Shannon Bobbitt News

Los Angeles Sparks' Shannon Bobbitt, left, drives on Minnesota Lynx's Nicky Anosike in the final second of the second half of a WNBA basketball game on July 3, 2008, in Los Angeles.

Tamika Catchings' Fever trail 1-0 to Detroit, while Lisa Leslie's Sparks are down 1-0 against Phoenix.

As the WNBA's Eastern and Western Conferences launch their best-of-three championship series Wednesday night, a glance at the overall rosters reveals a passing of the torch to a newer generation in the 13-year history of the playoffs.

Tina Thompson hit a key 3-pointer with 5:44 remaining and the Los Angeles Sparks went on to a 70-63 victory over the Seattle Storm in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series Sparks Survive Storm, 70-63 As they might say on "Project Runway," that game was a fierce, hot mess.

Phoenix s Cappie Pondexter, left, drives against the Sparks Shannon Bobbitt. Pondexter scored a game-high 26 points.

Elmo is coming to Atlanta, so the surging Dream may hit the road if they continue to win and make the WNBA playoffs.

Candace Parker put on a show for her former coach. With Pat Summitt watching from courtside, Parker had 23 points and eight rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Atlanta Dream 91-87 on Sunday for their fifth straight victory.

Fourth quarter, we're up by six in our game against the Sacramento Monarchs. First 4 1/2 minutes of the quarter, we're pretty evenly matched -- we score four; they score three.

Mohegan -- Somewhere on the WNBA Web site today, you might read the following synopsis on Tuesday night's game at Mohegan Sun Arena: "Candace Parker scored the most artistic, stupendous and unforgettable three points in league history, but the Los Angeles Sparks nonetheless lost to the Connecticut Sun, 82-71." Kidding, kidding.

For each step the Washington Mystics take in moving away from their mediocre past during this 2009 season, they provide an equal reminder that they are still a team that is learning how to win. A team that continues to search for a killer instinct and the ability to put a game out of reach when they're in complete control. A team that can't quite make anything easy on itself yet.

Last night, that vulnerability emerged again as the Mystics watched a 24-point advantage over the Los Angeles Sparks deteriorate into a fourth-quarter nailbiter that left them scrambling to hold on for a 75-63 win at Verizon Center.

Although Lisa Leslie is injured and Candace Parker is working her way back after giving birth, the Los Angeles Sparks still have veterans Tina Thompson, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Betty Lennox in the starting lineup.

I was sitting in traffic on the 101 thinking, "I always like going to Staples Center." I was thinking about this blog, and the only headlines I could think of were "Home Sweet Home" or "There's No Place Like Home." We won our first two home games by 20 points each, and I know we lost to this same Seattle team two days ago, but I just couldn't ...

Marie Ferdinand-Harris scored a season-high 15 points to lift the short-handed Sparks to an 82-55 victory against the Seattle Storm on Sunday night.

With the team's new Farmers Insurance Group logo on the jersey, Los Angeles Sparks guard Betty Lennox makes a free throw in an WNBA basketball game against the Detroit Shock in Los Angeles Saturday, June 6, 2009.

A preseason conference call illustrated how deeply rooted the rivalry between the Sparks and the Detroit Shock has become.