2014 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[Gray Mule]

Lost, after scoring over 100 points.  That was with double overtime,

on the road with Moore scoring 48 points and Angel playing with 5

personal fouls from midway thru the 3rd period.  She fouled out

with 1 second left in the second overtime with the Lynx up by 4.

[lethalweapon3]

Tough loss, but tremendous game! How bout that Maya! Composure in double OT helped Minnesota prevail, but how about that run by Atlanta to tie things up in regulation? Good stuff.

 

~lw3

[Randy]

What a game!  The kind I hate to see us lose, but proves we are pretty close to the Links.  (Or did they change their name to the Mayo Clinic?) BTW - looks to me like Thompson did a great job of coaching last night.  The team played as well as I've seen, and her timeouts, subs, etc seemed spot on.  Even when it looked like the wheels were coming off, she managed to get them to regroup and get back in the game.

 

I thought Moore had a chance at R. Williams 51 point record, but I'm glad she didn't get it.  BTW - I know that they say the camera adds 10 pounds, but it looked to me like Augustus has gotten a bit chubby while sitting on the bench.  Keep eating those donuts Siemone!!!  You will need that quick energy for the playoffs.

 

Today is the trade deadline, I think.  Not hearing any smoke signals of a deal in the works.  I could see them making a move, but now with the coach out might be the best thing is to not shake anything up.  Plus, Taylors moves, while they all made some sense at the time, have proven to be more beneficial to the players leaving than the Dream.  Bentley became a starter and avoided the PG logjam we have, Courtney kept her job and Cash gets a second chance to make something of this season. But trades always are a crapshoot.

 

If a trade does come down - how about Ajavon+?? for Minti.?  Maybe the +?? is our first round pick next spring. 

 

BTW  - even in the loss our magic number went down by one since Indy lost too.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Randy

[Randy]

BTW - everybody is getting into the act.  Last night was Native American Heritage night at the Target Center.  Apparently Shoni was to do a Q&A after the game.  She did have a lot of fans there.  I wonder if they gave out Shoni bracelets like we had at our Heritage night? LOL.

[Randy]

Great article on Shoni. 

http://www.theshadowleague.com/articles/wnba-all-star-shoni-schimmel-is-living-the-dream-part-i

[lethalweapon3]

As Randy mentioned, the trade deadline clock ticks up until 8:00 PM Eastern tonight.

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

The Atlanta Dream hope to take the sting out of their double-OT defeat in Minnesota last Tuesday night by putting it to the Chicago Sky (7:30 PM Eastern, No Local TV, “The U Too” Network in Chicago) in their final game at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion. After two close defeats on the road to red-hot New York and Minnesota, the Dream (15-7) will try to avoid three-straight regular season L’s for the first time all season.

 

• Chicago (9-14) finally recovered from a six-game slide to the basement of the Eastern Conference crab barrel with a 60-57 victory at home over Indiana on Tuesday, a Fever loss that helped Atlanta in the race to secure the top spot in the East (Magic Number down to 7). The Sky nearly stole one in this same building on July 13, coming back from 8 down in the second half to force overtime when Atlanta (season-low 35 FG% in the game) got cold and sloppy in the closing minutes of regulation, but Chicago fell short 81-79 in OT. Another Dream victory tonight brings the Magic Number for clinching the playoffs down to 4.

 

• Chewing gum-destroying Head Coach Pokey Chatman’s team is simply striving to stay afloat, just in case Elena Delle Donne or Courtney Vandersloot get ready to come walking through that door in time for the postseason. The Sky remain just one full game out of a playoff spot. While Delle Donne won’t join the team today, Chatman is hopeful she’ll be ready to go by the end of the month.

 

• Meanwhile, Chi-Town will continue to ride it out on the strength of Sylvia Fowles, whose 9.6 RPG moves her up to 4^th in the league just ahead of Atlanta’s Erika DeSouza, and whose 2.9 BPG exceeds everyone aside from Phoenix’s Brittney Griner. Fowles isn’t high-usage but her 62.8 FG% leads the league through her first ten games back from arthroscopic hip surgery.

 

• "Our mindset coming into the second half is to be more aggressive and utilize what we have right now in the moment," Fowles said after Tuesday night’s affair. While her missed layup at the close of regulation saved Atlanta on July 13, her 21 points (on 10-for-12 FGs) plus 10 rebounds and 5 blocks were enough to save Chicago’s bacon on Tuesday versus Indy. The Sky hit just 2 of their 13 three-point attempts but compensated by shooting a stellar 16-for-17 from the free throw line.

