2016 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[lethalweapon3]

Layshia was FIYAH!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Back on track!   DH is a big WNBA fan.  Great to see him supporting the Dream!

Clarendon is sure a feisty PG and I'm happy to see someone recognizes this.  Player

of the game!  And, she grabbed those rebounds from among the trees.

Hurry back Sancho!  Professional theft!

 

 

 

 

 

[lethalweapon3]

Maybe the quietest WNBA Trade Deadline ever concludes at 8 PM Eastern today. I'm still hoping for (Karima) Christmas to come in August, but alas...

A little side news on the WNBA front. Mystics guard Bria Hartley is preggo and will miss the balance of the season for Washington. A couple days ago, they had to bid adieu to reserve frontcourt player Tianna Hawkins, to make room for Hartley's replacement. Leilani Mitchell starred for the Opals in Rio a couple weeks ago and will be counted on to help the Mystics make a final charge toward the postseason.

SB Nation's Bullets Forver did a nice job discussing the always-touchy nature of revealing a prgenancy to one's WNBA employer, as Hartley appeared to know she was pregnant for the past couple of months, at least.

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2016/8/29/12701118/washington-mystics-bria-hartley-pregnancy-update-wnba-2016

Quote

Assuming that Hartley is three months in, that would indicate that she played nearly the entire season so far in the early stages of her pregnancy. Her child would be due in mid-February to mid-March. But at some point as Thibault mentioned, it isn’t safe to continue playing because it becomes a risk.

(EDIT: The stork is gonna be one busy bird in a few months! Congrats to ATL's own...)

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

http://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/17439666/after-one-year-absence-atlanta-dream-look-return-wnba-playoffs

Quote

 

The Atlanta Dream have weathered a few things this year. Such as the realization that Shoni Schimmel, whom they drafted in 2014 and had high hopes for, just wasn't going to work out at point guard. And a six-game losing streak. And the worry that veteran post player Sancho Lyttle might be lost for the season with a foot injury...

Lyttle suffered the injury July 15 and had to miss playing in the Olympics for Spain, which won a silver medal. At first, it appeared that Lyttle wouldn't return to the WNBA in 2016 because of what was thought to be a broken bone in her foot. Then it was revealed she had a partially torn tendon that wouldn't require surgery, and coach Michael Cooper said she is day-to-day.

"She has started running," Cooper said. "She hasn't practiced yet, but we're very encouraged by her. I couldn't give you a date [for her return], but we hope it's going to be pretty soon."

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

The Atlanta Dream can match last year’s playoff-avoiding 15 wins this evening against the Seattle Storm (6:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast), with six regular-season games remaining. While it’s ideal to win as many games as possible, for the narrow purpose of securing a playoff spot, the Dream need only win two specific games.

Their Magic Number for the WNBA Playoffs is down to four. Even without winning any other games, the Dream can sew up playoff positioning by beating Seattle (11-17) today, and then the Washington Mystics in the Philips Arena finale 11 days from now. There’s no need to wait that long, but the worst-case playoff-clinching scenario for Atlanta (14-13), granted a full week’s rest and practice since beating Connecticut last Sunday, is looking fairly rosy.

The Dream will be in fine shape so long as their aims are a little higher. There’s just one seed remaining in play to gain a first-round bye, and Atlanta continues to be in the mix for it, along with Chicago, Phoenix, and Indiana.

With three tough road games (at Phoenix, L.A., Minnesota) against the best of the West over the next two weeks, the Dream can’t afford slip-ups at home, particularly against a Seattle team who has the league’s second-worst road record (3-10). A victory today would be the sixth-straight for Atlanta at The Highlight Factory.

There remains no word as to the playing status of starting forward Sancho Lyttle (foot) or reserve guard Carla Cortijo (knee). Lyttle (1.1 BPG) is the only WNBA player averaging over two steals per game (2.2 SPG), so her defensive energy is certainly missed.

But on Pride Night, the Dream should have plenty of offense courtesy of Angel McCoughtry (18.4 PPG, 5^th in WNBA) and Layshia Clarendon. Each led Atlanta with 19 points last week in the win over the Sun, McCoughtry nailing two of her three three-point attempts while Clarendon was a perfect 3-for-3.

