August 26, 2010 - 12:52pm
The Western Conference Semifinal series between the West's second and third seeds is a rematch. It is a rematch, first, of last year's conference semis between the Phoenix Mercury, then the league's top seeds, and the San Antonio Silver Stars, a team that had used a late-season surge to slip into the playoffs with a 15-19 record as the fourth seed in the West.
We all know how that one turned out. The Mercury went on to win not just the series, but 2009's WNBA title, and enter this year's playoffs as the reigning champs. The Silver Stars put up a gutsy fight, managing to take these opener on the Merc's home floor and stretch the series to three games, but in the end, they went home early.
Though many of the names may be the same, neither of these teams looks much like the 2009 edition. The reigning champs, in particular, have not been playing much like champions of late.
In the crazy quilt that has been this year's Western Conference, only the Seattle Storm has been much more than mediocre. The Storm, of course, have been stellar, rolling into the playoffs with the league's best record, 26-6, and finishing a perfect 17-0 at home. Seattle sewed up the West's regular-season championship on July 27, interestingly enough, by defeating the Phoenix Mercury, 91-85.
After a reasonably strong start, Phoenix clawed its way back into this year's playoffs and the No. 2 seed in the West despite a losing (15-19) record that was only one game better than that of the very worst team in the East. Meanwhile, 14-20 San Antonio found itself in a three-way tie for the West's last two playoff berths that wasn't broken until the final days of the season.
Turns out that this playoff series is also going to be a rematch of the final game of the regular season, the one that ultimate gave Phoenix the West's third seed and dropped Los Angeles into fourth place.
Phoenix, which to that point had led the regular-season with San Antonio, two games to one, had taken a two-point lead in the season finale on two free throws by DeWanna Bonner with 2.6 seconds remaining. But San Antonio's Sophia Young drove to the basket, made a layup to tie the score, and was fouled in the process by Bonner. Young then iced the go-ahead free throw to give the Silver Stars an 83-82 win, clinching the third playoff spot in the West, tying the regular-season series with the Mercury, and setting up this postseason rendezvous with Phoenix.