As a member of the Liberty, Becky Hammon met up with Sheryl Swoopes in the 2005 WNBA All-Star Game. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Indiana at Minnesota, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
On the surface, this looks like a matchup of one of the league's best and one of the league's worst. The 2-0 Fever will bring a well-rounded lineup to the Twin Cities, but Tamika Catchings has led the way, topping the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. Seimone Augustus has been on fire for the 0-4 Lynx, posting a 23.5 ppg average. But Minnesota hasn't yet posted a win because no one else has stepped up consistently to complement Augustus. Rookie point guard Lindsey Harding has struggled for the Lynx and could have trouble matching up with the more experienced Tully Bevilaqua and Tan White. Minnesota won't go winless in 2007, but this doesn't seem like the time for Don Zierden to get his first WNBA head coaching victory.

Feature matchup: San Antonio at Houston, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Both the Silver Stars and Comets went through a considerable amount of change this past offseason. Houston, a perennial contender in the West, has brought in rookie guards Ashley Shields and Dee Davis along with Hamchétou Maïga-Ba to replace guards Dawn Staley, Tamecka Dixon and Dominique Canty. Meanwhile, San Antonio traded their second overall draft pick to New York for All-Star guard Becky Hammon and also added center Ruth Riley and Erin Buescher. All-Star Marie Ferdinand-Harris has also returned to the Silver Stars after missing the 2006 season due to pregnancy.

"There's a lot of new people," San Antonio coach Dan Hughes said before the season, "but there's a commonality that we try to evaluate in bringing these players together. We think that they are players that will mesh together well and they'll be fun to watch play with each other."

But the main issue for the Silver Stars, especially early in the regular season, was whether or not these new players would gel enough to play together and cohesively as a team. And the results look promising so far. After an Opening Day loss to Phoenix, San Antonio has reeled off consecutive road wins at Connecticut and Seattle.

"There's just a reality at how quick you can get them (playing well together)," said Hughes, "and that's what we're working at right now. … We still have work to do in that area, but I think that they share the ball well, I think they have their diverse talent and if they learn those diverse talents, they can play off each other well. I think at some point, we'll be a fun team to watch if we do that."

Houston's biggest concern entering the 2007 campaign is the youth and lack of experience in the backcourt. And having tipped off the season with two losses at home, it's fair to assume that the Comets' growing pains aren't over. In new coach Karleen Thompson's mind, that means Tina Thompson and Sheryl Swoopes will have to assume even more leadership.

"We definitely need the experience Sheryl Swoopes can offer," Thompson admits. "She constantly talks to our rookies every day just to help build their confidence. I can only go so far on the court, but for them to be out there with her as well as Tina is very helpful.

"It's almost like having a coach on the court with them -- and they're wide-eyed and listening to everything Sheryl and Tina give them, so it's extremely helpful."

And with Shields already stepping into a starting role -- and posting 19 and 21 points in her two pro games -- with the legendary Swoopes and Thompson and center Michelle Snow, the core is solid enough to provide hope in Houston.

Sacramento at Phoenix
This game pits the league's best defense against the league's best offense. And don't they say that defense wins championships? Whatever the case, this game will be an intriguing clash of styles: the hounding defense and steady offense of defending Western Conference champ Monarchs against the run-and-gun, high-scoring, Paul-ball offense of the Mercury. The most interesting aspect may be whether or not Diana Taurasi, the league leader in scoring after her 37-point breakout against Houston, can stay hot under the watchful gazes of Chelsea Newton, Nicole Powell, et al.

WEDNESDAY

Washington at Detroit
The defending champion Shock will attempt to stay undefeated in 2007 against the winless Mystics, who are coming off a midweek loss to the Liberty. Alana Beard has impressed since her return from a shoulder ailment, but she'll have a difficult time dealing with Katie Smith and Deanna Nolan. Monique Currie, Beard's college teammate at Duke, will be making her debut for Washington after coming over in a trade from Chicago. Will the two Lady Blue Devils rekindle their college chemistry against the WNBA's best?

THURSDAY

Phoenix at San Antonio
The Mercury and Silver Stars met up on Opening Day, with Phoenix taking home an 81-72 victory in San Antonio. Yes, the aforementioned scoring prowess of DT3, Cappie and the rest of the Mighty Merc will keep them in most of their high-scoring affairs. But San Antonio has already improved significantly during the regular season, earning an impressive road victory in Seattle on Friday. The more Hammon, Riley, Ferdinand-Harris and Sophia Young play together, the better the Silver Stars will get.

Connecticut at Chicago
The Sun and Sky seem destined to be together, don't they? While Sun fans are rightfully disappointed with the team's 1-2 start, which includes Saturday's 20-point loss at home to Taj McWilliams-Franklin and the Sparks, Sky fans are excited by their squad's first victory of the season against the Lynx. Katie Douglas, Nykesha Sales and Lindsay Whalen are putting the ball in the hoop for Connecticut and Erika DeSouza has been a pleasant surprise, but the team defense has not been up to par. For Chicago, getting rid of Monique Currie seemed to leave more room and touches for Candice Dupree, who put up 25 in their win over Minnesota. With new teammate Chasity Melvin, Dupree and the rest of the Sky frontcourt is quicker and more agile than Dydek, DeSouza and Asjha Jones.