In convincing fashion, the Sacramento Monarchs have made their way to the WNBA Finals for the second straight season.  The Sacramento Monarchs were 21-13 in the regular season, good enough for the second seed in the Western Conference. 

The Monarchs started the playoffs against a determined Houston Comets team that wanted to give their departing captain, Dawn Staley, a royal send-off.  The Monarchs, however, defeated the Comets easily, scoring an average of 92 points per game throughout the series.  Next, it was on to the Western Conference Finals, which pitted the Monarchs against the Los Angeles Sparks.  In game one, the Sparks put up a valiant effort but still could not stop the Monarchs, losing 64-61.  Sacramento closed out the series with a decisive 72-58 victory at Los Angeles.

The Monarchs and the Shock split the season series with each team winning a game on their home court.  Both games turned into blowouts as each game was won by an average of 26.5 points. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Shock got off to a hot start shooting 63% in the first half.  Monarchs starting forward Nicole Powell brought the Monarchs to within two points with a 3-pointer with 5:02 left in the third quarter but Detroit’s Katie Smith triggered a 12-3 run with a 3-pointer of her own.  Game two of the season series saw the Monarchs surge to a 33-point victory with contributions off the bench from Rebekkah Brunson (18 points, 8 rebounds) and 2006 Most Improved Player Erin Buescher (12 points, 5 rebounds).

Sacramento’s has a tough squad led by the 2005 All-WNBA First Teamer and 2006 All-Defensive Second Teamer Yolanda Griffith. Griffith led the Monarchs in points per game and rebounds per game with 12.0 and 6.4, respectively. The Monarchs frontcourt of Nicole Powell and DeMya Walker have each stepped up their game these playoffs increasing their scoring and rebounding averages. They will have their hands full with the Shock’s monster frontcourt of Cheryl Ford, Swin Cash, and Ruth Riley. With Ford and Griffith will come a battle between the old and new generations of league-dominating rebounders. Ford, who averaged a double-double both in the regular season and is doing it again in the post-season, broke the single-season rebounding record previously set by Griffith back in 2001.

The backcourt combination for the Monarchs has clearly divided roles as Kara Lawson is being looked at to score in double-digits and Ticha Penicheiro will be expected to distribute the ball.  Throughout the playoffs, Lawson has averaged 13.5 points per game, up from 8.1 points per game in the regular season.  Helping Penicheiro dish out assists will be Kristin Haynie, the second-year guard out of Michigan State.  They’ve got a formidable task, though, in facing Shock guards Katie Smith, the leading scorer in US Women’s professional basketball history, and Deanna Nolan.  Nolan can do it all on both ends of the floor as evidenced by her leading the Shock in points scored in the regular season and her nomination to the All-WNBA Defensive Second Team. 

Brunson and Buescher lead the charge for the Monarchs reserves and both have played well this postseason.  Brunson has 13 points and 10 rebounds per game while Beuscher has 13 points and 9 rebounds per game.  They will see a combination of starters and lead reserves Plenette Pierson, averaging 10.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and Kara Braxton who had a terrific game three in the Eastern Conference Finals in Connecticut. 

This series has all the potential to be one of the most physical series that the WNBA has seen.  With bigs crashing the boards for every rebound and loose ball, slashers cutting hard to the bucket for that easy lay-up, and shooters draining from long-range, both teams have what it takes to either make this series a high scoring affair or a defensive battle.