2014 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[lethalweapon3]

No local TV for Saturday night’s Windy City tilt between the undefeated Chicago Sky (3-0) and the Atlanta Dream, but if you manage to catch the game anyway, by hook or by crook, some quick tidbits:

• Swin Who? The Sky are doing just fine without Swin Cash, largely thanks to tremendous play from free agent pickup and cancer survivor Jessica Breland (11.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 58.6 FG%). She will have a tantalizing matchup with Sancho Lyttle, who ravaged the Fever with 21 rebounds in Atlanta’s double-overtime thriller last Saturday. Cash continues to adjust to her new role off the bench, playing just 19 minutes in Atlanta’s first two games.

• Also making headway for the Sky is another Fever castaway, former Yellow Jacket Sasha Goodlett. She had an understated but sound defensive game against Tina Charles in New York last week, then had four first-half blocks as Chicago pulled away in the second quarter from the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday. With Breland and Goodlett surpassing expectations, Chicago will give Atlanta a run for its money as the league’s top frontcourt whenever Sylvia Fowles returns. Collectively, their play has minimized the need to rush rookie Markeisha Gatling.

• Angel McCoughtry (24.0 PPG) will be good and rested for her head-to-head with Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne (23.3 PPG, 40.0 FG%). McCoughtry came off the bench against Indiana to rest a hip pointer, but Atlanta needed all of her 39 minutes, and her game-clinching three off the assist from Shoni Schimmel, to put the Fever away. Angel already leads the WNBA with 3.5 steals per game. And with the halfcourt floor spread, she is near the top of the league in field goal percentage (65.2 FG%).

• High-scoring guard Epiphanny Prince returned to the Sky roster on Friday and should be back in action after missing a few games to attend to family matters. Her backcourt mate Courtney Vandersloot already looks primed for a career year, averaging 13.0 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 1.7 SPG through three games, while shooting 48 percent on twos and 43 percent on threes. Prince (37.6 FG% in 2013) will have to resist the temptation of forcing shots to the detriment of Chicago’s offense.

• Can Shoni Schimmel keep up the playmaking? She averaged a WNBA-high 10.5 APG through her first two games, but turned the ball over a ton against Indiana. She has done well getting McCoughtry and Erika DeSouza good looks, and will need to diversify the passing game to be more inclusive of Lyttle, Cash, and Tiffany Hayes.

Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Angel McCoughtry was a late scratch with a shoulder strain, and the Dream hung tough before faltering in the second half to the Sky in Chicago last night. They're back home for a rematch with the Indiana Fever (6:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth), who is still seeking their first win of the year.

• Erlana Larkins got her offense going with 17 points in Indy's 2OT loss to the Dream last Saturday. Indiana's still missing their star forward Tamika Catchings (sore back), but Larkins and rookie Natasha Howard are supplementing the offense and the Fever is still keeping the pace nice and low, keeping their opponents below 80 points in regulation.
• Outgoing coach Lin Dunn is entrusting rookie Maggie Lucas to hit perimeter shots and keep her team in the game. Indiana scored just 63 points in a 12-point home loss to Washington on Friday, but Lucas led the team with 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench.
• Angel will be back in the lineup today. Coach Michael Cooper indicated the team was sitting her more as a precaution, and that she'd likely play under the same conditions if it was later in the season. Sancho Lyttle played limited minutes yesterday as well, and has to crash the boards (zero offensive rebounds and two points on Saturday) to get her versatile offense going again.
• Atlanta will need much stronger perimeter defense (particularly from Matee Ajavon, Shoni Schimmel, and Tiffany Hayes) than they displayed against the Sky last night. Chicago, led by Elena Delle Donne and Allie Quigley, nailed 8 of their 14 threes. The throwaway in the Swin Cash trade, Courtney Clements, outscored Cash 10-2 in the same amount of minutes, hitting 2 of 3 triples.
• Atlanta's reserve wing Amanda Thompson made her case to stick around once Celine Dumerc arrives. "The Waitress" served up 3 steals and 3 blocks against Chicago while hitting 3 of her 4 shots. Inga Orekhova will have to earn her keep tonight after going 0-for-4 yesterday.

