FIRST LOOK

SPARKS VS. SEATTLE

* SCHEDULE: Friday, at Seattle, 7 p.m.; Sunday, Staples Center, 2 p.m., ESPN2; Aug. 22 (if necessary), Staples Center, 7 p.m., ESPN2.

* GUARDS: Tamara Moore and Temeka Johnson vs. Sue Bird and Betty Lennox. Bird and Lennox can score, and Bird is third in assists (4.8). Johnson is second in assists (4.9) but scores inconsistently. Moore is defense oriented and scores sporadically. Advantage: Seattle.

* FORWARDS: Jessica Moore and Mwadi Mabika vs. Lauren Jackson and Iziane Castro Marques. Mabika has been hot and cold while Moore, a defensive specialist, has been looking for her shot more recently. Jackson is an All-Star but battling stress fractures; Castro Marques is most dangerous on the fastbreak. Advantage: Even.

* CENTER: Lisa Leslie vs. Janell Burse. Leslie (20.0 points, 9.5 rebounds) should be all but a lock for her third regular-season MVP award. Burse is having a career year in scoring (11.1) and is the league’s 10th-best rebounder (6.6). Advantage: Sparks.

* BENCH: Both the Storm and the Sparks use plenty of bodies. If Chamique Holdsclaw comes off the bench as she has all season, she is the best scorer and rebounder for either team. But Coach Joe Bryant says he’s considering moving Holdsclaw back in the starting rotation. Advantage: Sparks.

* COACHES: Joe Bryant vs. Anne Donovan. Bryant is a coach-of-the-year candidate for guiding the Sparks to the league’s second-best record. Donovan won the league championship in 2004. Advantage: Even.

* PREDICTION: Sparks in three.

-- MIKE TERRY