Meanhwile, the Dream held Connecticut to just 3-for-14 shooting from the perimeter. Continued harassment could spell doom for a Seattle team that produces a league-high 26.6 percent of their offense from three-point country. They were just 4-for-14 on 3FGs in their last visit to Thrillips in July. The Storm are looking more frequently to Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (2-for-7 3FGs in loss at Chicago on Friday) off the bench, so expect even more long-distance shots today.

Sue Bird is always dangerous as a passer (WNBA-high 5.8 APG) and a shooter (45.7 3FG%, tops among WNBA guards). So keeping the ball out of Bird’s hands and into the less-efficient Jewell Loyd (17.0 PPG, 8^th in WNBA; 30.7 3FG%) works to Atlanta’s advantage. So will pushing the pace and keeping Bird active defensively.

Layshia also grabbed three offensive rebounds versus Connecticut, nearly matching Elizabeth Williams’ five. Atlanta stemmed a six-game losing streak in July with a 77-64 home win over Seattle, and the Dream outrebounded the Storm on the offensive glass 16-4, led by Sancho’s 22 points and 11 rebounds (4 offensive).

Breanna Stewart (9.4 RPG, 2^nd in WNBA; 18.1 PPG, 7^th in WNBA) remains a lock for Rookie of the Year, and I will go ahead and call her “future league MVP”. But Stewie is left to do too much defensively, and needs fuller efforts from frontcourt mates Cyrstal Langhorne, Ramu Tokashiki and Krystal Thomas to keep Atlanta from dominating time-of-possession. Seattle’s 70.1 D-Reb% ranks last in the WNBA, while the Dream’s 30.1 O-Reb% ranks very close to the top in third.

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Which WNBA team’s slide will the Atlanta Dream break next?

Despite needing to clinch a playoff berth, the Phoenix Mercury dropped back-to-back road games, at Connecticut and New York, both losses coming by double digits. But never fear, Phoenix… the Atlanta Dream are here to save you!

The Dream (14-14) put up a clunker and rejuvenated the spirits of the Seattle Storm on Sunday, falling behind by 24 points in the third quarter before clawing back within a 91-82 deficit as the closing horn. They are out to convince fans they’re not really trying to gift anymore victories to visiting teams like the Mercury (7:00 PM Eastern, No TV, WNBA League Pass only, note the time change).

Phoenix (13-16) gets a chance to rest after this game and head back home to await the Dream, who make a pit stop in vengeance-minded and top-seed-hungry Los Angeles on Thursday night before meeting up in Arizona on Sunday.

Brittney Griner has presented flashes of her old slam-dunking self, carrying the Merc through their otherwise listless 87-74 loss in Connecticut on Friday with 29 points (including 9-for-11 FTs and her first rim-rocker of the season) and 9 boards. But against Tina Charles and the rested Liberty, Griner (1-for-6 FGs) didn’t seem to have her legs.

Brittney knows the Mercury offense begins and ends with sound perimeter shooting. Phoenix’s trio of Diana Taurasi, the outgoing Penny Taylor, and DeWanna Bonner could muster just 4-for-15 on threes in Connecticut, then 1-for-17 at MSG the next evening. Taurasi was masterful in Rio, and sunk nearly half of her three-point attempts in her first three games back. But she has to regain her range to keep defenses from packing the paint around Griner.

Angel McCoughtry (32 points, 12-for-17 FGs vs. SEA) and Tiffany Hayes (20 points, 7-for-10 FTs; team-high 26 points, 8-for-8 FTs and 5 assists vs. PHX on July 3) held up their ends for Atlanta’s offense on Sunday. Not so in the case of Elizabeth Williams (1-for-10 FGs in 30 minutes) who struggled mightily against a shorthanded Seattle frontline. She will need lots of help this time against Brittney, who nearly racked up a triple double (27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 blocks) in her last visit to Philips on July 3, a 95-87 Phoenix win where the visitors stormed ahead from 9 points down midway through the final quarter.