Go Dream!

~lw3

Edited May 25, 2014 by lethalweapon3

[Randy]

Finally got to watch the Sky game. Thompson looks like a find - best of the "training camp" players. I think the final cut is due this week when Dumerc arrives. So should be in for an interesting few days.

[lethalweapon3]

As one of several “Heritage Friday” cultural celebrations being held throughout the season, the Atlanta Dream will have a “Native American Night” tonight as they look to weather the Seattle Storm (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth). Some tidbits for the game:

• Native American Night will of course center around rookie guard Shoni Schimmel, who remains the league leader in assists (9.3 APG) thanks to a steady diet of dump-ins to the Dream bigs, including Erika DeSouza (66.0 FG%, 4^th in WNBA).

• Like Indiana, who bested the Dream (2-2) in Atlanta last Sunday night, Seattle (1-4, league-low 65.8 PPG) wants to keep the pace-of-play and the scoring low through sound woman-to-woman defense. Only the Fever have played at a marginally lower pace than the Storm (73.1 possessions per-40) so far. To accomplish their objectives, Coach Brian Agler intends to latch defensive whiz Tanisha Wright onto Angel McCoughtry (22.3 PPG, 2^nd in league; career-high 54.5 FG%) as often as possible.

• On the surface, Seattle might seem a little thin upfront, particularly now that reserve Jenna O’Hea is out for several weeks after sustaining a toe injury, and the team was already making do without star forward Lauren Jackson, who is missing a second straight season to recuperate. But new arrival Crystal Langhorne (8.0 RPG) and former Dream center and ex-Marvin Williams girlfriend Camille Little form an imposing frontcourt duo, while Nicole Powell has long played in the post and will move to that spot to relieve O’Hea. Former Lady Bulldog and Marietta High player Angel Robinson has played sparingly, but may get some decent floor time to spell Little.

• The Storm frontcourt was able to flummox New York’s Tina Charles into a 6-for-19 shooting night on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Atlanta was walloped on the boards (15-8 offensive rebounds) by Erlana Larkins (22 rebounds) and the Fever on Sunday. Coach Michael Cooper could use more help from Swin Cash and Aneika Henry to build a rebounding edge.

• WNBA mainstay Sue Bird is back in Philips Arena for the first time since the 2012 season, having missed last season due to injury like Jackson. Her shot has yet to really heat up (career-lows 35.6 FG% and 33.3 3FG%), but it’s coming. She dropped 21 points on New York in her last game on Tuesday. Bird rightfully dominates the ball, but Agler has to find a way to get production out of last year’s starting lead guard, Temeka Johnson.

• Dream defenders will need to keep an eye out for Alysha Clark, now starting in just her 4^th game of her career as Agler searches for some offensive spark at the beginning of the game, at least until Bird and Wright find their stroke. Clark led the NCAAs in scoring for Middle Tennessee back in 2010, and she has been shooting lightly but effectively so far (55.6 FG%, 42.9 3FG%).

• Atlanta held the Fever to just 4 points on Sunday night in the fourth quarter, but could not take advantage on the other end (8 points) allowing shorthanded Indiana to race off with the win in overtime. In the clutch, Atlanta could use an X-factor to produce from the backcourt, the way Sugar Rodgers came alive in the fourth quarter to scoot the Liberty past Seattle on Tuesday. The obvious choice is Schimmel (1-for-6 vs. Indiana on Sunday), of course, but as the primary ballhandler she’ll need help from one of Tiffany Hayes and Matee Ajavon (combined 0-for-5 vs. the Fever on Sunday) to get it going and take the defensive pressure off of Atlanta’s top threats.

• Ajavon has struggled mightily on offense (13.3 FG%, 0-for-12 in her last 3 games), but she is putting in the effort on the other end. She leads the WNBA with 5.3 steals per 40 minutes.

Go Dream!

