The Eastern Conference finals won't be decided until Saturday or Sunday, but Thursday's game probably has the biggest impact.

And if Washington wants to represent the East in the WNBA championship, the Mystics must win at home as the series opens Thursday. Homecourt advantage is more important to New York than to any other team in the league, and whenever the Liberty take the court in Madison Square Garden, they seem to have more emotion and intensity.

Because of that, Washington simply can't afford to head to New York down 1-0. A win at home would help Washington pick up some momentum and give the Mystics an entirely different outlook for Game 2.

The key for New York, of course, is to steal one in at the MCI Center.

New York Liberty
East seed: 1. Record: 20-15. Home record: 12-6.
First round: Beat Indiana 2-1. Points for: 65.3. Points against: 63.0.

Skinny: In a weird twist, matching up with Indiana in the first round helped New York really prepare for its conference final matchup with Washington. Indiana, like the Mystics, is a running team, and in Game 1, New York gave up 17 fast-break points. But coach Richie Adubato made some adjustments and took away Indiana's strength. In Game 2, the Fever scored just four points off fast-break points and then tallied only five fast-break points in Game 3. On offense, meanwhile, New York went to its strength, and scored at least 46 points in the paint in games 2 and 3, both of which were victories. Reserve Becky Hammon, who scored just five points in Game 1, scored 13 in Game 2, and Tamika Whitmore and Tari Phillips combined for 44 points and 11 rebounds in Game 2.

Against Washington, Adubato's game plan is very simple -- stop Chamique Holdsclaw, limit Washington's transition game and dominate the paint. While both teams are somewhat undersized inside, New York's more traditional post players need to establish themselves in the paint and score.

New York doesn't get a lot of credit for it, but the Liberty have the second-best defense in the league, allowing just 63 points.

Washington Mystics
East seed: 3. Record: 19-15. Home: 10-7.
First round: Swept Charlotte. Points for: 66.7. Points against: 66.1.

Skinny: The Mystics played with supreme confidence against Charlotte and looked like the team we saw earlier this season. Washington pushed tempo, and in two games, gave up an average of only 60 points. The big stat that really stands out, though, is that for as much as Washington pushes the tempo, the Mystics only averaged 11 turnovers a game in the first round. That's especially impressive that Charlotte prides itself on its defense.

Offensively, the Mystics are great at back-cutting you to the basket. There is so much movement -- they bring you up high, take the defensive help away on the opposite side, then back-cut or front-cut you and get a lot of easy baskets. As a coach, easy opportunities like these are exactly what you want.

Playoff schedule
Aug. 22: New York at Washington, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Aug. 24: Washington at New York, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Aug. 25: Washington at New York, time TBD, ESPN2 (if necessary)

Season series: New York 2-1
July 13: New York 67, at Washington 53 (Mystics held scoreless for opening 6:20, fall to 8-1 at home)
Aug. 8: At Washington 65, New York 54 (Holdsclaw's 22 points, 15 boards helps snap Mystics' seven-game skid)
Aug. 9: New York 74, at Washington 66 (Hammon nets 5 of 6 from 3-point range to score 22 points)
(Note: In a preseason game on May 10, Washington beat New York 66-61 at the MCI Center.)

1: Teresa Weatherspoon vs. Annie Burgess

	Burgess

	Weatherspoon

Weatherspoon, New York: She did a solid job against Indiana in the first round. In Tuesday's win, Weatherspoon tallied 10 points (on 5-for-8 shooting), six rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one turnover. That stat line is just what you want your point guard to give you, and it's an example of vintage Weatherspoon. She's been pretty good at getting the ball to the basket, and obviously been concentrating on giving New York some points, something she struggled to do for most of the season.
Burgess, Washington: The Mystics' unsung player, Burgess just goes out and does her job day in and day out. She runs Washington's offense and plays the game Marianne Stanley wants her to play. Burgess hits shots and plays hard at both ends.
Advantage: Weatherspoon. She's the heart and soul of the Liberty and has the homecourt advantage.

2: Vickie Johnson vs. Coco Miller

	Miller

	Johnson

Johnson, New York: She started the postseason a little slow, scoring just four points in the Game 1 loss, but got better as the series progressed (10 points in Game 2 and 19 in Game 3). Johnson, a fantastic player and one of the league's consummate professionals, is the type of player who's not afraid to take big shots. She takes them and she hits them. New York will need her to do just that, especially since the Liberty don't have a deep bench. Only thing Johnson needs to improve is shooting -- in the playoffs, she's shooting just 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field after shooting nearly 46 percent during the regular season.
Miller, Washington: She's playing the best basketball of her career, shooting the ball really well and taking big shots. Her confidence is continuing to grow, and with good reason -- Miller is shooting a blistering 63 percent form the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc in the playoffs, averaging 16.5 points in two games. Miller has worked really hard on shooting the ball, and has given Stanley another scorer to complement Holdsclaw.
Advantage: Even. Johnson is much more experienced, but Miller is playing really well right now.

