With the playoffs set to start on Friday, this marks the final Rookie Rankings of the season, and, oddly enough, the only rookie not to make an appearance in the postseason is the one who finished on top. Nonetheless, a handful of first-year players should see prominent roles in the 2004 Playoffs, including a marquee backcourt matchup in the Sun-Mystics first-round series, where Connecticut's Lindsay Whalen and Washington's Alana Beard will square off. Game 1 of that series is Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on Oxygen. Be sure to check it out.

No. 1: Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury (1st pick) GP PPG FG% 3PM-A RPG APG SPG BPG 34 17.0 .416 62-188 4.4 3.9 1.26 0.74 Skinny: While Phoenix finished a game out of the playoffs at 17-17, Taurasi was the main reason the Mercury saw a nine-game improvement over last season's 8-26 mark. A true all-around star who commands attention every time she has the ball, Taurasi should see plenty of postseason appearances in the coming years.

No. 2: Alana Beard, Washington Mystics (2nd pick) GP PPG FG% 3PM-A RPG APG SPG BPG 34 13.1 .418 21-56 4.2 2.7 2.03 1.00 Skinny: What a finish. Over the Mystics' last six games, five of which were wins, Beard averaged 22.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.33 steals and 1.17 blocks per game. Further, Beard led the Mystics, who haven't had star forward Chamique Holdsclaw since July 28, to seven wins in their last 10 games, which carried them into the playoffs. Bottom line: If the season were a month longer, it'd be pretty much a toss-up between Taurasi and Beard for Rookie of the Year honors.

No. 3: Lindsay Whalen, Connecticut Sun (4th pick) GP PPG FG% 3PM-A RPG APG SPG BPG 31 8.9 .454 20-57 2.9 4.8 1.26 0.00 Skinny: You could make a case for either Whalen or Ohlde for the third spot, but Whalen gets the nod because she arguably plays a tougher position, point guard. Though Whalen struggled a bit from the floor to close out her rookie campaign, her speed and court vision make her an emerging star at the point. Oh yeah, the Sun finished first in the East too.

No. 4: Nicole Ohlde, Minnesota Lynx (6th pick) GP PPG FG% 3PM-A RPG APG SPG BPG 34 11.7 .442 0-2 5.7 1.8 0.47 1.32 Skinny: Rookie center was a big reason why Minnesota was able to reach the postseason even with Katie Smith out due to injury. Ohlde also finished strong down the stretch, averaging 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.25 blocks in the month of September (eight games total).

No. 5: Christi Thomas, L.A. Sparks (12th pick) GP PPG FG% 3PM-A RPG APG SPG BPG 31 5.3 .462 5-11 3.9 0.7 0.58 0.45 Skinny: A surprise entry, but certainly a worthy one, this rookie forward out of Georgia basically stepped into the starting lineup after the Olympic break and gave the Sparks some added punch down low. Over her last eight games, Thomas averaged 9.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.63 steals. The Sparks won six of the eight games Thomas started, en route to the league's best overall record.

Honorable mention: Agnieszka Bibrzycka, San Antonio; Rebekkah Brunson, Sacramento; Shameka Christon, New York; Laura Macchi, Los Angeles; Nicole Powell, Charlotte