This Postseason Derby Is a Tough One to Handicap

When handicapping the 2001 WNBA playoffs, there’s only one thing to do: Take a sledgehammer to that crystal ball.

These playoffs will be far more competitive than appearances would dictate. The reason? There hasn’t been an orderly, logical conclusion to the regular season.

The Sparks have been on the longest roll in league history, winning 18 consecutive games before Monday’s 80-78 loss to Utah.

Does it do the Sparks any good to lose a meaningless regular-season game to Utah before the playoffs and take the weight of the streak off their backs?

The four-time defending champion Houston Comets are staggering, losing four of seven, and could wind up anywhere from second to fourth.

The Comets have never finished lower than second in the regular season, but if they wind up fourth, they will have to play the Sparks in the first round, something they may not want. Or do they? Because they have eliminated the Sparks in the playoffs the last two years, the Comets may feel psychologically stronger about playing the Sparks than Utah or Sacramento.

Those teams are also hard to figure. The Starzz will be making their first playoff appearance, and the Monarchs have never won a playoff game. Should the Monarchs win tonight in Seattle, they will finish second, no matter what Houston or Utah does, because they won the season series against each of those teams. They are playing well too, having won six of their last eight. Utah is the X-factor. The Starzz could be the most relaxed team in the playoffs, since they know nobody expects them to advance past the first round. They, apparently, expect more of themselves.

After losing to Minnesota on Sunday, the Starzz held a players-only meeting.

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In the East, things are only slightly clearer. Cleveland and New York have been the top teams, but Cleveland has owned New York, winning all three of their games. Still, neither team is inspiring much confidence lately.

The Rockers go into tonight’s finale at Detroit having lost three of their last four. They are set to play Charlotte in the first round. The Sting--which has won 16 of its last 20 after a 1-10 start--is the second-hottest team in the league. The Liberty is even shakier, having lost six of the last 10--most recently an 80-60 dusting at Charlotte last Saturday--to fall into a second-place tie with Miami. If they finish tied, Miami will be the second-place team because it won the season series against New York.

Even so, Cleveland and New York figure to meet in the conference finals. Charlotte has expended so much energy to make the playoffs it might hit the proverbial wall soon. Likewise, the Sol is not expected to easily make the leap from regular-season basketball to playoff basketball. Two-time Eastern Conference champion New York understands the difference.

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Phoenix Mercury guard Michelle Timms will end her playing career tonight against Houston. Timms, 36, has played professionally for 17 seasons, most of them in Europe. She is also a three-time Olympian with her native Australia, having won a bronze medal in 1996 and a silver in 2000.

Timms was assigned to Phoenix in January 1997 as one of the founding members of the WNBA. During her five-year WNBA career, she led the Mercury to the Western Conference’s best regular-season record in 1997 and the 1998 WNBA finals. She will retire as the team leader in assists, assists per game, assists in a single season, steals and steals in a season.

“She doesn’t always put up big numbers, but you can’t imagine what she means to us on the court,” teammate Jennifer Gillom said. “I guarantee you, there will never be another point guard who means as much to the Phoenix Mercury.”