FanHouse Diana Taurasi

When Spartak owner Shabtai von Kalmanovic was murdered in Moscow on Monday, the women's basketball world was rocked. Kalmanonic put together a powerhouse team in Russia with Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson. He showered his players with huge paychecks and opulent accommodations, and he raised the standard for top U.S. players overseas.

And he won championships.

The WNBA has not commented on Kalmanovic's death but has to be watching the investigation closely considering that some of the league's biggest names are tied in here. Spartak's current roster includes Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and Janel McCarville, with Bird and Jackson yet to report because of injuries.

PHOENIX -- The best Finals series in the history of the WNBA ended Friday night with the Phoenix Mercury hoisting the trophy for the second time in three seasons.

Phoenix finished off the best-of-five series against the Indiana Fever by winning two straight games, including a 94-86 win at the US Airways Center that gave them the title in front of a boisterous, sold-out home crowd.

They finished as the best team in the league from start to finish, but they also finished as battered and tired as they were victorious after an intense, fiercely competitive series.

Phoenix was calm and cool on Thursday night after losing at home to Indiana in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, and losing the home-court advantage in the WNBA Finals.

No panic, no questioning, said Diana Taurasi. It's not about them, it's about us, said coach Corey Gaines.

The message: We'll go to Indiana. We'll get it done.

But instead, the Fever got it done again Sunday, took a 2-1 lead in the series with an 86-85 victory and the Mercury might want to ask themselves a few things before a very talented and worthy Fever team ends up hoisting the trophy.

PHOENIX -- Emptying the notebook at the WNBA Finals, where the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever will tip off Thursday night (9 PM ET) at the US Airways Arena.

Statistics suggest that Indiana can't afford to keep pace with Phoenix and stay in this series for long. The Fever have been averaging 81.5 points a game in the postseason thus far, a number inflated by Tuesday night's 116-point output in the overtime loss.

PHOENIX -- This game was more than one for the record books. It was one to show the grandchildren, not to mention potential sponsors and season-ticket buyers and the mainstream sports fans on ESPN who sell the women's game short.

It was beautiful, competitive, offensive basketball, a showcase for the WNBA and its world-class talent.

It was not, however, a defensive clinic.

But who says defense wins championships? Not the Mercury.

PHOENIX -- Diana Taurasi has been an All-Star, an NCAA champion, an Olympian, a leading scorer, and now she's an MVP.

Taurasi was named as the WNBA's Most Valuable Player Tuesday, just a couple of hours before leading her team, the Phoenix Mercury into Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Indiana Fever.

Taurasi, who led the WNBA in scoring this season and propelled Phoenix to the league's best record in the regular season, was the runaway choice. She received 27 first-place votes from the panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who vote on the award. Indiana's Tamika Catchings was second with three first-place votes.

PHOENIX -- Lisa Leslie is undeniably women's basketball's biggest star, and she has stated that this, her twelfth year in the WNBA, will be her last. She and the Sparks faced elimination in Game 2 of the league's Western Conference Finals against the hometown Mercury on Friday, but Leslie was clearly not ready to call it a career just yet.

Behind 10 first-quarter points from Leslie, the Sparks jumped out to an early double-digit lead, and never looked back while cruising to an 87-76 victory, which evened the best-of-three series at one game apiece.

The WNBA conference finals series open Wednesday, a final foursome of familiar names, both on the front and the backs of the jerseys.

Detroit and Indiana meet for the fourth straight postseason, while L.A. and Phoenix match up in the conference final for the second time in three years.

Each series is a best-of-three affair, in which the team with the higher seed plays the final two games at home.

Three of these four teams -- Phoenix, Los Angeles and Detroit already have a championship trophy in the case.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

WNBA star Lisa Leslie is one of the greatest American Olympians in history, winning four gold medals in four consecutive Olympics. In this video we catch up with Leslie and two of her Sparks teammates -- Candace Parker and Delisha Milton-Jones -- who teamed up with her on the USA basketball team. Find out which athlete most impressed Parker, and how President Bush supplied the players with some laughs. Also, around the 2:45 mark, find out how the Sparks plan on celebrating the Olympic achievement.


Youtube link.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

WNBA star Lisa Leslie is one of the greatest American Olympians in history, winning four gold medals in four consecutive Olympics. In this video we catch up with Leslie and two of her Sparks teammates -- Candace Parker and Delisha Milton-Jones -- who teamed up with her on the USA basketball team. Find out which athlete most impressed Parker, and how President Bush supplied the players with some laughs. Also, around the 2:45 mark, find out how the Sparks plan on celebrating the Olympic achievement.


Youtube link.