~lw3

[Randy]

Great write up and insights. I watched the NY-SEA game the other night and it was hard to see how Charles missed so many easy shots. Little (who may deserve a lot of credit for being the first to see Marvin's lack of potential) and Langhorne are good, but not that good, are they? We will see how Shoni and Erika hold up against the Storm D. The Dream feels like they have just not quite got it all together yet. And with six new faces and a new coach, it may take a while. Perhaps tonight will be a breakout night. Bird is the big gun on their side for sure. She was hitting everything in sight, until the final few shots in crunch time against NY. Pondexter managed to miss everything in sight until the game winning shots at the end. Hopefully Shoni won't be star struck by Bird, but so far nothing seems to phase her.

As for an x-factor, I keep waiting for Hayes to get going. So far she has gotten off to a slow start.

BTW - Celine Dumerc may arrive by the LA game next Tuesday, so this may be the last night for one of our Dream players. There may be some really aggressive bench play.

[Randy]

I called it on x-factor! Hayes had her much needed breakout night! 20 points.

[lethalweapon3]

No TV available for today’s matchup between the Dream and the Connecticut Sun (3:00 PM, WNBA LiveAccess only). It’s another opportunity for the Dream (3-2) to build up their confidence playing on the road.

• The Sun (1-5; 1-1 at home) is getting eclipsed nightly because they are struggling to spread the floor. Shooting just 19.2 percent on threes, not one of the team’s top eight scorers is shooting above 30 percent from beyond the three-point line. The offense is essentially either relying on their bigs to post up, or toss up a prayer of a shot (league-low 39.0 FG%) and rely on their bigs to create second-chance opportunities by crashing the boards.

• Neither of Connecticut’s top-two returning scorers, Allison Hightower (9.0 PPG; 9.1 3FG%) or Renee Montgomery (5.0 PPG; 28.6 3FG%) has gotten it going offensively. Free agent veteran Katie Douglas (9.2 PPG, 28.6 FG%, 18.2 3FG%) has struggled with her shot as well.

• #1 overall pick Chiney Ogwumike is the real deal. The rookie is averaging close to a double-double (17.2 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.2 SPG), while connecting on 48.8 percent of her shots. But like most rookies on struggling teams, she is being forced to do too much. Chiney is Option A, B, and C in the Sun’s so-far-unimaginative offense. Given such high predictability, opposing defenses have been able to key in and reject lots of her shot attempts (2.2 of her shots blocked per game; 4 shots blocked by Chicago on Friday). Ogwumike needs her coaching staff to help establish some sound post moves, and especially take advantage of cutting players to shed some defenders off of her (2 total assists through 6 games). Atlanta has struggled to keep opponents from getting the ball at the rim off of backdoor cuts.

• Chiney’s fellow first-rounder Alyssa Thomas is getting lots of looks and is shooting well (45.8 FG%), but Thomas and Ogwumike lead the team in turnovers (2.5 and 2.0 per game, respectively). The Sun isn’t getting much out of their frontcourt reserves, so this is a prime low-pressure opportunity for Coach Michael Cooper to get Swin Cash and Aneika Henry going. The duo needs to help keep Connecticut off of the offensive glass.

• Coach Anne Donovan will need to seriously consider moving second-year center Kelsey Bone into the starting lineup. Bone led the Sun with 20 points amidst their rout at the hands of the Sky. A twin-tower pairing in the starting lineup could alleviate the pressure on Ogwumike and compel her to diversify her offensive talents by playing the 4-spot. The Sun bigs are bruising and fouling a lot (league-high 22.3 personal fouls per game), so Atlanta (76.5 FT%, 9^th in WNBA) has to drive the ball inside and convert at the free throw line.

• Donovan has already made one smart maneuver by moving former Dream All-Rookie guard Alex Bentley into the starting lineup. Similar to Shoni Schimmel, Bentley was known for her scoring skills in college but has become rediscovered in the WNBA for her passing abilities. Bentley leads the Sun by default with 2.7 APG. Alex dropped a team-high five dimes against the Sky on Friday while keeping the turnovers low.

• Connecticut’s guards play at a casino, so you’d think they would gamble a little more on the floor. They need to boost the offense by scoring in transition off of turnovers (15.2 opponent TOs/game), a hallmark of Atlanta Dream basketball (17.0 opponent TOs/game).

