IT'S WHAT THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR WNBA GETS SPARKS-N.Y. MATCHUP AT LAST.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

NEW YORK - For six years, the WNBA has yearned for today. It's not just the start of the Finals but a showcase of the league's most popular teams in its biggest cities: Los Angeles vs. New York.

The two most-televised franchises in the two biggest markets will meet for the WNBA championship, which begins with Game 1 of the best-of-three series tonight at Madison Square Garden. But the similarities between the teams end there. The defending-champion Sparks play a fast-breaking, showy type of game, and the Liberty is physical and gritty.

``Both teams emulate their `brother' team,'' Sparks forward DeLisha Milton said. ``The Knicks are rough, and they get in your face. They're physical, kind of thuggish in a sense. They bully you around. The Sparks are more finesse, with power and with style.

``I think when the two come together, it's a great thing for the fans and television.''

Those distinct styles on opposite coasts can be traced back to the 1960s, and they were well in place when Sparks coach Michael Cooper played for the Showtime Lakers in the '80s.

``The West teams draft the finesse players, and the East teams go for the big, bulky players,'' Cooper said. ``That's the way it's always been - men or women. It's just that way.''

Just like the Lakers, the Sparks have the best center in the game. Lisa Leslie was the league's MVP last season, and New York should have difficulty containing the former USC star, who is averaging 21 points per game in the playoffs, four more than her regular-season average.

The Liberty will counter with 6-foot-2 Tamika Whitmore and 6-1 Tari Phillips on the inside, but each will give up size to the 6-5 Leslie. Conversely, Whitmore and Phillips have physical games and could give the Sparks matchup problems down low.

``One key is what we do with Phillips and Whitmore,'' Cooper said. ``We're going to have to compete with them on a very physical level for 40 minutes.';

The pair will be guarded by Leslie and Milton, but Cooper can bring in 5-11 Latasha Byears and 6-5 Marlies Askamp, reserves who also play a physical game.

Other than the inside players, the series offers other intriguing matchups. The Liberty's 36-year-old veteran point guard, Teresa Weatherspoon, will square off against 23-year-old Sparks rookie Nikki Teasley. Plus, the Sparks' Tamecka Dixon and the Liberty's Vickie Johnson each have been All-Stars as shooting guards, as has Sparks small forward Mwadi Mabika.

Another story line is whether this marquee matchup can give the league a needed boost - there's talk too that the league's original teams, Utah and Charlotte, might move.

In other words, Los Angeles-New York couldn't have come at a better time.

``That was one of the keys with the inception of the WNBA,'' Cooper said of having popular players on the league's big-market teams. ``I'm pretty sure the league expected them to meet somewhere along the line. And we finally we get our chance.''

WNBA FINALS

Sparks vs. New York

Game 1, today, 4:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game 1, Today

At N.Y., 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Game 2, Saturday

At Sparks, 12:30 p.m. (Ch. 4)

Game 3, Sunday

At Sparks, 12:30 p.m. (Ch. 4)

WNBA FINALS

POSITION

Point guard: The Liberty's Teresa Weatherspoon has been a quality playmaker during her six-year WNBA career, but the 36-year-old isn't counted on to score. Although lacking experience, the Sparks' Nikki Teasley is the greater scoring threat, and has played with poise this postseason.

EDGE: SPARKS

Shooting guard: The Sparks' Tamecka Dixon is a two-time All-Star, as is the Liberty's Vickie Johnson. The two are relatively even statistically, with Johnson averaging 11.6 points and 2.5 assists, and Dixon 10.6 points and 4.0 assists. Dixon had a shaky regular season by her standards but turned her game around in the playoffs. Johnson remains underrated but has been erratic in the playoffs.

EDGE: SPARKS

Small forward: Mwadi Mabika has shown she can be one of the league's top five players. The Liberty's Crystal Robinson averaged 11.8 points this season but isn't in the elite category Mabika is. Robinson's best hope is if Mabika remains hampered by a left-ankle sprain.

EDGE: SPARKS

Power forward: DeLisha Milton is expected to start after her strong series against the Utah Starzz in the Western Conference finals. The Liberty's Tamika Whitmore likes to stay inside, and Milton doesn't fret taking the ball outside. Whitmore will try to overpower Milton, and Milton will try to out-finesse Whitmore.

EDGE: EVEN

Center: No player in the WNBA matches up against the Sparks' Lisa Leslie. Tari Phillips plays a physical game and led the Liberty with 14.1 points and 7.0 assists this season, but she will give up four inches to Leslie and has several nagging injuries.

EDGE: SPARKS

Bench: The Sparks have the league's deepest bench, while only two players - guard Becky Hammon and veteran center Sue Wicks - have key roles as reserves for the Liberty. Latasha Byears and Marlies Askamp give the Sparks size off the bench. Sophia Witherspoon, who played her first three seasons with New York, is dangerous from the outside.

EDGE: SPARKS

Coaching: Michael Cooper has the Sparks playing well, not that it hurts having the league's top roster. Richie Adubato has scrappy veterans who have come back from 1-0 deficits in their first two series.

EDGE: LIBERTY

Prediction: Sparks in 2

CAPTION(S):

3 boxes

Box:

(1) WNBA FINALS (see text)

(2) SERIES SCHEDULE (see text)

(3) WNBA FINALS: POSITION - EDGE (see text)