Sancho Lyttle returned to action on Sunday and played 31 minutes, but admitted she didn’t quite have the wheels she needed to play at the tempo Michael Cooper desires of his team. Atlanta will need a more complete effort from Williams and Lyttle to keep Griner cool, and better defense from Layshia Clarendon and the returning Carla Cortijo to keep guards out of the lane. Seattle guards Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd shot a comfy 60 percent on 2-pointers. Meanwhile, rookie forward Breanna Stewart (8-for-11 FGs) got just about everything she wanted on Sunday, combining with Alysha Clark for 13 assists and 11-for-11 FTs.

Atlanta’s reserves, shooting a collective 5-for-19 from the field and producing 5 defensive boards in 58 combined minutes, are once again not getting it done. Beyond rookie Bria Holmes, Atlanta has to find a reliable contributor among its sixth-ladies to compete long-term, even against the bottom half of the league. Phoenix’s Marta Xargay stepped up offensively with 16 points (3-for-5 3FGs) on behalf of the Mercury on Friday.

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Thanks to getting absoultely no help whatsoever from Washington (who upset Chicago) and Seattle (who shocked New York), the playoff-clinching Magic Number hasn't budged for the Atlanta Dream. Now, it's actually the Los Angeles Sparks who have bigger reasons to win tonight at Staples Center (10:30 PM Eastern, No Local TV, WNBA League Pass, Time Warner Cable SportsNet in L.A.).

A win for the Sparks secures no worse than the second-overall seed going into the WNBA Playoffs. It can also take some of the stress off of coach Brian Agler's team after their final-minute efforts proved too little, too late against top-seeded Minnesota on Tuesday night in primetime. A win helps them keep pace with their rival Lynx (one full game ahead of Los Angeles) in the race for the top overall spot, and would probably stem the continued erosion of Nneka Ogwumike's MVP candidacy (New York's Tina Charles is closing fast). Just as importantly, victory tonight for the Sparks helps them gain some measure of vengeance against the team that seemed to twist their season around.

The Sparks rolled into Philips Arena with a sparkling 20-1 record back on July 17, and limped out the Highlight Factory suffering a 91-74 defeat to a Sancho Lyttle-less Dream team.  Layshia Clarendon led a balanced effort with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists against the Sparks. Los Angeles is just 4-5 since the tipoff of that game, not a good trajectory as the postseason nears. In 2013, Atlanta started out 12-1 on the season before faltering with a 5-16 finish, so Angel McCoughtry and the Dream know exactly what crawling to the finish line feels like.

Less than three weeks prior to that, Lyttle's bothersome injuries short-circuited her afternoon at Staples. Yet even with McCoughtry blanketed well by defensive stalwart Alana Beard, and Lyttle's absence, Ogwumike needed to put up a career-high 38 points just to fend off a very game Dream squad by a score of 84-75. Tiffany Hayes had her own career-best of 32 points as the Dream got within 5 points of the Sparks in the final half-minute of action.

Michael Cooper got Lyttle some more recuperation time during Atlanta's 91-87 win over visiting Phoenix on Tuesday evening. Coop started Bria Holmes (18 points on 9-for-11 2FGs, 5 steals), who took a lot of the interior scoring pressure off of Angel (27 points, 11-for-18 2FGs, 8 rebounds) and Elizabeth Williams (6-for-8 2FGs). They'll need Sancho to help slow Ogwumike's roll, and to keep Candace Parker tepid as well, allowing Atlanta's defenders to key in on L.A.'s perimeter-hovering shooters like Kristi Toliver, Chelsea Gray (career-high 20 points, 10 of them in the final 3 minutes versus Minnesota on Tuesday), and Jantel Lavender. But Cooper may also elect to keep Holmes in the starting lineup on an interim basis, especially if doing so picks up the pace and produces more transition points.

The Sparks won't get much help from McCoughtry if they send her to the charity stripe frequently. She has picked up her scoring since the Olympic Break, averaging 25.0 PPG while hitting at least one three-pointer in each of her four games. More importantly, she has turned around her free throw shooting, sinking 20 of 23 shots in that span. L.A. will need another strong defensive effort from Beard, along with Parker and Ogwumike to keep McCoughtry cool and make other Atlanta players outpace them.

