In Atlanta's first-ever home opener, the Shock spotted the home team 19 points, then came roaring back to beat the expansion team easily.

"We didn't come out to play as hard as we could," said Cheryl Ford: her team played as if it would take them about 20 minutes to defeat the Dream once they started to try-- alas, they were right.

No one could remotely guard Nolan, who scored a game-high 33; late in the fourth, she fell down on her left arm, left with a sling, and never returned. We'll keep you posted.

Good news for the Dream: De Souza looked fantastic (18 boards). So did the crowd: an enthusiastic sellout. Worse news, though no surprise: just 7 assists for the team. They'll get better. We hope all the fans stick around.