 

• Fowles, All-Star forward Jessica Breland (8-for-31 shooting and 3.75 TOs/game in her last 4 games), and former Dream rookie Tamera “Pigtail Power” Young will have their hands full once more trying to box out what is far-and-away the league’s top rebounding team, particularly on the offensive glass. In the past five seasons, only the 2008 Dream (12.8 Offensive RPG) and the 2012 Mercury (12.3 per game) have averaged more offensive boards than this year’s edition of the Dream (12.1 per game).

 

• The Dream could only snare 9 such rebounds on Tuesday night, but six of those were collected by Sancho Lyttle, who was every bit the workhorse (team-highs of 26 points, 12 boards, 3 blocks, and nearly 47 minutes) we predicted she’d be. While Atlanta should be rested up for tonight’s action despite that double-overtime thriller, interim coach Karleen Thompson will want to spread Lyttle’s floor time out to keep her fresh. Depth is imperiled at power forward with DeLisha Milton-Jones done for the year, and until Aneika Henry can start contributing again Thompson will want to keep Angel McCoughtry (21 points on 8-for-15 on 2FGs, 1-for-9 on 3FGs while trying to keep up with Maya Moore on Tuesday) from having to play such a bruising role. Angel’s 33 points versus Chicago on July 13 matched her season-high.

 

• The Dream remained in the thick of things despite Moore and the Lynx’s best efforts thanks to aggressive and effective offensive production out of both Shoni Schimmel (17 points, 5-for-13 on 3FGs, 8 assists and just one turnover) and Tiffany Hayes (22 points, 2-for-5 on 3FGs). Tip had her inside-outside game going strong, and was the sole player getting to the free throw line repeatedly, sinking 8 of her 9 freebies.

 

• Atlanta will need similar offensive output from the guards tonight to keep Chicago at bay, particularly to offset Allie Quigley, who is quietly having a career year in her home state (10.2 PPG) and lit up Atlanta for a career-high 27 points (plus 4 steals) off the bench two weeks ago, and leading active scorer Epiphanny Prince (15.1 PPG), who has struggled lately during Chicago’s swoon (just 1-for-5 in 19 minutes versus Atlanta on July 13, 13-for-56 shooting in her last 5 games).

 

• Prince remains dangerous when she can pile up free throw attempts (91.2 FT%, 2^nd among active WNBA players), so Atlanta will need to force her into bad shots without fouling. Still the league’s top defensive team even after Maya went Flambé mode on them Tuesday, Atlanta has a lot of looks to throw at Prince and Jameirra Faulkner. Filling in for Vandersloot, Faulkner is still shooting poorly from the field (29.2 FG% in July) but now distributes the ball with greater ease (5.1 APG in July) while similarly doing her offensive damage at the free throw line (87.9 FT% this month).

 

• Celine Dumerc hit two threes and played well defensively on Tuesday. She will be featured during the Dream's French Heritage Night today and will likely speak to fans after the game.

 

Go Dream!

 

~lw3

Edited July 25, 2014 by lethalweapon3

[lethalweapon3]

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~lw3

[Randy]

Great write-up.  If only the first 3 quarters of the game were as good!  Hard to win after falling down by 20, but it was a heck of a comeback.  And since it was French Heritage night it was nice to see Celine had what was probably her best game this year.  She has a style of playing defense that is something like "I will get as close to you as I can without getting called for a foul." She is sort of a French Crepe wrapped around the opposing player.

 

The Trek to Tech experiment ended, and I have to say that Tech would be a much better spot for the Dream to play if only there was better parking.  (Since I'm a STH I got really good parking, but I think its a different story for most fans.) While it hurt the attendance, the crowd of only 4500 was louder than any crowd I've ever seen at Phillips (except of course kids day.)  When the refs blew some calls, it almost sounded like a riot was going to break out. During the 4th quarter comeback the excitement was palpable.   If we could put a thousand or two more in this arena the Dream would have an awesome home court advantage.  Gov. Deal was at the first game.  C'mon Gov - your running for office - time to make some promises.  Build us a parking lot!!  (I went to a race at AMS one time and Roy Barnes promised if he got elected he'd build a better road to the track, so its been done before.) 

 

BTW - They really ought to play kids day at Tech - the noise would be awesome and parking wouldn't be an issue since the kids all come on busses.  The opposing team would probably just melt.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Randy

[Gray Mule]

Hard to get out when you fall in a hole.  and, the bigger hole,

the harder it gets.  20 points was just too much to overcome.

