Sacto had to work to beat Atlanta, whose fourth-quarter surge almost gave the Dream their fourth win. Instead, the Monarchs improved to .500; they would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

"Their record is very deceiving," coach Boucek said of the visiting Dream. "They've been playing really well."

The Monarchs, on the other hand, played just well enough to win. "We're not happy," said Nicole Powell.

Both of these teams (barring major injury) should compete better after the Olympic break: the Dream, because they've learned to play together; the Monarchs, because their defensive intensity usually looks sharper as the season goes on.

The Western Conference may also look very different if Team USA's marquee players come back exhausted from Beijing: L.A. isn't going to win games without them.

UPDATE: Bob Corwin flogs an unconfirmed rumor that Temeka Johnson has quit L.A.