AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Swin Cash wants the perfect ending to the Detroit Shock's worst-to-first story.

COMPLETE FINALS COVERAGE

To check out ESPN.com's complete WNBA Finals coverage, check out the links below: Voepel: A course in confidence As Game 3 approaches, the Shock are boosted because they withstood L.A.'s knockout punch Sunday, while L.A. remains confident it can take home the threepeat. Can L.A. ride road to happiness? L.A. went 5-0 at home in the playoffs, but is 0-3 on the road. With Tuesday's Game 3 in Detroit, here's a home-and-away look at the Sparks' playoff stats. Game 2: Detroit 62, L.A. 61 Reserve Kedra Holland-Corn scored 16 points, and Deanna Nolan hit the game-winning free throws with 12.1 seconds left to force Game 3. Voepel: Shock beat the odds Teams don't normally win games where they blow gigantic leads. But on Sunday, Detroit survived the kind of game teams often don't survive. Game 1: L.A. 75, Detroit 63 L.A. took advantage of Detroit's shooting woes to build the second-largest halftime lead in finals history and take a 1-0 lead in the series. Lieberman: Nothing but nerves Detroit's nerves, and some great defense from Mwadi Mabika, led to an L.A. rout in Game 1 of the finals. Voepel: Don't underestimate Dixon Guard Tamecka Dixon is a critical, if sometimes overlooked, cog who has been essential to two championships for Los Angeles. Lieberman: Finals preview Detroit is athletic and talented enough to threaten L.A.'s quest for a threepeat. Voepel: Deflecting the spotlight Bill Laimbeer and Michael Cooper are stealing the headlines. But they know this series really belongs to the players. Kreidler: An unlikely reunion What would have been the odds 14 years ago that Bill Laimbeer and Michael Cooper would square off again as coaches of WNBA teams? Cash vs. Leslie MVP candidates Swin Cash of Detroit and L.A.'s Lisa Leslie go head-to-head to lead their teams into the finals.

One season after the franchise was in danger of moving -- or folding -- Cash wants to beat the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Sparks in the decisive Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night.

"I can taste it. That's how real this is to me right now,'' Cash said. "We know for 40 minutes we're going to have to bang, bruise and fight because Los Angeles is not going to give up its title easy.

"We're the new kids on the block and they're the champions, but none of that matters at this point.''

Detroit, which won a WNBA-best 25 games this season, one year after losing a league-worst 23, forced the Sparks to stay in suburban Detroit for two more days after winning Game 2.

Deanna Nolan's two free throws with 12 seconds left gave the Shock a 62-61 victory and evened the series.

"This is something we won't forget,'' Los Angeles' DeLisha Milton said. "We might set it aside for the moment because the greater goal is to win the next game.''

The Sparks led Sunday by four points with 1:28 left, after trailing by 19 late in the first half, but they couldn't make the shots or stops needed to win.

"We have to come out and put together two good halves,'' Sparks star Lisa Leslie said. "It's obvious that we can beat this team.''

Los Angeles beat Detroit 75-63 in Game 1 on Friday in Los Angeles.

Sparks coach Michael Cooper doesn't expect much to change Tuesday. He thinks Detroit will try to run, while the Sparks try to slow the pace of the game.

"I think we both know what our best shot looks like,'' Cooper said. "They felt ours' in L.A., and we got theirs' here. I think it's a case now of which team wants it the most. You are going to have to scuffle.''

Cooper won NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Shock coach Bill Laimbeer won titles with the Detroit Pistons. They said the intensity of Game 2 reminded them of some of their own experiences in the playoffs.

But both are trying to step out of the spotlight because they want their players to be the focus.

"To win the championship would be unbelievable for our players,'' Laimbeer said. "Our players now want this very badly. They want to be WNBA champions, especially the ones who have been here.

"I want it for the ladies. I have mine. I was a player and I won. This is for the ladies.''

And Laimbeer doesn't think his players will be satisfied with just advancing to the WNBA Finals.

"I've been saying all year that we're a team of destiny,'' Laimbeer said. "Nobody believed in us at the beginning of the season, but here we are. To have come this far is amazing, but when you're this close, you might as well go out and win the whole thing.''