Well, here we are.

September 21st. 2009 WNBA Playoffs. Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Series tied at 1-1.

It all comes down to this. For the Mercury, it's win...or stay home.

However, the Mercury has managed to shift the momentum back in their favor, and have several things they should feel good about in this proverbial elimination game.

To start, the series has clearly shifted momentum with the Mercury's convincing and inspiring home win in game 2. Essentially, they did just about everything right in that game, and it's reflected in one of the most amazing box scores I've ever seen. Though, as any championship coach would tell you, Corey Gaines isn't quite comfortable or content. "There's always something you can find to work on after watching the film," said Gaines at practice Sunday. "We'll be ready."

Phoenix also will have a healthy, fresh squad of players to go on Monday. No Mercury played more than 26 minutes, and the starters essentially sat the entire fourth quarter. "That was huge," Gaines told me. "I know they sat theirs too earlier than usual but for us to get rest was big." Unquestionably, the most important part of their win in game 2 was the way Phoenix put away the game early, and never let the Silver Stars back in. Had they let San Antonio go on any sort of run, the Silver Stars could've found a positive to take away and build upon heading into the deciding game Monday. Instead, they'll need to start from scratch after a demoralizing 28 point loss. Still, don't expect San Antonio to come out and lay an egg. We should certainly expect better games from both Hammon and Young; some of the best competitors in the league.

Perhaps most encouraging, we finally saw a break-out game from both Diana and Cappie that we hadn't seen of late. Although they will almost certainly get their 20+ points each game, they really haven't shot their normal percentage from the floor the past 5-8 games. On Saturday, the two combined for 42 points on 18-28 shooting in only about 24 minutes each. Undeniably, this type of confidence will permeate throughout the entire Mercury team, but most importantly, the two captains - Diana and Cappie.

We also saw a bit more of the human side to the Silver Stars bench, which was held in check by the Mercury's energy and defense. In addition, DeWanna Bonner and Penny Taylor off the bench for Phoenix kept the tempo fast, allowed the Mercury to continue their relentless attack, and energized the Phoenix crowd.

Last, but certainly not least, it's a home game and the X-Factor will be louder than they have all year. After all, it's what the Mercury played all season for. The team is healthy, confident, and will have 10,000+ fans cheering them on. However, as we all know, stranger things have happened than a Silver Stars victory Monday. Hence, the Mercury will need to play with the same type of urgency and intensity that they did on Saturday night. At practice on Sunday, it was clear the team is still all business and just as motivated as we saw on Saturday. Still, it's safe to say the exact same attitude is consumed by San Antonio.

Quite simply, this is the type of basketball we all love.

But, I think we'd all love it a *bit* more with a Mercury win and advancement into the Western Conference Finals.