The clash of the titans. The cream of the crop. The best of the west. Whatever expression that can be invented still won’t do this Western Conference Finals justice. If you’re a basketball purist, Game 3 on Saturday night is a can’t-miss. Not only will the two best teams left in the west battle for their playoff lives, but arguably two of the best players in the league will have to find a way to will their teams to victory.

In one corner, you have a 6-5 forward in Candace Parker who is quickly garnering every accomplishment available the WNBA offers. She is one of only three people in all of basketball, men’s or women’s, to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same year. In the other corner, you have a fiery 6-0 guard who has done nothing but win in every aspect of her career. This year, she has shattered more franchise and league records than a lot of people knew even existed.

“Watching these two ballclubs, with the great players each posses, has been terrific for the true basketball fan in me,” said Mercury General Manager Ann Meyers Drysdale.

It’s no wonder that these two highly-competitive individuals share similarities with one another. Both were NCAA champions during their days in college, with both being named to the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Both were the overall first pick in their respective draft, as they both went on to be the Rookie of the Year in their debut season in the WNBA. All-WNBA teams, All-Star selections, Olympic gold medals…the list goes on and on. However, both have accomplished one thing the other hasn’t. Parker has never won a WNBA championship, while Taurasi has never earned MVP honors.

For DT3, that might change after this season where she put up blistering stats and led her team to the best record in the WNBA. A strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player award, Taurasi has upped her game this post season. Averaging 20.4 ppg on 46-percent shooting, Taurasi also averaged 41% 3-point FG and 89% FT. Here’s what she is averaging in the five games she played in the playoffs so far:

• 24.4 ppg, 55% FG, 44% 3-point FG, and a perfect 100% FT from the line.

Even through all the praise and acknowledgments, Taurasi still believes in the “big picture.”

“You know, I’m never was big on individual stats and awards,” she told PhoenixMercury.com. “I just go out and try to do what needs to be done in order for us to win the game. Holding that title will be the only praise I need.”

If that’s the case, Dee needs to go through one tall obstacle standing in her way to compete for that title. Certainly, Parker hasn’t made things any easier for the Mercury. This series, she is averaging 26 ppg, 14 rpg, 1.5 bpg while shooting 61-percent from the floor.

Something will have to give. One of these players will have to take their game to even a higher level if they wish to see their season continue for at least three more games. Taurasi remarked how once the Mercury season ends, the players will go their separate ways playing in various countries in the offseason. She simply followed with, “We’re not ready for that yet.”

So who will ultimately win in this matchup of the WNBA elite? The answer is easier than one might think. It will be the fans who show up at the US Airways Center Saturday night. The “X-factor” will be treated to some fantastic basketball being played by two of the WNBA’s brightest young stars. Oh, did I mention Cappie Pondexter, Lisa Leslie, Penny Taylor, and Tina Thompson will also feature in this heavyweight bout? Regardless of the outcome, Saturday’s game has the potential to be an instant classic. Just as the Phoenix Mercury playoff slogan goes, everyone in attendance will be “All in.”