2018 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[lethalweapon3]

More like, R3n33, amirite???

~lw3333333

[Gray Mule]

Couldn't watch.  Hope to watch replay.  Great win!  These Dream girls just keep on keeping on!!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I have to say that I've really enjoyed watching the WNBA this season.  Even to the point where I've subscribed to a Youtube channel dedicated to showing extended highlights of WNBA games.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrAkEqmj8JUNBLNJNUl0fkg

 

Dallas, Atlanta, and Las Vegas are the 3 teams to watch down the stretch.  They seem to be the 3 up and coming teams that can make major noise once the playoffs arrive.  Vegas isn't in yet, but they'll overtake Connecticut to at least get that 8th spot.   A'ja Wilson and Kayla McBride are a great 1 - 2 combo that will be reckoned with next season, if they don't get in this season.

Atlanta is a tough, gritty team that will flat out lock you up on defense.  If they were just a little more consistent on offense, they'd be a top 2 team in the league.  Tiffany Hayes was definitely an All-Star snub.  She goes before Angel, in my opinion.

Dallas is the most dangerous though.  Cambage is a MONSTER.  Virtually unstoppable right now.  Skylar's shot has improved dramatically since she came back from the ACL tear.   The only thing that will keep them from winning a ring, is their defense, but even that has improved recently.

To me, the league has never been as more balanced as it is right now.   It's probably skewed by Indiana's dramatic falloff, but still very balanced from 1 - 9.

 

[JayBirdHawk]

I caught a few games here and there.

[Gray Mule]

Couldn't watch this one because it wasn't on my cable.  I did watch the replay.  Proud of these gals.  They never give up, do they.  In all the looking, I noticed our center has come back to life.  She was off for a while but it sure is nice to see her playing well again.

GO ATLANTA !!

[lethalweapon3]

A few Magic Numbers for Playoffs clinching...

Indiana (ZERO) -- No last-place finish for the Dream!

Chicago (5) -- series tie-breaking game on Aug, 3 at ATL

New York (5) -- series-tie-breaking game on Aug. 12 in NY

Las Vegas (7) -- games remaining Aug. 7 at ATL, season-finale Aug. 19 at LV

---------------------------

Connecticut (9) -- ATL swept season-series 3-0

~lw3

 

 

[lethalweapon3]

Standings note: upset losses tonight by the Wings (playing back-to-back at Chicago) and the Sparks (at home versus Indiana) have scooched the Dream up to 3rd in the standings. If the Mercury lose later Saturday to Minnesota, the Dream will be playing Sunday for a chance to move up to 2nd in the league.

After tonight's loss, the Sparks leave L.A. to play in Chicago Sunday evening, then return to meet the Dream on Tuesday night.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

The Best of the ((checks notes)) East, versus the Best of the ((double-take)) West? The two hottest teams in the WNBA meet up, once more, at McCamish Pavilion. And, wouldn’t you know it, it’s the Atlanta Dream hosting the Seattle Storm (3 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast in ATL, NBATV elsewhere)?

Seattle got to the top of the WNBA standings (well above the fray, at 18-6) by winning eight of their last nine games, the sole blemish in this stretch a 77-75 overtime loss to visiting Los Angeles. Dan Hughes’ club escaped Atlanta just weeks ago, a 95-86 win on July 6 led by double-doubles from MVP-candidate Breanna Stewart (29 points and 9 rebounds), league assists-leader Sue Bird (18 points, 10 assists), and Most Improved Player-candidate Natasha Howard (10 points, 11 rebounds).

But the Storm nearly blew a commanding 53-34 halftime lead. The Dream wing trio of Angel McCoughtry (26 points), Tiffany Hayes (23 points), and Brittney Sykes chipped the deficit down to six with seconds remaining in the third quarter. It took Jewell Loyd, Alysha Clark, and Stewie (facilitated by Bird) taking turns getting hot in the final frame to pull away.

Amid a five-game, All-Star-Break-interrupted road stretch, Seattle last played at home on July 14 and won’t return until August 2. On Friday, coach Dan Hughes’ club grounded-and-pounded their way through a lackluster opening half on the road in Connecticut, scoring just ten first-quarter points and checking in at 33-29 at the halftime buzzer.