Let's Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Brava, ladies. Brava!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

WOW!

Dream had two players with a double-double tonight.  Missed shots near the basket

and hit the three ball!  Also, they hit a free throw or two.

Nice win!!

  - 

[lethalweapon3]

Playoff Clinching Watch!

There may be crying, but there are no ties in basketball. So the loser between Seattle (13-17) and host Washington (12-17) tonight will shrink 16-14 Atlanta's playoff-clinching Magic Number down to One.

There's a chance that the playoffs will be secured even before Sunday evening, when the Dream tip off in Phoenix. For that to happen, the Mystics will have to drop each of its next two home games; tonight against the Storm, and Sunday afternoon, when Indiana pays a visit.

The Fever (14-15) might also help out Atlanta's cause by winning tonight at home against Chicago (15-14). That would slip the Sky into a tie with Indy and a full game behind the Dream with 4 games left to play. Atlanta holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Chicago, but not Indiana.

The revised playoff race is working fairly well for the WNBA, as 11 of 12 teams are still in the running. Even Dallas (9-21), is still in it unless they lose their 12th-straight game tonight at San Antonio.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

A brief quibble… I understand the desire to have some respectful pregame displays today, honoring victims and our first responders on the 15^th anniversary of September 11^th. But it’s hard to grasp the scheduling logic of zero WNBA games on College Football Saturday Week Two, but a full slate of games on NFL Opening Weekend Sunday, including this afternoon’s affair between the Atlanta Dream and the host Phoenix Mercury (6:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast simulcast of FoxSports Arizona Plus, WNBA League Pass). Even so, could they have at least had the Liberty playing at home, rather than on the road in Dallas?

By the time the Dream (16-14) and Mercury tip-off at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Atlanta may have its invitation to the WNBA Playoffs in-hand. That would depend on the Washington Mystics losing at home to Indiana. In any event, the new goal is to fend off Indiana and Chicago for the precious 4-seed and earn a first-round bye.

 

Who might Atlanta prefer to face in their first elimination game? Washington, with sweet-shooting forward Emma Meeseman? Seattle, with Sue Bird and a hungry duo of young stars? Phoenix, with Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner? Indiana, trying to prolong Tamika Catchings career as long as possible? Or Chicago, with a potentially well-rested Elena Delle Donne?

There are no right answers. But the best scenario involves having to face just one of these teams, not two. And it’s best to play that team at Philips Arena, where the Dream boast the WNBA’s third-best home record (10-5). Even more, if you want to avoid Phoenix, it would help to send the Mercury (13-17) to their fourth consecutive defeat, the second in six days against Atlanta.

The Dream went from Road-Warriors to Road-Weary, starting out this season 4-1 in away games before losing eight of its next nine away from Philips. So it was certainly a relief for the team to come out strong in L.A. on Thursday night, hanging on to beat the Sparks behind 32 points (3-for-6 3FGs, 9-for-10 FTs) and 11 rebounds from Angel McCoughtry. Elizabeth Wlliams had her second-straight game of decent shooting (6-for-11 FGs) from the floor, adding 15 points to her 12 rebounds against Candace Parker and the Sparks.

Atlanta showed they could come away victorious in unconventional fashion against the Mercury on Tuesday. Phoenix was granted more a 24-9 advantage at the free throw line, the Dream getting whistled for more than 14 more personal fouls. Winning that game required the Dream to shoot nearly 60 percent inside the perimeter. That wasn’t as necessary against Los Angeles, as Atlanta shot just 43 percent from the floor but doubled the Sparks’ free throw output.

McCoughtry acknowledged the elevated pace of play producing transition offense helped make the difference against the Sparks, and we may continue to see Bria Holmes (11 points, 3-for-5 2FGs) in the starting lineup, relieving a recuperating Sancho Lyttle.All five starters were on the floor for at least 36 minutes against Phoenix, Layshia Clarendon (13 points, 6 assists, 2 TOs) for a full 40 minutes in two consecutive games. Even with two days of rest, coach Michael Cooper will have to turn to the bench options if they intend to have the energy to outscore Phoenix, a preseason favorite that is itself desperate to clinch a playoff spot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hk6QALR8Dc

Hopefully, new commercial star Carla Cortijo (knee) will be healthy enough to help relieve Clarendon today, and perhaps Meighan Simmons can provide some supplementary perimeter offense to help offset the long-range shooting by Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi, DeWanna Bonner and Penny Taylor.

