5 TOP WNBA STORY LINES

1. Will the influx of rookie talent this season change the WNBA? Many observers called this senior class the best ever, especially at the top with 6-4 Candace Parker of Tennessee, 6-6 Sylvia Fowles of LSU and, the player the Lynx picked at No. 3, Candice Wiggins. "Those three players in particular are really going to elevate the women's game," Lynx coach Don Zierden said. Parker was drafted by Los Angeles, Fowles by Chicago.

2. Can the Los Angeles Sparks go from last place to first? In a preseason survey, WNBA general managers predicted the Sparks would win the league title. Los Angeles and the Lynx had the worst record in the league a year ago. Both were 10-24. Sparks center Lisa Leslie, in the same GM survey, was picked to be the league MVP a record fourth time. Leslie had her first baby last June and did not play last season. Parker was picked Rookie of the Year.

3. How much better can ex-Gophers Lindsay Whalen and Janel McCarville become? Whalen, a guard, has become the face of the Connecticut Sun. Last season, her fourth, she averaged a career-high 13.4 points and five assists. McCarville, a 6-2 center, was named the league's Most Improved Player last season. She started 21 games and, after the All-Star break, averaged 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds.

4. Can Phoenix repeat as WNBA champion? The Mercury was a three-headed monster last season. Guards Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter averaged 19.2 and 17.2 points, while forward Penny Taylor averaged 17.8. But Taylor is gone -- at least until after the Olympics. She is training with Australia's national team. GMs rate Phoenix the league's third-best team.

5. Will the Lynx make the playoffs? In nine seasons, the Lynx have made the playoffs twice. Zierden said this team has more athletic players than last year's team, and better post players. Success, he said, will depend on team chemistry and how quickly its young players mature. The playoffs are definitely within reach.

ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