• Behind Schimmel and McCoughtry, Atlanta has been sloppy while aggressively pushing the ball (18.8 TOs per game, three more than any other team), so the opportunities for the Sun to get out and run should be plenty. Angel and Shoni are ranked first and second in the WNBA, respectively, in turnovers per game.

• McCoughtry took over the passing duties from Schimmel in the victory against the Storm on Friday night, contributing a season-high eight assists despite turning the ball over six times. Ball control is expected to improve significantly after this game, as Celine Dumerc is on her way to Atlanta from France today.

• Dumerc’s arrival will usher in a roster cut, so if the Dream can build a sizable lead, there may be a final opportunity for Inga Orekhova and Amanda Thompson to showcase themselves. Thompson has received the lion’s share of floor time and likely has the inside track to stay, averaging 1.3 SPG in over 15 minutes per game.

Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

BTW - where the "the Waitress" nickname come from?

http://newsok.com/amanda-thompson-is-called-the-waitress/article/3206684

On the streets of Chicago, teenage boys used to call Amanda Thompson the Waitress.

The nickname wasn’t derogatory.

It was borne out of respect. She was always serving people.

As in, “Snap, you just got served.”

~lw3

[Randy]

Sadly, lw3, your pre-game analysis exceeded the Dream's in game execution. Pretty ugly for the good girls, but maybe the Sun were just due a good game. There were few bright spots, but Tiffany leading us in scoring again with 17 was good to see. Shoni made a Sport Center highlight shot from backcourt with timing running. Unfortunately, it was not a game winning shot, but rather one that merely cut the margin of defeat so its probably not Sports Center material.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Randy

[lethalweapon3]

Primetime action tonight! The L.A. Sparks visit the Atlanta Dream at the Highlight Factory (7 PM Eastern) in a battle of .500 teams.

• To help boost attendance for this televised game, college students are getting free admission today with a valid college ID.

• How healthy is Angel McCoughtry? Coach Michael Cooper gave Angel some cover after an awful 2-for-14 shooting performance during the Dream's loss at Connecticut on Sunday, saying she's still bothered by a rhomboid strain. Sancho Lyttle was not much better (2-for-7 FGs) but did get to the free throw line 10 times. Atlanta (3-3) will need all cylinders firing in the frontcourt to offset Candace Parker (32 points, 12 boards, 6 assists, 6 steals in a loss at Washington on Sunday) and Nneka Ogwumike (16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals).

• The Sparks (2-2) are absorbing a one-two punch of absences to key players. Guard Kristi Toliver has been naturalized by the Slovak Republic and has been suspended (not as bad as the word sounds, just WNBA-speak) while she competes for the Slovak national team in Eurobasket qualifiers. Meanwhile, free agent addition Candace Wiggins will miss 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery.

• Those absences are putting pressure on the Sparks' backcourt and wing spots, held ably by former Dream players Lindsey Harding and Armintie Herrington. The latter topped teammates Ogwumike and Parker by registering a whopping 7 steals against the Mystics, and you can bet this Carol Ross-coached team plans to turn the tables on what has been a sloppy Atlanta squad (18.7 TOs/game).

• The Sparks can barely stretch the floor (3.5 threes per game) without Toliver and Wiggins around, although they don't necessarily need that element if they can get And-1s from The Other CP3 and Nneka.

• Hopefully ready to help stop Atlanta's bleeding on the offensive end in terms of ball control, new acquisition Celine Dumerc has been activated after her arrival from France, although it's not known whether she'll start right away at the point guard spot. Rookie guard Shoni Schimmel will have to resist the temptation to get fancy for the SportsCenter highlights and just make plays.

Go Dream!

~lw3

Edited June 4, 2014 by lethalweapon3

[Gray Mule]

Wasn't close! Shoni Schimmel was just great! Inside game carried the Dream.

Angel fouled out. Didn't matter. Dream just kept going.

Erica controlled the inside and scored and scored!

GO DREAM!!

