Women's Hoops Guru

(Guru's Note: This is written from the home office where the game was viewed on broadband on the computer. Love that techology -- when it works!).

By Mel Greenberg

Memory Lane has been a place of alternating joy and pain in the regular and postseason rivalry between the New York Liberty and Detroit Shock.

On Friday night, it was New York’s Erin Thorn who took a turn to apply the hurt to the boisterous Detroit contingent with five points late in the game that carried the Liberty to a 60-56 win over the Shock in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference championship best-of-three opener in Madison Square Garden.

A year ago, New York suffered a tough one-point overtime loss in Detroit and was eliminated in the third and deciding game of the conference semifinals.

However, the Liberty has a previous memorable moment. That occurred in the deciding game of the 2004 conference semifinals when New York reduced the Shock’s WNBA reign to one season, courtesy of Bethany Donaphin’s turnaround jumper with a half second remaining for a 66-64 victory in Madison Square Garden.

"We just match up well with them,” Thorn said. “Other teams have a problem with their quickness and physicality, we battle with them."

And now the Liberty are a knockout win away with two shots to deliver the punch and advance to the WNBA finals for a record fifth time.

However, New York will have to get the job done on the road in Michigan, but not in Auburn Hills.

It seems the Shock, who are getting a history of coming up short in Palace availability, if not outcomes, will be doing the hosting Sunday and, if necessary, Monday in Ypsilanti at Eastern Michigan.

On Friday night, New York rallied from a six-point halftime deficit and outscored Detroit, 24-14, in the decisive fourth quarter.

Once again rookie Essence Carson out of Rutgers was somewhere to be found when the game was on the line as she was on Monday when New York dispatched Connecticut on the road.

She finished with eight points.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes and whatever my team needs me to do to win,” Carson said.

It seems Big East and NCAA Final Four experience has served Carson well in these situations.

Janel McCarville led New York with 17 points, while Shameka Christon had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Deanna Nolan, one of the top clutch players in the league, scored 22 points for Detroit with 11 coming in the final three minutes. Katie Smith added 13 points.

"It's playoff basketball,” New York coach Patty Coyle said of her team’s determination and close encounters when the two teams meet. “You are not going to get a lot of fast break points and it's going to be incredibly physical. Every time you play Detroit, it's going to be a war. The next game you are going to see the same thing."

Coyle was not too discouraged at halftime, despite the Liberty’s 28 percent effort from the field.

“"I thought we got good looks, but didn't make any shots in the first half. I think in the second half we got good looks, but we were making our shots. I would credit Detroit's defense because they guard you."

Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer, with the comfort of sort-of-home-court-advantage the rest of the way, was still dismayed at the Shock’s inability to take a stronger grip on the series after having control much of the way.

"There was no doubt that was disappointing,” the former Detroit Pistons star said. “We played hard enough to win that ball game. That is the bottom line. We had the game under control, and the offense was struggling.

“We didn't make enough shots to win this game,” he continued. “If we don't make shots and they don't make any shots, then I don't have a problem with that. In the fourth quarter we made bad decisions offensively

“We didn't get into our sets, walked the ball up the court, and didn't call the right plays. I can't live with the fact that we made mental errors. We pride ourselves in being a smart basketball team and for two and half quarters we played smart and the other one and half we played dumb."

Meanwhile, if many are surprised at the Liberty’s situation given the roster is the youngest in the WNBA, that group doesn’t include Coyle.

New York was taking critical hits from inside and outside the organization during the preseason and early regular season action when the Liberty didn’t appear to pick right up where they left off at the close of business in 2007.

But there was good reason and Coyle, with her experience as one of Rutgers’ all-time guards, remained calm understanding the cause.

Half the roster was still in Europe, an annual malady that affects virtually every team in the WNBA.

And half of what was here was either brand new or relatively inexperienced.

But Coyle thought things could be fine once everyone was aboard and got some time to know each other.

Sure enough, New York made a run before the Olympic break that virtually assured the playoffs and briefly had the Liberty in the regular-season conference race.

Now all that remains is one more win and she’ll make her first WNBA appearance as a head coach.

Looking ahead. The Liberty may suddenly have gained a cheering section from East Coast media members. If New York gets to the finals, critical games three and four, if necessary, of the WNBA finals will be at Madison Square Garden in the best-of-five series, reducing travel costs considerably.

If Detroit prevails, the Shock need Los Angeles to beat San Antonio in one of the next two games in Texas in the West, to gain home court in the finals.

-- Mel