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Shock-Dream Preview

Jun 22, 2010 - 6:39 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Tulsa (3-8) at Atlanta (9-4), 12:00 p.m. EDT

This year's Shock team bears little resemblance to the one that swept the Atlanta Dream in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals.

While the Dream have remained among the East's best, the Shock find themselves trying to snap a five-game losing streak Wednesday as they face their rivals for the first time since relocating to Tulsa.

The Shock (3-8) are tied for last in the West after moving from Detroit and switching conferences. They were among the East's elite last year, beating the Dream in the playoffs before losing to Indiana in the conference finals.

The roster is vastly different, with leading scorers Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith declining to move with the franchise. With only four players left over from last year, the Shock are in danger of losing six in a row for the first time since dropping their first 13 contests in 2002.

Atlanta (9-4), meanwhile, is jockeying with Connecticut for first place. The Dream won three of four prior to a 94-91 loss to the Fever on Saturday night.

"We have a target on our back," forward Angel McCoughtry said. "We have to come out and be more disciplined."

Subpar defense has been Atlanta's most glaring problem, allowing an average of 88.5 points over its last four contests. Opponents averaged 72.7 points during the Dream's first four games of the season.

Offensively, Atlanta has remained sharp, averaging 91.3 points over its last three games, and 84.7 this season. The Dream were 7-0 when scoring at least 80 points before losing to Indiana.

McCoughtry, last season's Rookie of the Year, is now making a strong case for MVP honors as she is averaging 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

McCoughtry averaged 19.0 points against the Shock in the playoffs, but had six turnovers as Atlanta lost 94-79 in Game 1.

Alexis Hornbuckle is the only remaining starter left from that Shock team. She scored a season-high 12 points in Tulsa's 92-78 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.

"We're not hanging our heads," guard Scholanda Robinson said. "We're starting to play together and play hard for each other. Some things just aren't going our way right now."

Robinson is averaging a team-high 10.8 points. Shanna Crossley (10.6) and Amber Holt (10.5) are also averaging double figures in scoring for the Shock.

Holt, though, is coming off her worst game of the season, going scoreless in 15 minutes. She has tailed off after averaging 14.8 points in her first six contests.