SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Starzz won a franchise-record 20 games, had the third-best record in the WNBA and advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time ever.

A great season, certainly -- yet a million-dollar question lingers.

Will the Starzz return to the Delta Center next summer?

Utah's three-year operating agreement with the WNBA expires next month, and the franchise has been a drain on owner Larry Miller.

"Seven figures,'' Miller said with a shrug, declining to say exactly how much money the team is costing him annually. "How many years can you take something like that? I don't know.''

The Starzz were swept from the Western Conference finals, losing 103-77 to the defending champion Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday. It was a jarring reminder of how much Utah still needs to improve on the court.

"I still believe with all my heart that we're one of the top three teams in this league, but we've got to develop that same type of presence that (the Sparks) have,'' coach Candi Harvey said. "We didn't have it in these last two games.''

Still, there's plenty to build on.

Adrienne Goodson made her first trip to the WNBA All-Star game, leading the Starzz in scoring at 16.3 points a game. Marie Ferdinand shined in her second year, boosting her scoring average to 15.3.

Margo Dydek, Utah's towering 7-foot-2 center, averaged 13.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and four blocked shots, though her easygoing defense was exploited by the Sparks.

Natalie Williams was as reliable as ever, averaging 11.3 points and 8.2 rebounds, and point guard Jennifer Azzi kept the team steady. The Starzz got a boost, too, from a trade that brought Semeka Randall from Seattle.

"We have a lot of veterans,'' Williams said. "I think we're strong at every position, especially when we play together. I think we did that throughout the season.''

The highlight came when Utah beat the four-time WNBA champion Houston Comets in the first round. The Starzz came back from a heartbreaking double-overtime loss in Game 2 of that series to eliminate Sheryl Swoopes and the Comets.

"Not only to win our first playoff series, to win it against Houston was huge,'' Azzi said. "We've turned the corner, in a way, and we have more respect as being one of the top teams in the league.''

But will the Starzz stay in Salt Lake City?

Miller said it's not entirely his decision, with league officials weighing in. Commissioner Val Ackerman didn't say much during a visit earlier this month, only that both sides would meet after the playoffs.

She did, however, praise Utah's front office, saying it has been a model for the league. Second-year vice president Ron Goch and the business operations staff tripled group sales and added family-friendly pregame activities.

Yet fans haven't responded as team officials had hoped. The Starzz drew a season-high crowd of 14,823 for Game 1 against the Sparks, but the regular-season attendance average of 7,420 ranked 13th in the 16-team WBNA.

"We've improved the product on the court and there still aren't very many people coming,'' Miller said. "We've made improvements on a lot of fronts, but it's been baby steps.''

The Starzz were one of the WNBA's eight charter franchises. Each began with a three-year operating agreement and most were extended for 10 years in 1999. Utah got only a three-year extension.

Now, Miller and Ackerman must decide which direction to take.

"One of the biggest variables in the whole thing is whether some cities will even accept women's basketball,'' Miller said.

Harvey and the players aren't concerned about where they'll end up, saying they'll focus on the basketball side and let others make business decisions. But it's clear Salt Lake or another city will get a solid team next year.

"We feel really good about the season,'' Azzi said. "Talk to me in a week and I will feel a lot better about it. We did some really great things this season, and I hope we can build on that.''