But while Loyd (31 points, 4-for-6 3FGs) and Bird (17 points, 3-for-4 3FGs) found their groove, their team’s newfound defensive intensity (Bird and Loyd with a combined 7 steals) never wavered. Seattle contained every Sun player aside from All-Star Chiney Ogwumike as they cruised to a 78-65 win. Road-weary as they may be, if they can sustain their on-ball defense and secure rebounds, the Storm is confident the offensive spurts they need to win will arrive.

Seeking their first-ever seven-game win streak, confidence is gaining for defensive-minded Atlanta (14-9), no matter what offensive display shows up. Having hosted listless New York on Friday, the Dream’s box score line looked quite familiar: 31.8 percent shooting from the field, including 30.0 percent from behind the 3-point line. Angel McCoughtry (2-for-13 FGs, 5 TOs) had an off-night, as did the bench combo of Alex Bentley and Imani McGee-Stafford (2-for-20 combined FGs, including 4 shots blocked).

Combined, that used to mean certain defeat for the Dream. The difference? Red-hot Renee Montgomery (franchise record 7 3FGs on 13 attempts). She and Bentley gathered three steals apiece against a Liberty team that wasn’t shooting all that hot themselves (27.8 3FG%), wherein ten of New York’s 11 highest minutes-logging players committed at least one turnover and one personal foul.

Any team that gets sloppy on offense and grants Atlanta plenty of trips to the free throw line, gives the coach Nicki Collen’s club plenty of room to breathe even when they’re not shooting the rock particularly well. Could a similar situation occur today, even with the steady veteran Bird handling the rock, to give Atlanta a chance to remain 2^nd in the WNBA? Heck, one can Dream!

 

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Dream bench carried the day!  Seven in a row and against the WNBA's #1 team.  Elizabeth Williams is definitely back.  Dream jumped ahead and stayed there.  Defense held their opponent to 10 points under their average.  Dream scored inside, over and over.  Their opponent lives or dies from the three.  Today they died.

Seattle leads the west and the WNBA with the best record.  That didn't bother the Dream.  They just jumped out and then refused to give in the remainder of the evening.  If you ain't watching, you're missing out on some great basketball!

GO DREAM !!

[lethalweapon3]

Looking forward to Renee's next thousand dimes (what is that, 100 bucks)?

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Not a bad parting gift after the All-Star snub!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

One more big run before the All-Star Break! The Atlanta Dream are on the Left Coast and will face the L.A. Sparks (10:30 PM Eastern, Twitter, Spectrum SportsNet in LA), in hopes of reaching eight straight, which would be great!

Questionable to play for the Sparks (15-10) will be Nneka Ogwumike (illness, DNP last 2 games), Alana Beard (groin) and Odyssey Sims (ankle?). With supporting players like Jantel Lavender stepping up, coach Brian Agler would be inclined to give some of his bigger stars rest, except they, like Atlanta (15-9), are in the middle of a huge 2-through-9 playoff chase behind Seattle. And securing a tiebreaker over the Dream could come in handy at season's end for Candace Parker and the Sparks.

Los Angeles missing any of those players, especially Beard, could open up the floor some more for All-Star-bound Angel McCoughtry and reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week Tiffany Hayes.

Also, it appears Angel will have at least one flying buddy along the detour flight to Minneapolis for this weekend...

Let's Go Dream!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

10:30 PM too late for the old man.  Just watched the replay.  WOW!  Atlanta won the game against #1 team in the WNBA, then go to the home court of the #3 team and win by 10 points.

At the all star break, the Dream are on a roll.  A huge roll.  Atlanta's record winning streak!  They come from under .500 to this, solidly in 2nd place.

GO DREAM !!

NOTE:  HAYES HAS BEEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK 2 TIMES THIS SEASON.  CAN'T MAKE THE ALL STAR TEAM.

[lethalweapon3]

This time last month, I wasn't sure when we'd see 900! Go Queen Elizabeth!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Magic Number Updates...

Indiana (ZERO)

New York (1)

Chicago (2)

Las Vegas (6) -- Playoff-clinching number

Homecourt-opener (8) -- most teams have either 8 or 9 games remaining

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Oh hey, look, DeMar found himself a team he can trust!

