baffling powers of Deanna Nolan. Sometimes I think Detroit could win about half their games with a starting five consisting of Nolan, Ford, any player selected randomly from any other team's roster, and both of my cats. (I know it's not true-- Nolan just makes it look that way.)