[Randy]

Best game of the year so far for the Dream. We finally put it together. I think the entry of Dumerc into the game was just to give the fans a chance to welcome her. No way she could be expected to do much this soon. But she did look like a good defender and made a few good passes. Just about everyone played pretty well. Even Cash and Ajavon were not a detriment (which is a big improvement :D ). Say what you will about Shoni - she got put int halfway through the 1st and 3rd quarter and Cooper kept her in till the end both times. She has been good for Erika - she's having her career year at age 32. Both were in camp the full 3 weeks and I think it shows. Its kind of like Shoni sets her up from the outside and Angel from the inside. As far as futue games it seems to me our best backcourt will end up being Hayes/Thomas as SG and Dumerc and Shoni splitting time at PG. Ajavon will be around for backup. The way the schedule works there will be plenty of minutes - back to back games and situations like last night where someone gets in foul trouble will provide opportuntieis for everyone to play. It was pretty obvious that Tolliver was feeling the effects of jet lag. Tolliver joins a growing list of WNBA Soldiers of Fortune - and its a bit hard to blame them given the scewy economics of the women's game. With Arminti and Lindsey not being real scoring threads made it easier on the defensive end for us. First game where Shoni didn't look like she was getting burned on D and I think she's trying a bit harder on that end. I still love Arminiti's game. I was hoping they would honor her during a break (as the Hawks did for Josh and Marvin, and the Jazz did for Paul, Kyle and DeMarree). It would have been a classy move. But who knows - Maybe LA Will prove to much for the Gal. And some day she'll take that midnight train back to Georgia.....

[lethalweapon3]

With the Atlanta Dream on the road next Father’s Day Weekend, Saturday is Dads and Daughters Night at Philips Arena. The Dream will take on the Eastern Conference leaders, the Chicago Sky (7:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, 92.9 FM Local Radio). This will be one of two games this season aired on radio, in addition to the TV telecast.

• Chicago (5-2) comes into tonight’s action undefeated against the East (5-0), but this is just the Sky’s second road game (0-1). By comparison, Atlanta is just 1-3 so far against Eastern competition, and scored a season-low 73 points in a loss to Chicago back on May 24, the Sky’s fourth-straight victory in this head-to-head series.

• Last night, the Sky took a drubbing at home, 102-88, at the hands of the last team Atlanta defeated, the L.A. Sparks. Candace Parker was limited in action, continuing to deal with an ankle injury she sustained in Atlanta (4-3) on Tuesday. But that didn’t stop the Sparks from breaking their franchise record for most made field goals and assists, against a Chicago team that rested up for most of the week. L.A. raced to a franchise-high 61 points in the first half.

• The Sky can’t blame Elena Delle Donne (24.4 PPG, 2^nd in NBA), who put up a career-high 33-points and 14 rebounds. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month went 16-for-16 from the free throw line. EDD could stand to do more with her passing game, but she needs more offensive weapons, and Epiphanny Prince (DNP’s for unspecified personal reasons, 15.0 PPG last year) has yet to get on the floor.

• It will be the first game of the season for Angel McCoughtry against the Sky. Coach Michael Cooper rested McCoughtry on the first night of a back-to-back to help her recuperate from her aggravated shoulder. She’ll try to play with greater discipline after fouling out with four minutes to go against L.A. on Tuesday.

• The matchup will feature the two leading assist-makers in the league right now, with the Sky’s improved Courtney Vandersloot (8.3 APG) going up against Shoni Schimmel (6.7 APG). Vandersloot keys a Sky attack the plays at the league’s fastest pace (77.8 possessions per-40). Coach Micahel Cooper will want to spell her with Celine Dumerc, but right now it's hard to take the rookie off the floor.

• Schimmel sparked the Dream’s second-half surge against L.A. by feeding her bigs for sound finishes in the paint, and the Sky will be eager to cut off the pipeline, particularly to Erika DeSouza. The tongue-ringed center now leads the WNBA with 68.3 FG% and tied her career-high 27 points versus L.A.