Never Forget... and Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

 

[lethalweapon3]

It's official... the Dream are IN! (Thanks to our old friend Erica Wheeler of Indiana) Welcome back to the WNBA Playoffs!

 

Tip-off time... Let's Go Dream!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Just got home from church to watch the 4th quarter.  Announcer said Angel did not play

in the second half.  Didn't say why.  Box score showed that she was not doing well in

the first half.  Wonder what happened?

Good to now that we will be in the playoffs.  Must do better than Sunday or it will not matter.

Bad day for Atlanta fans.  Dream, Braves and Falcons all lost. - - -

[lethalweapon3]

There won’t be many Stars, big or small ‘s’, on the floor tonight, when the Atlanta Dream face the San Antonio Stars (7 PM Eastern, Fox Sports South) at Philips Arena. And that’s not just because of lowly San Antonio.

Angel McCoughtry gets to sit this one out, after her seventh technical foul on the season in the loss at Phoenix resulted in not only her ejection from the game, but a league-mandated one-game suspension. Angel found herself getting pushed around under the basket with no calls, and you could sense it was about to be a short night out in the desert on Sunday.

Her absence turns the frontcourt offense over to Bria Holmes (14 points, 2-for-3 3FGs @ PHX), the rookie who is starting to turn the corner, Tiffany Hayes (team high 22 points @ PHX, 3-for-6 3FGs), and Elizabeth Williams, who struggled from the field (3-for-13 FGs, 5 shots blocked, but 16 rebounds) in her head-to-head with Brittney Griner. There’s still no word on the playing status of Sancho Lyttle (foot).

The perpetual overreliance on Most Improved Player Award candidates Williams (37 minutes) and Layshia Clarendon (32 minutes, 5 points, 6 TOs) by head coach Michael Cooper may not end well once the WNBA Playoffs arrive. But there remains the coveted 4-seed to chase, to say nothing of the outside chance of matching their 19-15 records from 2010, 2012 and 2014, second-best in franchise history.

Even without Angel, Atlanta (16-15) must at least take care of business in the two final regular-season home games at Philips Arena until at least 2019. At a minimum, they must defeat a San Antonio team that is well beyond postseason contention, and a Washington team that will hopefully be eliminated by the time they arrive for Thursday’s game.

The Stars are in dead-last in the WNBA with a 6-25 record (2-13 on the road), and out-going coach Dan Hughes’ club hasn’t had a full complement to place on the floor all season long. Three-time All-Star guard Danielle Robinson has missed the entire season with an Achilles tear. Their leading scorer for 2016, guard Kayla McBride, was lost for the back half of this season with a fractured foot.

Forward Dearica Hamby announced her pregnancy after the Olympic offseason period, while frontcourt players Alex Montgomery (foot) and Kayla Alexander (concussion) are on the mend. For depth to close out the season, the Stars picked up rookie guard Whitney Knight and veteran forward Avery Warley-Talbert, who had a brief stay on the Dream’s roster back in June. The Stars are just 1-14 since beating the Dream at home back on June 25.

Still, if their 81-76 loss at home this past Sunday to mighty Minnesota is any testament, these Stars are still fighting. Rookie star guard Moriah Jefferson (40.0 3FG%, 6^th in WNBA; 8^th in assists per game, 5^th in steals per game) would probably have the inside track on Rookie of the Year in a world without Seattle’s Breanna Stewart. MoJeff rattled off 26 points and had eight assists and zero turnovers in the loss to the Lynx, who needed Seimone Augustus’ jumper and free throws just to get past and hold San Antonio off in the final minute of the game.

