WNBA Conference finals set on coasts

The New York-Connecticut and Sacramento-Seattle series will open tonight.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The WNBA's Eastern Conference title was in doubt right up to the last day of the regular season, and the postseason has been just as tight.
The New York Liberty needed a last-second shot in the decisive game of their first-round series to earn a trip to the conference finals, and now will try to advance to the WNBA Finals for an unprecedented fifth time.
Before getting another chance at their first title, the Liberty will have to get past a Connecticut Sun team that dominated conference play with a 14-6 record in the regular season. The East finals begin tonight at Madison Square Garden.
"We don't look to the past as far as what we're doing right now, but there's a lot of pride because this team has done really well in the playoffs," the Liberty's Bethany Donaphin said.
Liberty rallied to win
Donaphin hit a turnaround jumper with half a second remaining Tuesday night to lead New York past the defending champion Detroit Shock 66-64, capping the Liberty's comeback from a 15-point deficit in the opening minute of the second half.
The Sun took full advantage of its home-court edge after losing its first-round opener at Washington. Connecticut beat the Mystics by a combined 30 points in the last two games to earn its second straight trip to the conference finals.
The franchise, in its second season in Connecticut, reached the postseason just once in four years in Orlando and didn't advance beyond the first round.
"This is exciting," said Sun coach Mike Thibault, who joined the team last year. "The team has found their extra reserves within themselves. This is a great win for this franchise."
Monarchs home to Storm
In the West, the Sacramento Monarchs will open at home tonight against the Seattle Storm. Sacramento is in the conference finals for the second straight year after knocking out the Los Angeles Sparks, who had the league's best record in the regular season.
The Monarchs used a balanced scoring attack against the reigning three-time Western Conference champion Sparks, with the starting front-court of Olympian Yolanda Griffith, Tangela Smith and DeMya Walker combining to average 42 points.
Sacramento never had defeated Los Angeles, which won consecutive titles in 2001-02, in a playoff series. The teams met three other times, including in last year's conference finals.