 

GO DREAM!

[Randy]

That 20 point deficit was a killer.  There really was something wrong with everybody for most of the first half.  It almost seemed like they were wearing invisible space suits over their uniforms.  But makes sense since the Arena looks like a flying saucer to me.

Edited July 27, 2014 by Randy

[lethalweapon3]

The Atlanta Dream will try to avoid another bad start as they look to stem a three-game skid with a road win today against the Washington Mystics (4 PM Eastern, NBATV, CSN Washington in D.C.).The one team in the East the Dream have yet to lose to in 2014, the Mystics are the conference's hottest team and will try to avoid a four-game season sweep.

 

• The Mystics won in L.A. in the final-straw game for Sparks coach Carol Ross, then after the break won the first two games of a three-game homestand, convincingly beating Connecticut and edging Tulsa.

 

• Angel McCoughtry will have to find more effective options when her shot isn't falling. In losses, her shooting average drops from 44 to 35 percent, while her assist-turnover ratio declines from 1.3 to  just above 1.0.

 

Outta time for now, more later, hopefully!

 

Go Dream!

~lw3

Edited July 27, 2014 by lethalweapon3

[Randy]

Facing the no so shinning Sun may be our best chance to end this tailspin.  Angel usually goes off on them.  Its time to replay that old song:

 

A'int no Sun shine when she's on. 

A'int no Sun shine when she's on.

And she's always on to long when she comes to play.....

[lethalweapon3]

First New York, then Chicago. Now the Connecticut Sun are hoping the Atlanta Dream will give them a lifeline out of the Eastern Conference basement as they play an afternoon game (1 PM Eastern, SportSouth in ATL; NBATV outside ATL) back at the Highlight Factory.

 

When the Dream "Withers" (see what I did there?), they like to lose in chunks. Atlanta (15-9) hopes to avoid dropping five straight regular-season games for the first time since, amazingly, their inaugural (2008) season, when they had their record-setting streak of 17 defeats out of the gate and then a ten-game skid that ended only with a September road upset of Michael Cooper’s and DeLisha Milton-Jones’ L.A. Sparks. Last year, once their July swoon began, the Dream lost four-straight games on four separate occasions.

 

A lot of the issue is getting started strongly. Atlanta’s at their best when they start and finish games with well-planned offensive plays and their signature aggressive defense sparking transition baskets. Lately, Atlanta has found itself bogged down in halfcourt sets from the jump, and the warts of poor perimeter shooting and sloppy ballhandling rear their ugly heads. The Dream then spends the remainder of the game scrambling, and it’s been too little, too late. They’ve been on the short end in 4 of the last 5 first quarters, the sole exception being a 22-21 edge in New York.

 

Another sign something’s amiss in terms of physical play is the Dream have been outshot at the free throw line for the past three games. In Washington’s 77-67 victory on Sunday afternoon, the Mystics received more than double the free throw attempts (22-10), even though the personal fouls were about even (16-17). Atlanta has to force the action inside, early, and not settle for the shots their opponents want them to shoot (2-for-14 3FGs vs. Washington, 2-for-11 vs. Chicago, 10-for-33 vs. Minnesota). Atlanta took just 5 three-point shots against the Sun (who took 16) on July 8, yet won handily.

 

Erika DeSouza has been less than her All-Star self, and must demand more touches in the post. She has scored in single-digits in each of her past six games (7.3 PPG) and has failed to reach double-digit rebounds in her past five (6.6 RPG).

 

DeSouza ought to have a nice bounce-back game today against the Sun, who are tied for last in the league for defensive rebounding. Chiney Ogwumike is an offensive rebounding monster (4.4 ORPG, 2^nd in WNBA), but she gets sadly little help on the other end. Chiney’s 4.4 defensive RPG ranks 18^th, and there are no Sun teammates in the league’s Top 25. Between the WNBA’s top two teams in offensive rebounding, the team that boxes out well will get the upper hand.

 

After a surprising 7-1 run in June, Connecticut (10-16) has lost 10 of their last 12 games, and five of their last six defeats have come by double-digit deficits, including Atlanta’s 83-71 win at Georgia Tech back on July 8. Despite being in lat place, they’re still just one game out of a playoff spot. The Sun still plays a high-degree of iso-ball (league-low 13.2 APG), so it’s imperative for Atlanta not to sag off of shooters (Katie Douglas, Renee Montgomery and Alex Bentley, especially) and keep pressure on the ballhandlers (pretty much the same players).