Hughes, who retires at season’s end, is leaning heavily upon 11-year vet Mo Currie (90.4 FT%, 9^th in WNBA) to keep the Stars in games offensively, and also 6-foot-5 Senegalese forward-center Astou Ndour, who has provided double-digit scoring in five of her past seven contests. Also, Atlanta must watch out for occasional highlight-reel making guard Sydeny Colson off the bench.

Still, San Antonio is the only WNBA squad averaging below 80 points per game (72.5 PPG) and the only team with an offensive rating (93.6 points per 100 possessions) that’s lower than Atlanta’s 100.1. A sound defensive effort by Atlanta, and avoiding San Antonio’s plodding pace of play, should be enough for these Stars to succumb tonight, even as the Dream make-do without McCoughtry.

Following former Star stars Becky Hammon and Sophia Young-Malcolm, defensive-minded starting center Jayne Appel-Marinelli is calling it a career, after seven WNBA seasons. If you haven’t had a chance to read her recent Player’s Tribune blog on mental health and family stress, definitely find a few minutes to check it out.

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/jayne-appel-schizophrenia-mental-health/

The aforementioned Lynx figure prominently this week into the final standings among the three WNBA teams, each at 16-15, vying for the final first-round bye. Tonight, they’ll visit the Chicago Sky (8 PM Eastern, ESPN2), who are missing Elena Delle Donne due to a thumb injury.  They’ll then travel to Indiana for a probable final meeting with Tamika Catchings and the Fever on Friday. Indiana holds the three-way tiebreaker with Atlanta and Chicago.

Minnesota’s regular-season home finale is on Saturday, the very next night. Similar to the visiting Dream, it will be the last one in their NBA arena. The Lynx will relocate to St. Paul for their first two playoff games and next season’s games while the Target Center gets refurbished.

Minnesota has already wrapped up homecourt advantage throughout, so coach Cheryl Reeve will likely rest her starters and avoid going full-bore in her team’s final three games. But it would be of great help to Atlanta if the Lynx hold off on taking it easy until they return home on Saturday.

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Fox Sports South didn't have the Dream.  Instead, they had a college football game.

I couldn't watch on my computer because that other network, which I don't receive,

was broadcasting it.  Blocks my computer.

This game was lost in the 1st quarter when the ball refused to drop for Atlanta.  It would

go round and round the goal, then hop out.  Go almost down, only to upchuck out.

After that terrible start, Dream won the rest of the game but they were so far down,

coming completely back was not possible.

[lethalweapon3]

Well, that didn’t go so well on Tuesday night, now did it? The Atlanta Dream love to make things harder on themselves than necessary. To have any chance of earning a first-round bye, they must treat tonight’s affair with the Washington Mystics (7:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast in ATL; NBATV everywhere else) like it’s elimination-game practice.

Playoff hopes remain barely alive for Washington (13-19), who went on the road on Tuesday night and flummoxed the conference-leading New York Liberty. Center Stefanie Dolson did to the Libs what Astou Ndour did to the Dream, going 3-for-6 from downtown and producing a shocking 23 points to complement swingwoman Tierra Ruffin-Pratt’s 19 (4-for-5 3FGs). The duo hopes to keep that up tonight, relieving their leading scorers, forward Emma Meeseman and guard Tayler Hill, from having to shoulder so much of the offensive load.

 A loss in either of their final two games, or a victory at faltering Phoenix, means it’s a wrap for the Mystics’ postseason dreams. One would think Atlanta (16-16) would love to send their conference rivals packing in the Philips Arena regular-season finale. But that remains to be seen after a first-half flop at home versus an otherwise pulse-less San Antonio team on Tuesday.

Atlanta came out lethargic and unfocused, perhaps expecting the Stars would lay down for them. San An would do no such thing, and with a minute to spare in the opening quarter, Moriah Jefferson’s 9^th point on a three-pointer had the Dream in a 22-5 hole. Coach Michael Cooper had rewarded rookie Rachel Hollivay with a starting nod after her best game of the season in Phoenix two nights before, but was back to her ineffective ways against the Stars and granted a quick hook six minutes in.

