The WNBA's seventh season has reached the final turn, and as August rolled in over the weekend, the playoff race only heated up.

	Kara Lawson is shooting 65.7 percent from downtown in the last eight games.

What do we know so far? Detroit, a team that won just nine games last season, looks to have wrapped up the Eastern Conference regular-season title.

While Detroit has a 4½-game lead in the East, Sacramento just might be the league's hottest team, winning seven of its past eight games. And then there's New York, which finally snapped a five-game skid Sunday but might not make the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.

A look at how the playoff picture is shaping up, and at which teams have the edge when it comes to the tiebreaker, which will probably play a bigger role than ever this summer:

Monarchs on move
Everybody in the West should be paying close attention to what's going on in Sacramento because the Monarchs have moved into fifth place in the conference and look like they could still be playing once the postseason arrives.

Under interim coach John Whisenant, who took over on July 10 when Maura McHugh was fired, Sacramento has lost just once since the All-Star break. The Monarchs are playing great basketball with a lot of confidence right now and just seem to be having fun on the court.

Offensively they're playing free and easy -- and always looking for the fastbreak. Whisenant has eliminated Sacramento's halfcourt sets, and if the fastbreak isn't there, the Monarchs go into motion, three around two. Ticha Penicheiro is pushing tempo like she did four years ago.

Whisenant has also simplified the team's defensive rules and principals, which also has worked wonders. Sacramento really is getting after it defensively and everybody is on the same page.

Sacramento also has proven that it's athletic and deep enough to weather any injuries. Though Yolanda Griffith's statistics (14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds) are lower than ever before as she fights through elbow pain, Tangela Smith and DeMya Walker are playing great and picking up the slack, combining for 21.6 points and almost 10 rebounds a game.

The Monarchs' bench is also playing incredibly well, with everyone contributing. Rookie Kara Lawson has been especially key off the bench. In Sacramento's past eight games, Lawson is shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 65.7 percent from 3-point range. She has hit 34 of her last 62 field goals and 25 of her last 38 treys in that span to average 13 points (she's averaging 7.9 on the season) off the bench.

Things look even more promising down the stretch as Sacramento's final eight games form a fairly favorable schedule. The Monarchs don't play L.A. again yet have two dates with Phoenix.

	T-Spoon still has plenty to give to the game, but her 2.9 scoring average hurts New York.

Liberty a playoff longshot?
Since the league was formed, New York has made four trips to the WNBA Finals, in 1997, '99, 2000 and '02. The Liberty, in fact, have reached the postseason every year except in 1998.

But New York, which won Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak, is in danger of falling short again this season. The Liberty are 9-13, eight games behind conference leader Detroit and in sixth place in the East.

And it only gets tougher. Remember when, three weeks into the season, Los Angeles had played nine games and just about everybody else had played only four or five? That's catching up with everyone down the stretch. The Sparks have just eight games left on their regular-season schedule, but New York still has 12 games to play -- in three weeks.

New York is still a talented team with an excellent coach. But the Liberty have struggled to score at times this season, especially after Becky Hammon was lost for the year with a torn ACL. Her productivity off the bench -- almost 15 points in 23 minutes per game -- were phenomenal and a big part of New York's offense.

And while Vickie Johnson has been fantastic, average seasons from Tamika Whitmore and Tari Phillips also have hurt the Liberty. Also, Elena Baranova just hasn't been able to supply much off the bench. She doesn't bring the scoring or energy off the bench that both Sue Wicks and Hammon displayed last season.

Teresa Weatherspoon's 2.9 scoring average -- the lowest of her career -- is the final blow. Although she still has juice in the tank and remains a tremendous ballplayer, her inability to contribute offensively has really affected New York. Weatherspoon averaged at least 6.4 points in each of her first five years in the WNBA, and things would be much different if she could just give New York six or seven points a game this season. Instead, she has been held scoreless in nine games.

If in fact New York doesn't reach the playoffs, the Liberty need to reevaluate their roster and perhaps even their recent draft picks. Of New York's four draft picks last April, only one player, Erin Thorn, is still on the roster (and she's averaging just 7.6 minutes and 1.7 points with no starts). Linda Frohlich (3.5 points, 8.7 minutes) is the only holdover from New York's three draft picks in 2002.

Bill's excellent adventure
Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer would get my vote for coach of the year.