Meanwhile, Alexis Prince hasn't had much floortime, but what little we've seen was impressive enough to lock down an official roster spot. She's spending her All-Star Weekend back in Baylorville, running a hoops camp!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

I'm sure Tip is absolutely devastated to not be heading to Minnesota and participating in her second-strai-- oh, excuse me?

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

lol #SNUB. Tip wears #15, if you recall, thus the promo.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

AT THE BREAK... WHAT’S GOOD?

PURPOSED HAYES: We have, to be fair, seen Tiffany Hayes get slighted for worthy player honors before, usually those of the weekly or monthly variety. But we know how the knowledge that Tip has been overlooked tends to elevate her personal play. She has already demonstrated she can continue to not merely co-exist alongside Angel McCoughtry, but thrive (career-highs of 17.2 PPG, 86.2 FT%). What more havoc are we about to witness her wreak after a restful All-Star Break? Over the past ten games this month, Hayes’ 17.6 PPG ranks third in the WNBA East, with downright bananas shooting splits of 51.7/41.2/90.5. Hell hath no fury, sure, but how long can Hayes’ be sustained?

COLLEN ‘EM OUT: Praise is certainly due to rookie coach Nicki Collen for the Dream’s sudden ascendance, but with Mike Peterson and Darius Taylor’s persistent participation, this is a far more vocal, active bench crew than the stoic versions in Atlanta’s past. Having veteran floor leadership in McCoughtry, Hayes, and Renee Montgomery, knowledgeable veterans that are also willing to listen for the sake of the team, has worked wonders as well. Atlanta has already notched at least one win over 10 of the other 11 WNBA clubs. Most notably, the Dream’s three-game mastery of Collen’s most recent employer, Connecticut, underscores her preparation for her new gig.

OF OUR OWN BREE-WILL: Opponents aren’t getting much of anything inside the paint in the halfcourt, to say nothing of the perimeter (WNBA-low 46.4 opponent eFG%), and that is due to the dual threat in Atlanta’s starting frontcourt. There are but four players in the league averaging at least five defensive rebounds, a steal, and a block per contest. Of those (Breanna Stewart, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker), Atlanta’s Jessica Breland is the least heralded. Breland and Elizabeth Williams are the only duo averaging over 1.5 BPG. Now, even Williams’ offense is coming around (14.5 PPG, WNBA-best 75.0 FG% this month), with her rediscovered commitment to finishing at the rim. Now, if Breland ever finds a consistent jumper, watch out!

 

HALO-COPTER: You can’t spell “gel” without A-n-g-e-l! Everyone’s season is getting a lift because of Angel McCoughtry. This is by no means her best season as a shooter from the floor, but her post-passing has been par excellence (career-best 1.2 assist/TO ratio). Opponents are less quick to foul her now that she is shooting a career-best 83.1 FT%. And while her trademark steals are down a touch, she has never been a more committed help-rebounder (career-high 8.7 rebounds per-40). The All-Star returned for the 2018 season in fine condition and has become just the type of team player this squad needs to contend. She’ll offer up a game or two per month, too, to remind us all that she’s nobody’s full-time “role player.”

 

BENCH MOB: As another sign the coaching staff is doing their job well, Atlanta finally has options to deploy beyond the starting-5 (and Brittney Sykes) this season. After a wretched start, Imani McGee-Stafford is serving up a per-40 line of 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds while shooting 53.8 FG%. A human sugar cube, rookie Monique Billings’ July per-40 line of 13.8 and 11.4 hasn’t been bad, either. Throw in Sykes’ 23.4 and 9.0 per-40 (38.7 3FG%) this month, and Damiris Dantas’ 19.1 and 5.3, and you’ve got a reserve crew that is truly coming alive, arguably for the first time in franchise history. Imagine when recent arrival Alex Bentley (23.2 FG% w/ ATL, 39.6 FG% w/ CON) finds her groove!

 

 

WHAT’S NOT-SO-GOOD?