The Dream would reclaim the lead midway through the third quarter, riding the energy provided by rookie Bria Holmes (career-high 20 points) to get back in it. Elizabeth Williams contributed 17-and-12 while playing all 40 minutes, but the overworked center could not keep up when Ndour (career-high 20 points) dropped 13 points during the final nine minutes of the game.

Meeseman and Dolson will look to keep the Dream’s frontcourt stretched out tonight and open up lanes inside for Hill and Ruffin-Pratt to exploit. Washington has performed better this season on the road (8-8) than at home (5-11), although San Antonio’s road woes didn’t seem to matter much in Atlanta two nights ago.

Tuesday’s loss was one “that kind of hurt more than any of the season,” Cooper said to the AJC postgame. But don’t blame Angel McCoughtry, who sat due to her league-imposed suspension after piling up one too many technical fouls this season. On the same night that Atlanta flopped at home against the worst team in the WNBA, another 16-15 team prevailed at home without their leading scorer (Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne) against the league’s top team.

At 17-15, Chicago now has pole position in the race for fourth-place, ahead of the Dream and the Fever. Indiana (16-16) helped out with a disappointing defeat at Connecticut, blowing an 11-point second-half lead on Tuesday, but their head-to-head tiebreaker keeps Atlanta in sixth entering today’s contests.

Now the Dream has to worry not only about those teams, but Seattle (15-17), winners of four straight after blowing out Los Angeles on Sunday. Thanks to their 91-82 win last week at Philips, the Storm hold the tiebreaker over the Dream as well. A tiebreaker loss to the Mercury can potentially sink the Dream all the way down to the 8^th-seed. The Mystics last defeated Atlanta by 30 points way back in June, but cannot catch them in the standings either way.

The coveted 4^th-seed is not out of the question, but Atlanta absolutely must prevail tonight and hope that the Sky and Fever lose out. Otherwise, the Dream will have to find a way to also top first-place Minnesota on Saturday, too.

With big shots and even bigger defensive fortitude, McCoughtry (19.2 PPG, 4^th among active WNBA players) is capable of bailing Atlanta out in any games versus 10 of the other 11 WNBA opponents. But without Sancho Lyttle, she and the Dream are reliant on a very fatigued contingent of under-experienced players, save for guard Tiffany Hayes, to pull through. For better or worse, this is a Dream team that is satisfied riding on Angel’s wings to wherever she can lead them.

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Can we get Zaza as a mascot? Nothing easy!

Phoenix and Atlanta each helped each other tonight. The Dream's close-shave, down-to-the-wire, shouldn't-have-had-to-come-from-behind victory granted the Mercury a playoff spot. Seattle's big loss tonight at Phoenix (Penny Taylor's finale, btw) guaranteed that Atlanta's first playoff game WILL be at the Thrillerdome (heads-up for those buying tickets, the board above confirms they'll play all games at Tech.)

The only thing still up-in-the-air is, whether that playoff game will be a first-round (4-seed) or a second-round (5-or-6-seed) affair. We'll need some help from the Liberty today (Friday) to trip up the Chicago Sky. So, how does our Hawks owner rap it? "Go New York, go New York, go!" Also, Minnesota, if you can put some effort into beating Indiana tonight, too, that would be greaaaaaaat...

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

First-Round Bye Watch!

No help from the Liberty, who wisely left Tina Charles bubble-wrapped back in Manhattan, sat Epiphanny Prince, and promptly got deep-dished in Chicago, the Sky winning their third-straight. We see you over there, Tamera Young!

The Dream did get help from tomorrow's opponents, the Lynx, who beat the Fever and thus eliminated Indiana from any chance at the 4-seed. But that just uncomplicates the scenarios heading into this weekend's final games.

For Atlanta, they absolutely must win tomorrow in Minnesota to stay in the running for the first-round bye. Otherwise, they get the 5- or 6-seed, and one of Brittney Griner (Phoenix) or Breanna Stewart (Seattle) comes to Atlanta for a first-round elimination game, while Chicago (18-15) gets a few extra days off.

If Atlanta pulls off the win tomorrow to finish their season at 18-16, that would put the onus back on Chicago to travel to Seattle and top the Storm in the league's finale on Sunday night.

