The Liberty have been here before and flopped.

It was June 10 when they hosted the Chicago Sky at the Prudential Center.

The Liberty, after opening the season with five straight losses, had won three straight, the Sky six in a row.

It was a showdown of two of the hottest teams in the WNBA. Chicago won 73-64 with a dominating defensive effort.

Today, its deja vu all over again.

The Liberty (6-9) have won two straight to pull within a game of the Atlanta Dream for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Their opponent today is the San Antonio Silver Spurs (10-5), who have won six straight to move into second place in the Western Conference, 2 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Lynx.

The Silver Spurs are led by former Liberty star Becky Hammon. Her return always ratchets up the emotion for Liberty fans.

Hammon is one of the most popular players in team history.

But Hammons return merely is a subplot. The story is whether or not the Liberty can build momentum heading into the second half of the season.

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Liberty try to move closer to playoff spot