That the Shock came so close after enduring so much over the past four months is remarkable, even for a talented roster that was favored to accomplish all that it did, including a second consecutive Eastern Conference title and the league’s best regular-season record.

To realize how far the Shock have come, one should look back on how head coach Bill Laimbeer first envisioned this squad would shape up at media day five months ago. Players met his expectations to varying degrees, but in the end his team was right where he expected it to be, in the final game of the 2007 season.

The media was also surprised by the season’s twists and turns. No one even asked Laimbeer about Plenette Pierson, at the time considered a solid bench player, but hardly a vital cog to the championship puzzle. Now she’s the WNBA’s first Sixth Woman of the Year.

“We’re a much stronger team mentally. Cheryl Ford especially, from the way she was in the past.”

Everyone around the WNBA witnessed Ford’s courage and resolve this season as she continually battled back from left knee injuries, twice during the regular season and again in Game 5 of the Finals, suiting up just two days after what appeared to be a catastrophic setback.

Ford, the All-Star Game MVP, readily admits 2007 was her most frustrating season ever. She lost her WNBA rebounding crown after not playing enough games, missing significant time for the first time in her five-year career. Her decision to play in the title game was an inspiration to her teammates, Laimbeer said. “She's got the biggest heart in the world, and I give her a tremendous amount of credit,” he said after Game 5. “She can play on my team any day of the week.”

"We have a lot of great creators, we have a lot of great athletes on our ballclub that somebody has to be a clean-up player, a role player, and [Katie Feenstra] does that very well."

Feenstra became more than a role player - she was the starting center after the All-Star break when Laimbeer went with a conventional lineup. She slowly worked her way into Laimbeer’s rotation, which affected her overall totals, but she was WNBA’s top rebounder per 40 minutes at 14.9 boards. She also had four double-doubles, the most among all WNBA centers.

Becoming more assertive on the offensive end - she averaged 5.2 points in the regular season and the playoffs - is the one aspect she’ll need to work on to move beyond “clean-up” expectations. But Feenstra, who will be in her fourth WNBA season and second with the Shock in 2008, is just entering her prime. The 6-foot-8 center could see an even bigger role next season.

“We have a couple of good stability players, Katie Smith’s a great stable player, who’s very consistent every night. That will help us, no question about it.”

Smith’s effort was constant as the Northern Star; her shooting erratic as an asteroid. For reasons that eluded even her, Smith shot a career-low 36 percent from the floor and 31 percent from 3-point range. The Shock won despite her season-long shooting drought, which she snapped out of in a big way during the Finals: 41.7 FG%, 44.7 3FG%, 16.2 points. Smith was invaluable as ever in 2007, slump or not. The nine-year vet’s leadership was unwavering while posting a career-high in assists (3.6 apg) and a career-low in turnovers (1.74 tpg).

"I’m not going to play Smith and (Deanna) Nolan 34, 33 minutes again this year, we’re going to cut down to about 30 minutes this year. So there will be more minutes to be had."

It sounded good at the time with three other guards on the roster, but Laimbeer ultimately had to stick with his top guns early and often. Nolan (34.5 mpg) and Smith (34.3 mpg) were third and fourth, respectively, among league leaders in minutes played. While Nolan thrived, earning All-WNBA First Team and Defensive Team honors, the heavy workload might have contributed to Smith’s shooting woes.

Veteran Pee Wee Johnson, signed to alleviate the pressure on the backcourt, never fit in the way Laimbeer had hoped. “Pee-Wee (Johnson) will be one of the keys for us, that third guard that can come in and score and defend and run the show for us if necessary,” he said at the time. Though willing to accept a reserve role, the four-time All-Star was unable to adjust mentally, having her best shooting nights as a fill-in starter.

Nolan averaged 37.4 minutes in the playoffs, the most for any player who advanced from the first round. Smith was third at 35.7. Expect Laimbeer to address that predicament again in 2008. (See below.)

"I don’t expect (Ivory) Latta to be a big contributor for us this year."

The rookie guard from North Carolina didn’t factor significantly into Laimbeer’s plans, especially during the playoffs. But she made the most of her opportunities during the regular season and made an intriguing case for an expanded role next season.

Latta averaged just 7.1 minutes in 31 regular-season games. In that time, she managed to find her 3-point stroke, making 22-of-49 from beyond the arc - a percentage of 44.9, second best in the WNBA. Per 40 minutes, Latta averaged 16.8 points - the 18th highest in the league and second among first-year players. (Katie Smith was 19th at 15.4 points.) She also had more assists (20) than turnovers (16). Latta accumulated most of her minutes when the outcome had been decided, but she also saw limited duty in the middle of games during the Finals, illustrating Laimbeer’s growing trust. Improving defensively (24 personal fouls) could help her become a big contributor in 2008.