Indiana (16-17) has a game left, but all they can play for is overtaking Atlanta for the 5-seed, which would be of little consequence. Congrats tonight, though, to Tamika Catchings for becoming the all-time WNBA leader for rebounds.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Only one WNBA team has the chance to say they've beaten the league's Top 3 teams (Minnesota, Los Angeles, New York) this season, all in their house. If the Atlanta Dream can trip up the Minnesota Lynx tonight (8:00 PM Eastern on NBATV; 11:00 PM replay on Fox Sports Southeast) at their Target Center finale, they can rebuild their confidence and make things very intriguing as the teams head into the postseason.

The top-seeded Lynx (27-6; 14-2 at home) came out on top last night in Indiana, but they'll play coming into today's game on a back-to-back. The last time they had two wins in two nights, in June, they rolled into Philips Arena to blow out the Dream (who had just lost Sancho Lyttle to international play) 110-78, but found themselves the next day in a first-half dogfight with the Washington Mystics before prevailing to remain undefeated at 10-0.

More importantly, last night Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve sat Seimone Augustus (she and point guard Lindsay Whalen new recipients of multi-year contract extensions) and limited Maya Moore (team-high 15 points @ IND) to 20 minutes, Sylvia Fowles to 15 minutes, and even Augustus' supersub replacement Jia Perkins to 12 minutes. Reeve is probable to rely on Minnesota's depth even more today, allowing Natasha Howard, Keisha Hampton (4-for-5 3FGs @ IND on Friday), Anna Cruz and Renee Montgomery more time to stand out. The top assist-making threat for Minnesota today might be veteran center Janel McCarville.

"The mentality of playoff basketball," Dream coach Michael Cooper stated postgame to Swish Appeal, "is you never want to go into the playoffs with a loss. So, we're going up there to win," A win in the North Star State is a long time in coming, no matter the circumstances. Atlanta last defeated the Lynx in Minneapolis back in July 2009. Including WNBA Finals appearances, Atlanta has lost 11 straight in Minnesota, and are 3-17 overall versus the Lynx going back to the 2010 season.

From the sounds of things, Cooper has no intention of resting Angel McCoughtry much. Although the sore knee sustained by Candace Parker last night in Los Angeles' home finale may give Coach Coop pause, if Coop intends to conclude the season with a W against Minnesota, McCoughtry has to factor in. Angel returned from her suspension and had the Mystics on their heels on Thursday with 31 points (22 in the first-half), plus 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Off the bench, Matee Ajavon chipped in with 6 assists in just 8.5 minutes of play, an encouraging sign going forward, while Layshia Clarendon's 9 assists (2 TOs) made up for her shooting struggles from the field. If Sancho Lyttle (knee) has recuperated well, it would also be good to get her loosened up with a little live-game action before the playoff game(s) arrive. Same for Carla Cortijo, who could pair with Meighan Simmons to spark an Atlanta bench that produced just 7 of the Dream's points in Thursday's 94-91 win over Washington.

Will Atlanta play today like a team playoff opponents look forward to facing? Or one that teams would prefer to avoid? We've seen glimpses of both in the past two weeks alone. Which team shows up tonight?

(PROGRAMMING NOTE AT TIP-OFF: No 11 PM replay for locals, the game is airing live on Fox Sports South, not the usual Fox Sports Southeast. Lynx coach Reeve says she wants to win, but is sitting Rebekkah Brunson as she starts Natasha Howard at power forward. All the other customary Dream and Lynx starters are playing at the tip.)

 

Let's Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Heck of an effort in a losing cause versus Minnesota, who played almost-full-bore to establish a franchise record with 28 victories for the season. Angel was sat down to avoid aggravating a minor in-game injury with 7 1/2 minutes left, the Lynx ahead by just 80-74. After a couple close calls, the Lynx made the veteran plays that needed to escape.

And now we wait! WNBA Playoff first-round will be in Atlanta (@Georgia Tech) on either September 21 or 22. Who we play (Phoenix? or Seattle?) as an 8-seed in the elimination game depends on what happens in three WNBA regular-season-ending games tomorrow.

Let's Go Dream!

~lw3