 

Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Whoops, sorry about that! 12 PM Eastern. Looks like I'm not the only one with clock problems right now!

 

~lw3

[Randy]

Finally a win.  Angel as usual beasted (or was it feasted) on the Sun.  Tip make the Sun look stupid all over again for passing up on her in the 2012 draft, one of the few Huskies they ever passed.  A few years ago, I couldn't decide if Tip was going to be Angel Lite, or Arminti 2.0 and she seems to have actually picked up some of the best parts of each players' game. 

 

Today also featured the changing of the guard.  For a while it probably made sense to start Jasmine under the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" theory.  However, it was pretty clearly broke, so today Celine started and it seemed as though Shoni is now her backup, while Jasmine is backing up Tip, though it all gets a bit confusing as Tip sometime backs up Angel when we go with a 3 guard lineup.  Celine's defense, passing and ball handling was very good,  but it Celine, Shoni and Jasmine were 1-14 with the only basket being a Jasmine jumper assisted by Shoni.  One of these players is going to need to find her shot before long.

 

Erika, Sancho and Anieka, had plenty of contact with Kelsey and Chiney. 

 

The Sun look like a team with a great future.  Once these kids get a year or two under their belts they will be a force to be reckoned with.

[lethalweapon3]

Bouncing back after a 2-10 stretch with back-to-back victories, the Tulsa Shock (10-17) is back in playoff contention in the Western Conference. Head Coach Fred Williams gets his first chance to gameplan against his former team as his Shock face the Atlanta Dream in Oklahoma (8:00 PM Eastern, No Local TV).

 

• Having had several seasons to watch Erika DeSouza, Sancho Lyttle, and the entire career of Angel McCoughtry from an up-close-and-personal vantage point, it will be intriguing to see what wisdom Williams can impart upon his charges on how to slow down Atlanta. The Dream (16-9) plays at the highest pace in the league (78.6 possessions per-40) just as it did in 2013 (78.3 possessions per-40) when Williams coached the team to the Eastern Conference title. At least offensively, he has several weapons at his disposal in Tulsa.

 

• Drake crushee Skylar Diggins is already the franchise’s all-time single-season scorer (including the Shock’s storied history in Detroit)… and there are still seven games of basketball left to play. Buoying Diggins’ rise to the top of the scoring leaders (20.9 PPG, 2^nd in WNBA) in only her second season is her ability to get by defenders, create havoc in the paint, and draw trips to the free throw line. On the year, her 6.7 free throw attempts per game are the most among active players (behind only Elena Delle Donne, who returns for Chicago today) and just ahead of Tulsa teammate Glory Johnson.

 

• Diggins (5.3 APG) leads a two-pronged passing attack alongside rookie sensation Odyssey Sims (16.0 PPG). Sims is able to take pressure off of Diggins by being better at hitting perimeter shots (31.9 FG%, to Diggins’ 28.3%) and distributing the ball well (4.3 APG, 7^th in WNBA; just 1.9 TOs per game). After starting together, either member of this dynamic duo can rest for each other as Williams subs in anyone among three-point assassin Jordan Hooper (6^th in WNBA with 41 made threes), offensive firecracker Riquna Williams (returning this week after a bothersome knee injury), or former Dream forward Jennifer Lacy. Atlanta will have to counter with sound defensive play from Celine Dumerc, Tip Hayes and Jasz Thomas, keeping the Tulsa guards out of the lane and allowing their own teammates upfront to focus on rebounding.

 

• There should very well be a packed house at the BOK Center cheering for Native American player Shoni Schimmel (28.8 assist percentage, 8^th in WNBA), a factor which hopefully doesn’t miff Angel Goodrich. Previously the highest-drafted player (29^th overall, in 2013) of American Indian heritage, the Cherokee Goodrich has played sparingly under Williams (6.3 minutes per game) one season after starting 16 games alongside Diggins. A double-digit lead in either direction tonight may prod Freddy to rest his guards and give Goodrich an opportunity to play some inspired basketball. Even if Shoni isn’t starting, any Schimmel-Diggins matchup should be worth the price of admission for anyone who enjoyed the classic 2014 All-Star Game.