• Up until last night, Chicago has used their defensively-imposing front line (even without All-Star Sylvia Fowles) to their advantage. The Sky have three of the four leading shotblockers in the league in Jessica Breland (2.14 BPG; 9.7 RPG), Delle Donne (1.86 BPG), and Sasha Goodlett (1.57 BPG). To understand why the Chicago frontcourt is developing so well on defense, you need only look to their assistant coach, former Atlanta Hawk Tree Rollins. Delle Donne will need her fellow bigs to help her out on the other end of the floor.

• Meanwhile, Atlanta will need their mid-range game to be on-point so they won’t have to rely on scoring amidst the Windy City windmills. Sancho Lyttle is coming off her best offensive game against the Sparks, shooting 7-for-10 on the way to a season-high 18 points, with four offensive rebounds and four assists (no turnovers) mixed in. Tiffany Hayes (58.3 3FG%) continues to be an option to help spread the floor for Atlanta.

Go Dream!

~lw3

Edited June 7, 2014 by lethalweapon3

[Dnice]

The Sky is falling!

In the 1st half:lol:

Sent from my LG-VS410PP using Tapatalk 2

Edited June 7, 2014 by Dnice

[Gray Mule]

WOW! What else can we say?

This was one game where everything worked well for the Dream.

Even with most bench players plying their wares late, the score

was a record spread.

Fans were hoping for 100 points but had to settle for 97!

GO DREAM!

[Randy]

Scuse me while I kick the Sky.

The only way this could have been more fun was if it was played on kids day with 10,000 screaming kids going crazy. The whole game was more like a Dream highlight reel. I brought a friend to the game who'd never seen the Dream play. He left a lot more impressed with the Dream than when he arrived.

[lethalweapon3]

Heritage Fridays continue with Brazilian Night at the Highlight Factory as the Atlanta Dream face the juggernaut defending champion Minnesota Lynx (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth). The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Erika DeSouza, and her teammate Nadia Gomes Colhado will be featured today.

• The Lynx (8-1) have steamrolled through just about everybody in the league so far, getting tripped up just once in Seattle last Friday. They bounced back from that loss with a convincing road win at L.A on Sunday. They spent the day at the Oval Office yesterday, as our Commander-in-Chief bragged that he predicted the Lynx, 2012 champs, would be back before he left office. “You can fact check that, PolitiFact,” Obama boasted.

• Despite the ease with which the Lynx bested Atlanta in the 2013 WNBA Finals, one of Minnesota’s last defeats came at the hands of the Dream at Philips Arena last August. It was an 88-75 win for Atlanta stormed ahead in the closing quarter, buoyed by 23 points from Tiffany Hayes off the bench. Among key players, forward Sancho Lyttle was out of action for Atlanta. Minnesota forward Rebekkah Brunson led the Lynx with 14 rebounds in that game, plus 16 points and 5 assists. However, she will be out through the All-Star Break as she recovers from arthroscopic surgery. It’s a similar deal for top Lynx reserve Monica Wright.

• It’s Maya Moore’s world, and we’re all just living in it. The Gwinnett County product is putting up career numbers in just her fourth WNBA season, averaging a WNBA-high 24.1 PPG, along with 9.0 RPG (6^th in WNBA) and 1.9 SPG (9^th in WNBA). It will be interesting to see how much the leading MVP candidate and Atlanta’s Angel McCoughtry (18.0 PPG, 45.5 FG%, 2.6 SPG) guard each other head-to-head. Angel will have to watch for crafty Lynx center Janel McCarville springing Moore free on screens.

• McCoughtry has been more careful with the ball of late (2.0 TOs/G in her last three games) although for varying reasons she hasn’t been on the floor in closing minutes. Execution will be critical for the Dream (17.8 TOs/G, most in WNBA) against the Lynx (12.2 TOs/G, fewest in WNBA).

• Head Coach Cheryl Reeve relies heavily on her current Big Three (Moore, wing Seimone Augustus, and lead guard Lindsay Whalen), and so far the trio is producing efficiently. All three are among the top ten in minutes played, and all three are, amazingly, among the league’s top four in true shooting percentage. Augustus was a menace against L.A. with 26 points, finally getting her three-ball to fall (2-for-4) after starting the season 1-for-12. Without Brunson around, Whalen’s assist numbers are presently at a five-year low (5.2 APG, still 6^th in WNBA), but her ability to drive and draw trips to the free throw line (6.0 FTA/G, 2^nd in WNBA) has her scoring a career-high 16.0 PPG.