Detroit won just nine games last season but is in position to win the Eastern Conference regular-season title. I love Laimbeer's personnel decisions and his demeanor with his players. He just handles his kids perfectly and has brought back a winning attitude to Detroit, a young team -- six players are in their first or second season in the WNBA -- that a lot of people overlooked in May.

Snow's time
Tennessee grads Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings are MVP candidates. Sacramento's Lawson has been playing spectacular during the second half of the season.

But another former Lady Vol is having a great second season: Michelle Snow.

Snow has always been talented, but this is the best she has played. She has a better understanding of the game and seems to really have benefited from her time playing alongside Sheryl Swoopes and some other Comets teammates in the NWBL in the offseason.

Snow now knows where to find her shots and is also a better rebounder. And although she was sometimes criticized for not getting after it defensively while in Knoxville, Snow has become a good shot blocker, getting a hand on 44 shots this season, which ranks fifth in the league.

Snow, who is averaging 9.3 points after scoring 3.9 last season, has started all 24 games for Houston. She's also grabbing almost five more rebounds a game this season (8.1). She's playing well and will only get better and continue to flourish as she's allowed to explore her skills.

	Lisa Leslie has missed eight games since suffering a knee injury on July 12.

L.A. still best in west, but ...
... only if Lisa Leslie returns. Since the Sparks' center suffered a bruised knee in the All-Star game on July 12, L.A. is 3-5, and Leslie's absence has served as a reminder to everyone just how valuable she is to the two-time defending Sparks.

After missing so many games, Leslie most likely won't win this year's regular-season MVP award, but she remains one of the top candidates. Because of how hard she works and the attention she draws from opponents, Leslie simply makes everybody around her better. She doesn't force things, is an excellent passer under pressure and can score from anywhere on the court.

If Leslie doesn't return, things could get tough, even though the Sparks' boast a WNBA-best 18-8 record. L.A. has lost three consecutive games for the first time since 2001 and is embarking on a five-game road trip. The Sparks' final eight games includes two dates against both Houston and Minnesota and one meeting at Seattle.

Tiebreaker talk
The WNBA is more competitive than ever this season, and as a result, parity is the hallmark of the league. And when it comes to crunch time, head-to-head records might mean all the difference. A look at how the tiebreakers shape up right now and some key matchups as the schedule winds down:

West
L.A. and Houston look to be sure bets to reach the playoffs, which means that three teams -- Minnesota, Sacramento and Seattle -- are battling for the final two playoff spots.
Sacramento: The Monarchs have the tiebreaker over Seattle (2-1), which is important since they meet at Seattle in the regular-season finale on Aug. 25. But Sacramento is 1-2 against Minnesota. They play again, with the Lynx as host, on Aug. 9. The Monarchs also are 0-2 against Houston. The Comets host Sacramento on Tuesday.
Houston: The Comets already have clinched the tiebreaker over Minnesota but are 1-1 against Seattle (with two remaining matchups in the series). Houston also is 1-1 against L.A. They meet again on Aug. 16, and then clash in the regular-season finale on Aug. 25 (ESPN2). Houston is 2-0 against Sacramento, with two more games vs. the Monarchs. Houston's final five games are tough -- the Comets host L.A. and Seattle, then finish out the season at Sacramento, Seattle and Los Angeles.

East
With a 4½-game lead and just 10 games remaining, Detroit has clearly separated itself in the East. And while the Shock would have the tiebreaker over Indiana, Connecticut, Cleveland and New York, Detroit went 0-4 against Charlotte this season. And the East logjam still has plenty of suspense.
Charlotte: While the Sting had no trouble dispatching Detroit this season, Charlotte's other tiebreakers aren't in nearly as good a shape. In fact, Charlotte is 1-1 against both Indiana and Connecticut, 1-2 vs. Cleveland and 0-2 against New York. That really puts the pressure on Charlotte during its final stretch. The Sting's final five games include two games against Indiana and matchups against Connecticut, New York and Cleveland. Charlotte needs to win out.
Indiana: In addition to their 1-1 mark against Charlotte, the Fever are 2-1 against both New York and Connecticut. But Indiana has played Cleveland just once so far this season, and that might be the X-factor -- the Fever and Rockers play three times in Indiana's final eight games of the season, and Indiana already trails the series 0-1 after a 66-53 road loss on June 29.
Connecticut: The Sun, who earned their first win of the season over Indiana on Sunday, are 2-1 against Cleveland and 1-1 against Charlotte and New York. Connecticut plays the Liberty twice in its final six games.

Nancy Lieberman, an ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's basketball coverage. Contact her at www.nancylieberman.com.