Of the first-round matchups in this season's WNBA playoffs, this one might be the most even.

	Nykesha Sales, left, hopes the Sun can set on Dawn Staley and Charlotte in the first round.

After all, L.A. swept Minnesota and Detroit swept Cleveland. Houston went 3-1 against its first-round foe, Sacramento.

But Charlotte and Connecticut split their four-game, regular-season series.

Which team will still be playing next week? That might depend on which point guard -- Charlotte's Dawn Staley or Connecticut's Shannon Johnson, who will likely help anchor the U.S. backcourt in Athens at the 2004 Olympics -- gets the best of the other, and whether Charlotte's Andrea Stinson is shut down or takes Connecticut to town.

Here's how we see this first-round Eastern Conference matchup shaping up:

Series history
Tied 2-2; Charlotte won the first and third meetings. Two games were decided by four or fewer points.

Charlotte
Strengths: Everybody on the roster has gotten better since last season. Andrea Stinson, for example, has always been durable and consistent, but her improved full-court game has been a big part of Charlotte's success.

The Sting also are an incredibly intelligent team. Staley, a future Hall of Famer, seems to always make the right decisions and constantly makes her teammates better from the point. Allison Feaster, a Harvard grad, has gotten better every year, and ranks third in the league with 70 3-pointers this season.

Charlotte pushes tempo when it's on, but the Sting have developed into more of a halfcourt team and can run the halfcourt offense until they're blue in the face. So it's no wonder the Sting have really learned to look for the 3-point shot, which has become one of Charlotte's biggest weapons. Five players -- Feaster, Stinson, Staley, Shalonda Enis and Kelly Miller -- have each hit at least 21 3-pointers.

Coach Trudi Lacey has done a nice job in her first season at Charlotte. And while it's true she had a great foundation of players to work with -- remember, this team reached the WNBA finals two years ago -- Lacey was able to stick with a lot of the same principles Anne Donovan helped build and implement her own strategies into the system and still get her players to trust and believe in her.

Weakness: When the season started, Charlotte didn't have any glaring weakness, and that hasn't changed. The Rockers have good depth and tremendous experience.

Rebounding is important and perhaps the one area they really need to improve on. The Sting aren't the type of team that wants to run for 40 minutes, so controlling the boards will allow Charlotte to slow down the tempo. But keep in mind that Charlotte is averaging 28.9 boards while allowing 29.5. The Sting must commit to dominating the glass, establish a presence on the boards and refuse to be outrebounded.

	Andrea Stinson averaged 17 points in Charlotte's two wins over Connecticut, but scored a combined six points in the pair of losses to the Sun.

Connecticut
Strengths: The Sun are really strong on the perimeter, with Johnson, Nykesha Sales and Katie Douglas combining for 40.7 points on a team that averages a 70.1 scoring average. All three are shooting at least 41 percent from the field, and Sales and Douglas both shoot 38 percent from downtown, combining for 89 3-pointers.

Forward/center Taj McWilliams-Franklin has a lot to do with the success of that backcourt trio. Early in the season, the Sun were getting open looks, but they weren't hitting their shots. Now, as McWilliams-Franklin has gotten into better shape, Connecticut is running more plays through her and as a result, getting off better shots.

Weakness: The Sun's strength is also their weakness. If you want to beat them, shut down that perimeter game. Stifle Sales, Douglas and Johnson and prevent them from matching their averages.

Long scoring droughts are the big thing that has plagued Connecticut all season. At times, they've lasted upwards of seven, eight, even 10 minutes. The Sun can't afford to do that in the playoffs, especially since they're not the best defensive team. Connecticut must be more consistent with its scoring.

How they match up
These are two veteran teams that know each other very well. Although Connecticut and Shannon Johnson want to push tempo, the Sting and Sun are, for the most part, half-court teams.

The backcourt matchup at point will be key. Staley must do a really good job of keeping Johnson in front of her, forcing her to go side to side and preventing Johnson from getting her shoulders turned toward the basket. And it'll be very important for Johnson to put ball pressure on Staley. If you don't apply ball pressure on Staley, she'll pick you apart. Staley hit the buzzer-beater that led Charlotte to a 69-68 victory over Connecticut on Aug. 9.

X-factor
This might come down to one player -- Stinson. In Charlotte's two wins over Connecticut, the Sun struggled to stop her. Stinson scored 15 points in the 69-55 win over the Sun on June 28, and tallied 19 on 7-for-14 shooting in that one-point win earlier this month. In the Sting's two losses to Connecticut, however, Stinson was just 2-for-6 from the field for four points and only 1-for-2 for two points. If Stinson starts scoring, the odds are in Charlotte's favor.

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.