• Celine Dumerc has been brought across the pond primarily to help Atlanta counter superb playmakers like Whalen, and it will be interesting to see how much they face off in this game after Head Coach Michael Cooper subs her in for Jasmine Thomas. Dumerc has shown an early proficiency with making stops via steals and drawn charges. Shoni Schimmel (6.4 APG, 2^nd in WNBA) may play more alongside Dumerc for stretches, and she’ll be challenged to get her shot off against Augustus. Hayes (62.5 3FG%) has had little problem launching her shots from deep, and the Lynx will want to get her in foul trouble early to keep her hyperactive body on the bench. Although it’s consistent with Reeve’s philosophy of forcing tough shots, Minnesota’s opponents have made a league-leading 7.2 threes per game (39.4 3FG%, 2^nd highest in WNBA). Lynx opponents have racked up 19.0 APG, also 2^nd most in the league.

• DeSouza had struggled defensively having to come out of the paint to deal with McCarville in the 2013 WNBA Finals. So far, McCarville has not gotten her shot to fall (32.8 FG%) to be a sufficient threat in that regard, allowing DeSouza to stay home and deal with opponents coming off the screens and receiving high-post passes from Janel, who's second on the Lynx in assists (3.3 APG).

• DeSouza and Colhado won’t be the only WNBA players on the floor enjoying Brazilian Night. Brunson’s absence opened up a roster spot and DeSouza’s Brazilian teammate Damiris Dantas has stepped into it with both feet. One of Minnesota’s 2012 first-round picks, the 6-foot-4 Dantas is second on the team with 8.0 RPG and 53.8 FG%. She also has been taking good care of the ball in her rookie season, averaging just one turnover in nearly 30 minutes per game. She contributed 15-and-11 (6 offensive boards) to help keep the Sparks at bay last Sunday. She’ll be an intriguing matchup for Sancho Lyttle, who leads the Dream with 9.6 RPG and ranks 5^th in the league with 2.4 SPG.

• Atlanta fans won’t have a hard time recognizing the in-game entertainment. Big Tigger has been doing the Hip Hop/R&B DJ and VJ scene for a loooooooooong time. Now the V-103 midday host and the Atlanta Hawks’ official DJ since moving south from D.C., he will be pairing up with the multi-talented Shamea to keep Dream fans entertained during game breaks. It's another linkage borne from the Dream's new deal with CBS Radio.

Go Dream!

~lw3

[Randy]

Great write up lw3. Would be nice to win this one, but not easy. Last Saturdays game (38 point wind for the Dream) was our last action and it was more like a game against a WNBA D-League team with the Sky missing Fowles and Prince (very limited minutes) and Elana Delle Donne being ill. We have now learned she's having a flare up of Lyme disease which has been a long term problem for her.

Just my own guess, but I'm thinking Dumerc moves into the starting lineup tonight. I could see Jasmine backing up Hayes and Shoni backing up Celine as our backcourt rotation. Shoni and Jasmine can probably both play 1 or 2, but I think Shoni is really a better 1 and Jasmine a better 2. That leaves Ajavon holding down the final spot in case of injury, foul trouble and the like.

I wonder if they will play the Brazilian National Anthem tonight along with our? They play the Canadian NA sometimes at hockey games.

[Gray Mule]

Dream win!

They had a great big 20 point lead, then almost blew it. Everything went bad

in the 4th and our lead almost went away, but we held on.

Nail biter.

But, we beat the best the west has to offer. Thank goodness for our ability

to score inside, then go outside and sink the three!!

WAY TO GO DREAM!!

Edited June 14, 2014 by Gray Mule

[Randy]

We are undefeated against the mighty West, but 2-3 against the east. Hopefully the 2 DC games add to our streak. It was a really good game, and had a bit of everything. Highlight was Reeve getting t'd up. At least she left her clothes on this time.