 

• Even with Schimmel (31.1 3FG%) and Hayes (36.1 3FG%), Atlanta is on track to be the only WNBA team that’s shot below 30 percent from beyond the 3-point arc for five consecutive seasons. The Dream shot 23.1 3FG% against Connecticut, but McCoughtry and Lyttle showed better selectiveness with their shot, each hitting their only three-point attempts in the game. Dumerc, Schimmel, and Thomas shot a combined 1-for-14 in the Sun game, an efficiency which will bode trouble for Atlanta if either of Diggins or Sims go off.

 

• Against an Atlanta team that forces tough interior shots and plays a frenetic pace but struggles to shoot accurately, critical to the Shock’s chances to win tonight are the #1 (Courtney Paris) and #3 (Glory Johnson) rebounders in the league. The pair has to create second-chance opportunities for their young guards. Freddy relies heavily on his starters with a thin bench, and they’ll have to keep the turnovers down against Atlanta (WNBA-high 16.8 opponent TOs and 10.1 SPG), who is better capable of converting in transition. Tulsa’s a low-turnover team, especially with Roneeka Hodges (8.8 TO%, 2^nd-lowest in WNBA) in the starting lineup, but do-it-all forward Johnson (2.7 TOs/game) is its biggest culprit.

 

• With Elizabeth Cambage again pulling the rug out from under Tulsa’s plans at the last minute, former Dream center Paris has turned the corner and has been nothing short of a revelation, averaging nearly a double-double (10.2 RPG, 1^st in WNBA; career-high 9.7 PPG) while exceeding only Atlanta’s Hayes in offensive rating (123.3 points per 100 possessions, to Hayes’ 123.0). Paris also ranks 8^th in blocks (1.2 per game). Both she and Johnson get into foul trouble easily, though, with highly aggressive play.

 

• Against a Tulsa team that gives up 49.4 2FG% (2^nd-most in WNBA), 22.5 free throw attempts (2^nd-most), and a league-high 110.1 points per 100 possessions, the Dream must take quick shots inside and make free throws whenever they draw trips to the line.

 

Go Dream!

 

~lw3

[Randy]

Excellent analysis of tonight's game.  Tulsa is my 3rd favorite team in the W (behind Indy, my home town) and I've watched them a lot this year.

 

Angel Goodrich was the player I was hoping the Dream would get in the 2013 Draft, due to her flashy play and gutsy performance late in games.  She does play a bit like Shoni, so a head to head would be fun.  Since she grew up in OK she might just be a bit miffed as you suggest about the attention Shoni gets.  All the more fun.

 

I hadn't thought of it, but Fred will certainly have a lot of insight into the tendencies of the Dream players, which could be an advantage for Tulsa.  This team is no longer a pushover.  We need to win this one to prove the losing ways are behind us.  I think the team record for wins is 20, to get better than that, the Dream need to win games like this.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Randy

[lethalweapon3]

Important road win last night, especially having someone besides The Big 3 carry us to victory. With Tip Hayes (career-high 27 points) looking like the team's main inside-outside threat, and registering back-to-back 20+-point nights, Is it fair to say that we now have The Big 4? After the Dream's last road win in Indiana, Hayes led the way with 21 and then-assistant Coach Karleen called Tiffany, "the best driver-finisher going to the basket in the league." I just hope the league has a good concussion protocol.

 

Erika with a double-double. Angel kinda-sorta had one, too!  She's still working out the kinks with her revolving door of lead guards, I surmise. While it looks like that person will indeed be Celine (8 assists vs. Tulsa) going forward, is there another star player in the league that comes into a season not knowing who her main table-setter will be from one night to the next?

 

Had New York won in Chicago last night, Sunday's Dream-Liberty game would have been the official playoff-clinching opportunity. They can still get it done that day, but Atlanta would have to beat New York while the Sky would have to lose at home later on versus Washington. The Magic Number for Atlanta's first-ever #1 seed is down to 4, but they'll have to clinch that during the 4-game road swing that starts Tuesday.

 

Speaking of which, Minnesota did Atlanta a solid last night. By putting a stop to Phoenix's 16-game winning streak, the Dream avoided possibly being the Mercury's home opponent when they would've set out to win their 19th straight, setting a new WNBA record. Instead, Tuesday's game might merely be an entertaining Finals preview between the conference leaders.

 

~lw3

[Randy]

See if my math is right.  The best Indy and DC can do is win 20 games if they win out.  But we have the tie breaker with both of them, so I we win 3 games or they lose 3 we win the Division.  So our magic number is 3.  I think.

 

Good win last night.  Tulsa can no longer be taken for granted.  Like Angel and the Sun, Tip seems to have it in for the Shock.  She likes to Rock the Shock!