“AWF-ENSE!”: Try as one might, it’s not possible to ignore the prior two calendar months of the WNBA season. Atlanta’s blazing month of July (106.6 O-Rating, 3^rd in WNBA) has thus far only managed to elevate them in the season-long rankings (96.5, 11^th in WNBA) ahead of 3-23 Indiana (94.4). The Dream were doing their annual sprint toward league-record marks in futility as it pertained to offensive efficiency (45.1 eFG%, 49.9 TS%, 1.27 assist/TO, all 11^th in WNBA) before the calendar turned to July, most strikingly at home (still a league-worst, by far, 42.9 eFG% and 48.4 TS%). There’s still time to revert toward the abyss, but hopefully what we’ve seen this month is a new trend.

 

FINDING NEE-MO, ON D: It helps to have defensive savants in McCoughtry, Breland, and Williams, plus an improving perimeter stopper in Hayes, on deck. Somebody has to be the weakest link in the league’s best defensive chain, and that title goes to Montgomery. It’s not due to a lack of will for the sorely-needed sharp-shooting guard (2.1 3FGs per game, 4^th in WNBA) who also ranks second on the team in steals (1.2 SPG, behind Angel’s 1.4). But Renee gets caught up too easily in screen actions, struggling to stay in front of drivers and getting over to contest off-screen shooters. It would also help Atlanta to get her in the fray and initiate possessions for Atlanta with more defensive rebounds (1.5 D-Rebs per game). It’s a lot to ask for the 31-year-old Atlanta resident who is logging more minutes than she has in any season since 2013.

 

WANT A SYKES: Speaking of snubs, Sykes should have won Rookie of the Year in 2017. Yet she’s not far out of the running for another piece of hardware – the Sixth Woman of the Year Award – this season. Getting her scoring average up to double-digits (9.9 PPG) will help to qualify as a finalist. But there are too many occasions where Brittney is single-minded toward scoring (seven games this month with one or no assists; one steal in the month of July), and some games where she doesn’t find her flow within the team offense at all. She was especially lost defensively in her two fill-in starts this month. Sykes has yet to unlock her complete-game potential, and it is on her coaches and ball-handling teammates to help her find the key. If all goes well, by September, Sykes could at least earn the right to claim, “Oh, no... I’ve been snubbed, again!”

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

AROUND-THE-WNBA, AT THE BREAK:

 

Indiana Fever (3-23)

It’s already time to look toward 2018 in Indianapolis. The burning question is whether the ownership of the Fever, once renowned for their defense with the retired Tamika Catchings leading the way (106.7 D-Rating, 11^th in WNBA), believes Pokey Chatman needs to be the one holding the binoculars. Finally coming around in her fourth season, forward-center Natalie Achonwa looks like a keeper. But veteran leaders more effective than Candice Dupree are needed to fill out the roster, so rookies Kelsey Mitchell and Victoria Vivians won’t be as overworked next year as they will be to finish off 2018.

 

New York Liberty (7-18)

It’s a season that seems so unnecessarily lost for the Liberty, who seem hopelessly lost offensively without Tina Charles on the floor, playing at an out-of-town venue you’d be hopelessly lost to find without a map. There is fading hope that Katie Smith can figure out how best to deploy her many guards and wings, the most notable standouts being Brittany Boyd and rookie Kia Nurse. But until Charles gets some major help in the areas of rebounding and frontcourt scoring from her mates, it will be an upward climb as tough as anyone’s seen since Independence Day for the Liberty.

 

Chicago Sky (9-17)

The Sky are just about in spoiler mode to wrap up 2018, but the coming weeks could be fun. Dime-dropping Courtney Vandersloot and dead-eye Allie Quigley have taken turns reminding everyone why they can be the most dangerous backcourt in the game. Cheyenne Parker is in the running for Most Improved Player, while Gabby Williams leads the league in steals, so that may be good enough to keep coach Amber Stocks in good graces. The head-scratcher: how much better might this season have been with more minutes dedicated to 2017’s shelved first-rounder Alaina Coates?

 

Las Vegas Aces (12-13)

Last place is “something we just don’t do,” says coach Bill Laimbeer. Somebody has to finish last in the West, and Laimbeer’s club may well be it despite his protestations. Yet there’s still plenty of hope for a final playoff spot, particularly with the strong-yet-smooth A’ja Wilson leading the charge in the paint to complement scoring guard Kayla McBride. Laimbeer has yet to settle on a steady fifth-starter, usually at center beside Wilson. But continued strong bench play from Dearica Hamby and Nia Coffey may be enough to turn the trick and steal an 8-seed, probably from one of the next four teams on this list.

