Shock, Sparks advance to finals Eastern Conference: Deanna Nolan's 21 points led the Detroit Shock to the conference finals for the third consecutive year with an 80-61 victory over Indiana on Tuesday night at Auburn Hills, Mich.
"Obviously, that was a spectacular performance on both ends of the floor," Shock coach Bill Laimbeer said. "That was the way a championship-caliber team plays."
The Shock, which led by as many as 31 points in the first half, will face the Liberty in the finals, with Game 1 on Friday in New York.
Detroit has home-court advantage, but because of a scheduling conflict, it will play its home games at Eastern Michigan University, about an hour from its normal home at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Western Conference: Candace Parker scored 20 points, including a key layup with two minutes left, and the Los Angeles Sparks advanced to the conference finals with a 71-64 victory at Seattle.
Lisa Leslie had 15 points for the Sparks, who beat Seattle in the first round two years ago in their last postseason appearance. Los Angeles will play host to San Antonio in Game 1 of the conference finals on Thursday.
Los Angeles split four regular-season games with the Silver Stars.
