With 10 days to play in the regular season, just three of eight playoff berths (top four teams in each conference) have been determined. With teams having only three, four or five games remaining before the Sept. 13 finales, here's a look at this week's Power Rankings, as compiled by ESPN.com women's basketball editor Melanie Jackson (through Wednesday's games):
2009 Power Rankings: Week 13
RANK(LW) TEAM RECORD COMMENT
1 (2) Mercury 21-10 It took all season, but the Mercury finally have unseated Indiana. Phoenix lost at Detroit on Tuesday but came back Wednesday to even its season series with the Fever, 106-90 in Indiana. The Mercury have three games left to lock up the West's top spot, which might not be decided until their final two games: Sept. 10 at Seattle and home against L.A. in the regular-season finale.
2 (1) Fever 20-9 Wednesday's loss by itself didn't knock the Fever down a notch. Rather, losing four of the past five games, including two straight, did the most damage. Keep an eye on Katie Douglas' sprained left ankle, which sidelined her Wednesday. The key now is for Indiana to pick up momentum (and possibly lock up the league's best record), and the schedule could be helpful. Despite four road games, all five remaining games are against East opponents. Of Indiana's nine losses, only two are to East teams.
3 (4) Storm 19-11 Prior to Phoenix's victory Wednesday, the Storm's six-game win streak had narrowed the Mercury's lead in the West to a single game. Whether Seattle can catch Phoenix -- the Storm are 7-3 this season against their remaining four opponents -- might not be as intriguing as watching Lauren Jackson, who has missed two games and is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in her back. A key matchup going forward is Sept. 10 against Phoenix at home, where Seattle is 13-3.
4 (5) Dream 16-14 The Dream are just 2-3 since losing Chamique Holdsclaw to a knee injury (she is recovering from Aug. 27 arthroscopic surgery and is listed as day-to-day). But two of the three losses were by single digits, and Atlanta proved it can also come up big without its star when it grinded out an 84-79 victory Tuesday at Los Angeles. Equally impressive is the Dream's 1½-game lead for second place in the East.
5 (3) Sparks 15-15 After winning six consecutive games, the Sparks have lost two of their last three (to Atlanta and Phoenix, both at home). Los Angeles has a two-game lead over San Antonio for third in the West; the two teams play in a crucial home-and-away on Saturday and Tuesday. But stealing home-court advantage from Seattle (second in the West) in a probable first-round playoff matchup is a long shot.
6 (9) Shock 14-15 The defending champs have five games left on the schedule and are tied for third place in the East. But like three of the teams ahead of them, the Shock also have been without a mainstay: Lower back pain has sidelined Katie Smith for the past two games. Friday's date with Indiana is key. While Detroit has a winning record or has at least split the season series with four of its remaining foes, the Shock are 0-3 against the Fever.
7 (11) Silver Stars 13-17 Overtime is ... San Antonio's time? The Silver Stars needed an extra period to down Detroit on Saturday and double overtime to top Minnesota on Tuesday and take over sole possession of fourth place in the West. San Antonio will continue to benefit if the Lynx continue to stumble. But winning at least one of its upcoming back-to-back games with Los Angeles would be a big help.
8 (8) Mystics 14-15 One step forward, two steps back? On three occasions this month, the Mystics have followed up a win with two straight losses. Since they beat Minnesota in their last outing, the Mystics -- who are tied with the Shock for third place in the East -- can't afford too many more successive losses. Up next? Seattle, followed by a road swing through Chicago and Indiana.
9 (7) Sky 14-16 Chicago finally won a game this season without Sylvia Fowles, splitting a home-and-away with New York last weekend to snap a three-game skid. Chicago trails the Mystics and Shock by just a half game for fourth place in the East, and fate might be in the Sky's hands: Washington and Detroit are their next two opponents, and three of their remaining four games (including another date with Detroit) are home, where Chicago is 10-4.
10 (6) Sun 14-17 Coach Mike Thibault doesn't expect leading scorer Asjha Jones back from her Achilles injury before the end of the regular season. But that pales in comparison to the fact that the Sun's recent skid might be enough to derail their postseason hopes. The Sun have lost five consecutive games, the last four were on the road. And they uncharacteristically gave up at least 86 points in all five.
11 (13) Lynx 12-18 Seasons rarely come down to one game. And the Lynx's downward spiral -- they've lost 11 of 13 games since the All-Star break -- didn't spring up out of nowhere. But will Tuesday's 84-82 double-overtime loss to San Antonio -- which dropped Minnesota a game behind San Antonio for fourth place in the West and gave the Silver Stars the tiebreaker -- be the dagger that ultimately does in the Lynx? Four games remain, but Minnesota hasn't won successive games since June.
12 (10) Liberty 12-18 Technically, the Liberty are 2½ games out of fourth place in the East. But with just four games left -- and a 2-7 record this season against their remaining four opponents -- it's going to take a major meltdown by someone else for New York to make it back to the postseason.
13 (12) Monarchs 11-20 At the risk of a little déjà vu ... technically, the Monarchs are 2½ games out of fourth place in the West. But with just three games left -- Atlanta, San Antonio and Minnesota, all at home -- it's going to take a major meltdown by someone else for Sacramento to make it back to the postseason.