 

Connecticut Sun (14-12)

What on Earth happened? The momentary loss of Alyssa Thomas to injury was more disruptive than most could have imagined, for a team that began the season at 7-1. They still have, statistically, the East’s best performance marks. Yet Thomas’ injury and a huge foul disparity plummeted Curt Miller’s crew, and a pair of buzzer-beating home losses didn’t help. However, the Sun are 4-2 in their last six games, with losses only versus red-hot Seattle and Atlanta, so the tide may be finally turning. Will we continue seeing impactful games from Jonquel Jones during this mad-dash toward a postseason berth?

 

Washington Mystics (14-11)

Countering the balanced efforts of Angel and Tiffany in Atlanta, Elena Delle Donne has been the East’s best singular performer this season. There may be no greater absence in 2018 than Delle Donne’s frontcourt mate, Emma Meesseman, who surely, with Kristi Toliver, impressive rookie Ariel Atkins, the improved Tianna Hawkins and LaToya Sanders, would have made Mike Thibault’s team the prohibitive favorite to replace New York atop the East. Will the gamble to trade Tayler Hill, and a 2019 second-rounder, to acquire Dallas’ Aerial Powers pay dividends, this season?

 

Dallas Wings (14-11)

It’s almost August so, once again, it’s Danger Zone time for Fred Williams. He has one of the biggest backcourt threats to score in Skylar Diggins, coupled with the most dominant force in the league right now, the supernova Elizabeth Cambage at center. It’s likely that losing out on this game of playoff Musical Chairs would finally spell an end to Williams’ Shock/Wings tenure. On a team that struggles to sink threes (31.0 3FG%, 11^th in WNBA), losing Karima Christmas-Kelly to season-ending injury early on is the difference between obvious title contention and skin-of-their-teeth postseason clinching.

 

Phoenix Mercury (15-11)

The good news for coach Sandy Brondello’s bunch is they have the most home-friendly schedule going forward (six home games remaining, tied with Connecticut). The downside? Phoenix has gone just 5-6 at Talking Stick, with much of the league above or no worse than a couple games below .500 on the road. The double-digit home defeat at Chicago’s hands revealed just how much they’re missing Sancho Lyttle, or any appreciable depth, in their rebounding-starved lineup. With Seattle, Washington, L.A. and Atlanta visiting soon, are All-Stars Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and DeWanna Bonner enough to clinch?

 

Los Angeles Sparks (15-11)

There used to be no place like home for teams like the Sparks. But now even Brian Agler’s club has found themselves pinned down at Staples, losers of five-straight in their own building (they were 8-1 there before the swoon), including a rare win for the Fever. They also lost before the Break to Chicago by double-digits, on the road. Getting Nneka Ogwumike and Alana Beard back up and running after the Break will help, plus a couple extra days before Minnesota and Phoenix stop in. But poor rebounding and a propensity for fouling will have to cease before L.A. can click its heels again.

 

Minnesota Lynx (15-10)

They’re like a LeBron team led by Coach Pop. The regular season may not be great shakes, but no matter who finishes in front of the defending WNBA champions, All-Star Game MVP Maya Moore and reigning MVP Sylvia Fowles will be one tough out. Opponents will want Cheryl Reeve’s crew to settle for an elimination game, rather than having to win two of three against a rested bunch. So for everyone outside of Minnesota, the time to get in front of the Lynx is now.

 

Seattle Storm (19-7)

Getting interim coach Gary Kloppenburg to stick around as an assistant after hiring veteran sideliner Dan Hughes proved to be the kind of stability the once-disappointing Storm needed to inch upward in the WNBA standings. Providing MVP candidate Breanna Stewart a solid rebounder and post threat in Most Improved Player candidate Natasha Howard was what Seattle needed to surge into championship contention. No one needs to wonder whether this will be Sue Bird’s last run to glory. But armed with Jewell Loyd and a bevy of shooters and help defenders, might this year’s shot be her best?

 

~lw3