3: Crystal Robinson vs. Stacey Dales-Schuman

	Dales-Schuman

	Robinson

Robinson, New York: A very heady, experienced player, Robinson is a great shooter. But while she averaged 11.8 points and shot 42 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc in the regular season, she has struggled in the playoffs, averaging 7.3 points and shooting 27 percent from 3-point range in the series against Indiana. New York counts heavily on Robinson, and she must take her game up a notch. The Liberty need points, and Robinson's one of the ones that has to be able to score.
Dales-Schuman, Washington: After averaging 9.5 points during a fine rookie season, Dales-Schuman has been impressive in the playoffs, averaging 9.0 points, shooting 55 percent from 3-point range and committing just one turnover in two games. So far, she has fulfilled all her roles -- hit the open shot, help run the offensive, provide a little more firepower and be aggressive on both ends. Dales-Schuman seemed exhausted toward end of the regular season, but has regrouped and is playing like the smart, impact role player she is.
Advantage: Even. This one's a toss up. They're both good scorers and all-stars.

4: Tamika Whitmore vs. Chamique Holdsclaw

	Holdsclaw

	Whitmore

Whitmore, New York: A player is always going to call it a tough matchup when she has to guard Holdsclaw. But after defending Rookie of the Year Tamika Catchings, Whitmore is used to facing the opponents' star. Whitmore had an incredible series against Indiana and is averaging 19.7 points and shooting 66 percent from the field in three playoff games. During the regular season, she vastly improved her scoring average from a year ago, and has continue to make progress in the postseason. Whitmore's taking good shots, working hard on rebounding and has a lot of confidence. There's really nothing to criticize in her game. And if she didn't dominate the paint as she did against Indiana in the first round, the Fever would be playing in the Eastern Conference finals instead of New York.
Holdsclaw, Washington: The only player to ever lead the league in scoring (19.9 points per game during the regular season) and rebounding (11.6), Holdsclaw is just fantastic. She's averaging 20.5 points and 12 rebounds in the playoffs and is just so versatile that she's a matchup nightmare for anybody.
Advantage: Holdsclaw. She was fourth in voting for the MVP award and has had a great season.

5: Tari Phillips vs. Vicky Bullett

	Bullett

	Phillips

Phillips, New York: The Liberty's leading scorer and rebounder during the regular season, Phillips has been a bit inconsistent in the playoffs. She scored just six points and had four rebounds in Game 1. And although she poured in 20 points in Game 2, Phillips tallied 10 points in Game 3. After shooting 49 percent from the field during the regular season, she's shooting 45 percent in the postseason, and that's a number that needs to be higher. So does her 12 points-per-game scoring average.
Bullett, Washington: She's one of the best defensive posts in the game and will need every bit of her experience to shut down Phillips, a great scorer. Bullett has a tremendous amount of post moves, and I love her game. She's a smart vet who will do whatever you need, whether it's making the extra pass or shooting a 3 every now and then to keep you honest. She runs the floor well and has been consistent, averaging 8.5 points in the regular season and playoffs. If I'm the opposing point guard, I'm running my offense away from Bullett's side of the floor, and making sure my passes into the post are right on. Otherwise, Bullett will steal the ball. A lot of people don't realize that Bullett, a 6-foot-3 post, led the Mystics with 1.69 steals per game in the regular season.
Advantage: Phillips. She's not playing the way she normally plays offensively, but she still gets the edge. She's an all-star who can bust out like she did in Game 2 at any moment.

Bench
The Mystics are a very deep team off the bench. They come in with Murriel Page, Asjha Jones, Helen Luz and Tonya Washington, four players who can get after it defensively and give you some points and balance.
Advantage: Washington. The Mystics have a lot less playoff experience but a much deeper bench.

Coaches

	Stanley

	Adubato

Richie Adubato, New York: I still think he should have been up for Coach of the Year. Adubato is a great coach, and as good at Xs and Os as it gets. His adjustments and game plans are really good.
Marianne Stanley, Washington: Whereas Adubato must rely on his players executing and playing well, Stanley has more of the pieces to the puzzle on her roster. She's also a proven veteran and a Hall of Famer who has won at every level she's coached at. And don't forget this is a team that was just 10-22 a year ago.
Advantage: Adubato. But it'll be fun to watch these two match wits and make adjustments.

ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is a former WNBA coach, general manager and player. She is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's basketball coverage.