Here’s a first look at Connecticut and...

Here’s a first look at Connecticut and Seattle, and how they match up in the WNBA Finals:

* Connecticut’s Lindsay Whalen and Katie Douglas vs. Seattle’s Sue Bird and Betty Lennox. Whalen looked overmatched in her first few WNBA games but wound up fourth among rookie scorers at 8.9 points a game. That average has nearly doubled in the playoffs, to 15.4. Douglas is shooting only 28.6% from three-point range and 35.3% overall in the playoffs. Bird has been brilliant in the playoffs despite a broken nose; in the clincher against Sacramento, she set a league playoff record with 14 assists. Lennox can run hot and cold; when hot, she’s nearly unstoppable.

*--* GUARDS

*--*

EDGE: Seattle

*--* FORWARDS

*--*

* Connecticut’s Nykesha Sales and Wendy Palmer vs. Seattle’s Lauren Jackson and Sheri Sam. Palmer shared the league’s most-improved-player award with Indiana’s Kelly Miller. Sales has been touted as a star player since her exceptional college career at Connecticut; now she is poised to prove she belongs among the league elite. Jackson led the WNBA in scoring a second consecutive year but is more pleased at reaching her first league final. Sam, brought over in an off-season trade with Minnesota, is the team’s second-leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 8.8 points.

EDGE: Even

*--* CENTERS

*--*

* Connecticut’s Taj McWilliams-Franklin vs. Seattle’s Kamila Vodichkova. McWilliams-Franklin has been a journeyman center, but her 18 points in Game 2 against New York helped clinch the Eastern Conference finals. Vodichkova decided against qualifying for the Czech Olympic team to pursue a WNBA championship.

EDGE: Even

*--* BENCH

*--*

* The Sun reserves include rookies Le’coe Willingham and Asjha Jones. The Storm has solid veterans such as Alicia Thompson, Tully Bevilaqua, Janell Burse and Adia Barnes.

EDGE: Storm

*--* COACHES

*--*

* Connecticut’s Mike Thibault vs. Seattle’s Anne Donovan. Thibault barely lost out to Minnesota’s Suzie McConnell Serio for coach-of-the-year honors. Donovan is attempting to become the first female coach of a WNBA champion.

EDGE: Even

*--* ANALYSIS

*--*

The Storm has believed all season it was the league’s best team and is ready to prove it. Connecticut is probably a year ahead of schedule in its development -- but the same was said last year about Detroit before the Shock upset Los Angeles in the championship series.

PREDICTION:

Seattle in three

-- Mike Terry

*--* Schedule * Game 1, Friday at Connecticut, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2 * Game 2, Sunday at Seattle, 4, ESPN2 * Game 3 *, Tuesday at Seattle, 6, ESPN2 * -- if necessary (all times Pacific)

*--*