Ruth Riley was fantastic and each of Detroit's stars had their moments of brilliance, but the Shock's ability to get to the free-throw line also was a big part of Tuesday's victory and the best WNBA Finals series in league history.

COMPLETE FINALS COVERAGE

To check out ESPN.com's complete WNBA Finals coverage, check out the links below: Game 3: Detroit 83, L.A. 78 They were the league's worst team last season. Now, after 27 points from Ruth Riley and another game-winner from Deanna Nolan, the Shock dethroned L.A. for their first WNBA title. Voepel: Life of Riley After seeing WNBA Finals MVP Ruth Riley rule Game 3, you couldn't help but recall a similar performance in the 2001 NCAA title game. Start of a dynasty in Detroit? Shortly after winning their first title, the Detroit Shock already were talking about winning Nos. 2 and 3. Game 3 draws record crowd One day after the WUSA ceased operations, the WNBA had one of its biggest days, as a sellout-crowd of 22,076 attended Game 3 on Tuesday.

Detroit averaged 26 free-throw attempts in the regular season but just 12½ in the first two games of the WNBA Finals. And it nearly cost the Shock the series, when they were just 4-for-5 in Game 2.

But they finished 23-for-28 in Game 3, and it made a huge difference at the end of both halves. When L.A. started to gain momentum, the Shock's free throws helped stall the Sparks' runs. That was especially true in the second half after Detroit was in the bonus with so much time remaining (7:46 to play). In the final minute, Cheryl Ford knocked down four consecutive free throws and Deanna Nolan, whose foul shots won Game 2, added another pair.

Detroit's quick start also paved the way for the win. The Shock have proven they can come from behind, but they seem to play better when they get out to an early lead. On Tuesday, they got their confidence and running game going early on and executed their game plan very well. At one point, they had outscored L.A. 24-14 in the paint, and at halftime, Riley, Swin Cash and Cheryl Ford combined for 17 rebounds, three more than L.A.'s first-half total.

Riley was magnificent from whistle to whistle, scoring eight consecutive points in a three-minute stretch midway through the first half and finishing with a career-high 27. She hit her shots, made the right passes, and really forced L.A.'s Lisa Leslie, who fouled out with 43 seconds left, to play defense.

	Swin Cash and Detroit led most of the game but trailed 73-70 with 3:40 left.

Swin Cash was also clutch, just missing a triple-double (she had 13 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists). But in addition to improving her offensive production after a 4-for-12 performance in Game 2, her increased leadership also was vital.

Nolan's 3-pointer with 53 seconds to play proved to be the game-winner, but the score wouldn't have been close if she had made a couple of previous wide-open 3-pointers.

Still, Detroit -- which led most of the game but trailed 73-70 with 3:40 left -- didn't panic and was very patient in moving the ball inside and out, which is how Nolan got off the eventual game-winner from the corner.

And though they lost, Los Angeles put up an incredible fight and refused to quit. Mwadi Mabika, who had a season-high 29 points, was incredible, the Sparks' backcourt doubled their offensive total from Game 2 and Leslie played as hard as always.

And while the Sparks are in great condition, their lack of depth might have caught up with them. They didn't necessarily look tired toward the end of the game, but they made uncharacteristic fouls at times. In the 120-minute series, L.A.'s reserves combined for just 29 minutes, and Leslie played every minute of the series until she fouled out Tuesday.

More than anything, this was simply a great series that was very good for women's basketball. It was the best finals, the most athletic finals, and the largest and best crowd the league has ever seen.

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.