The WNBA playoffs are set. And here in the Heartland, it couldn't seem more like basketball-watching weather.

	Detroit's success depends on the backcourt play of Kedra Holland-Corn, above, and Elaine Powell.

That is to say, it is so hot that people are taking vacations to Hell to cool off. It is so hot, the local water-amusement park, "Oceans of Fun," has been renamed "Cauldrons of Fun.''

It is so hot that we are really not supposed to do anything except stay inside and complain about how hot it is. Which means televised distractions are quite welcome; we can watch the games and say, "How hot do you think it is there?''

But anyway, now that we've cleverly established this theme, it's pretty clear which teams are the hottest in the WNBA: Detroit and Los Angeles. The Shock are ...

(Wait a second, wouldn't you have to say the Sun and the Mercury are the "hottest'' teams? Har-har-har.)

... a terrific story, proof that the right mix of players can turn things around pretty quickly. Detroit went 25-9 and separated itself from the rest of the Eastern Conference, which was made up by five semi-identical teams -- of those, Charlotte, Connecticut and Cleveland were the playoff survivors -- and the mysteriously woeful Washington Mystics.

First, we'll look at the Detroit-Cleveland series, aka the Marilyn Manson Matchup. Shock-Rockers, get it?

(OK, maybe I've been out in the sun too long. When it's 104 degrees, "too long'' is about 11 seconds.)

And one might say that's about how long Cleveland will be in this series, considering the Rockers were 0-4 against Detroit during the regular season.

But weird things can happen in the WNBA playoffs, with the three-game series starting on the lower-seeded team's home floor. It means the higher seed better hope it plays well on the road, which the Shock have done this season. Detroit is 13-4 at home and 12-5 on the road.

It will be fun to watch the first and third picks from 2003 WNBA draft, Cleveland's LaToya Thomas and Detroit's Cheryl Ford (if she plays; the Shock rookie was placed on the injured list with a lower back sprain on Monday), as key figures in this showdown. Throw in Detroit's Swin Cash and Ruth Riley and Cleveland's Chasity Melvin, and you've got some of the best interior play you're going to see.

But as much as that will be considered the focus of this series, perhaps the deciding difference for the Shock will be the guard play of Elaine Powell and Kedra Holland-Corn. The combination of scoring, quickness and good defense on the perimeter is like gold in the WNBA.

	It's great to see Katie Smith -- who has averaged 18 points and 36 minutes a game in her five-year WNBA career -- finally reach the playoffs.

Hard to see the Shock not winning this series. But as for Connecticut-Charlotte, it's a coin flip. They split 2-2 this season. Look at both teams' personnel, and it's difficult to say either has a clear advantage in any one area.

Now in the West, Minnesota really has to hope against hope that it can somehow defeat Los Angeles twice in less than a week. Pretty tough considering the Lynx have beaten the Sparks just once in Minnesota's five-season existence. And that win came the first time the two teams played, in 1999.

L.A. has dealt with disturbing off-court incidents, Lisa Leslie's knee injury and some new faces that have tried to blend in for the two-time defending champions. Yet the Sparks still finished with the best record in the West, 24-10, and bounced back well from their four-game losing streak in late July-early August.

L.A. has won five in a row and six of seven, with veterans Tamecka Dixon, DeLisha Milton and Mwadi Mabika and second-year pro Nikki Teasley providing the stabilizing force that allowed L.A. to weather the 11 games Leslie missed. By the way, All-Star Game MVP Teasley is the only Spark who has played in every game this season.

It's the first playoff appearance for the Lynx, and it's no coincidence that it happened the season that Minnesota fixed its point-guard problem with Teresa Edwards. As for franchise rock Katie Smith, consider that she has averaged 18.0 points and 36.0 minutes in her five-year WNBA career. It's really good to see her get a shot at the playoffs, even if it is against mighty L.A.

Speaking of rocks, how about Houston's Janeth Arcain? She has played in all 219 games in the Comets' history, not to mention being a star in Brazil for nearly two decades.

The trio of Arcain, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson is still more effective than the entire starting five for some other teams. But it hurt to lose Cynthia Cooper to a shoulder injury just four games into her comeback season.

The Comets are 3-1 vs. Sacramento this year, with the loss coming Aug. 21 when the Monarchs were on their late playoff charge.

After a loss at Minnesota on Aug. 9, the Monarchs got a big victory over Detroit on Aug. 15 and had the good fortune of meeting cellar-dwelling Phoenix twice in the last nine days of the season.

The Comets-Monarchs series could be the most intense battle of the first round of the playoffs. And whoever wins that likely then has the Sparks to deal with.

As they say on the Weather Channel, from the frying pan to the fire.

Mechelle Voepel of the Kansas City Star is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. She can be reached at mvoepel@kcstar.com.