The WNBA regular season is a wrap and now it's down to just eight teams. With Phoenix out of the picture, a new champ will arise. We break down the first round matchups.
San Antonio vs. Sacramento
Although the San Antonio Silver Stars owned the league's best record, don't count out the Sacramento Monarch's just yet. For years, Ticha Penicheiro has been one of the WNBA's top point guards. She has two three-point specialists to pass the ball to in Nicole Powell and Kara Lawson. The Monarchs even defeated the Stars in their first matchup of the year. But if they are going to pull an upset they'll have to contain veteran point guard Becky Hammond and Sophia Young. Plus, Sacramento will have to win one away from Sac-town and that will be tough considering they were a dismal 5-12 on the road this season.
- Kidzworld Prediction - San Antonio barely wins in three games.
Detroit vs. Indiana
It's not looking good for Indiana. Detroit owned the best record in the East and had been in the finals for the past two seasons. The Shock also defeated the Fever all three times the two teams have played this year. The good news for Indiana, is the Shock will be without star forward Cheryl Ford, who is out for the season with a knee injury. But the combination of Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith might be too much for the Fever to handle. If they want to steal the series, Indiana will have to get more out of Tamika Catchings, who's ppg average is down three points from a season ago.
- Kidzworld Prediction - Detroit will sweep the Fever.
Seattle vs. Los Angeles
This should be a very close and interesting series. Even though Seattle is the lower seed, they actually had a better record than L.A. Behind one of the best one-two tandems in the League of Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, Seattle is talented enough to win this series. The Sparks have a few weapons of their own in superstar Lisa Leslie and rookie sensation Candace Parker. Seattle hopes that Parker's inexperience will show, but that is doubtful considering Parker was a National Champion in college and averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
- Kidzworld Prediction - Los Angeles in three games.
Connecticut vs. New York
Nobody finished the season worse than the Connecticut Sun. They could have had the top seed in the East but they went on a late-season, three-game losing streak. New York on the other hand, surprised people all season long. Despite being a young team, they showed their toughness and competitiveness. The Sun will have a tough time containing Shameka Christon who averaged 15 ppg and shot over 40 percent from three-point range. On the flip side, the Liberty must contain Asjha Jones who is an offensive machine.
- Kidzworld Prediction - New York in three games.
