2018 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Trophy time!

I don't even know what druthers are. But if I had them, I'd use my votes this way:

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Breanna Stewart took this season by the horns from the jump, and never relented. Not only was she an offensive tour de force in her third WNBA season, both inside (career-best 57.6 2FG%) and out (career-best 41.5 3FG%), her on-ball defense was near All-League caliber. Given her vast improvement as a play finisher (along with that of another award-winner, soon to be mentioned), all-time career-assist leader Sue Bird enjoying a career-best season passing the ball, as she nears age 38, is no coincidence. With Stewie and co-star Jewell Loyd elevating their games at the right time, there may be no shelter from this Storm at playoff time.

 

All-WNBA Teams

1st Team:

G - Sue Bird, Seattle

G - TIFFANY HAYES, ATLANTA

F/C - Elena Delle Donne, Washington

F/C - Breanna Stewart, Seattle

F/C - Liz Cambage, Dallas

 

2nd Team:

G - Diana Taurasi, Phoenix

G - Kristi Toliver, Washington

F/C - Candace Parker, Los Angeles

F/C - Chiney Ogwumike, Connecticut

F/C - Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota

 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Atlanta boasted the league's most effective interior defense. And while many Dream players contributed to that status, the newcomer to the team, Jessica Breland, came closest to resembling the defensive captain. Stepping comfortably into the slot long held by Sancho Lyttle, Breland finished 2018's regular season with a career-best 26.2 defensive rebound percentage, and was among six WNBA players averaging at least one block and one steal per game. Using bball-ref stats, she topped the league in Defensive Rating and ranked third in Defensive Win Shares, while willingly taking the assignment of guarding opponents' best frontcourt threats. Together with Elizabeth Williams, Breland's offensive rounding-out in the back half of the season ensured that Atlanta's eye-opening ascension up the standings had staying power.

 

All-Defensive Teams

1st Team:

G - Chelsea Gray, Los Angeles

G - ANGEL McCOUGHTRY, ATLANTA

F/C - Natasha Howard, Seattle

F/C - JESSICA BRELAND, ATLANTA

F/C - Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota

 

2nd Team:

G - Jewell Loyd, Seattle

G - Alana Beard, Los Angeles

F/C - Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut

F/C - ELIZABETH WILLIAMS, ATLANTA

F/C - Brittney Griner, Phoenix

 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Sometimes, bad lottery teams just stay bad, for quite awhile. A'ja Wilson wasn't around, though, for the downturn in San Antonio, and simply came into the league insulated from the recent past, ready to put her smooth post moves to work under the watchful eye of coach Bill Laimbeer in Las Vegas. The Aces franchise needed a young spark to help build up fan interest, and now they've got several, as Wilson drawing extra defenders helped open things up offensively for guards Kelsey Plum and Kayla McBride. With the young guns, led by Wilson, spurring a late playoff charge and earning another lottery pick anyway, the future is looking sinfully good in Sin City.

 

All-Rookie Team

G - Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana

G - Diamond DeShields, Chicago

F/C - Ariel Atkins, Washington

F/C - Azura Stevens, Dallas

F/C - A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas

 

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

For an awards category that is often hard to track, Natasha Howard sure made it look easy. Not granted the opportunities she could have received while playing mostly behind legends in Indiana and Minnesota, Howard became the subject of the most notable trade acquisition during the 2018 offseason. She arrived in Seattle and took the WNBA world by... well, you know. Natasha tripled her scoring average from 4.3 to 13.2 PPG, finished top-10 in offensive rebounds, and averaged 1.3 steals and two blocks per game. Career-high true shooting percentage, career-low turnover percentage... what's not to like? Her sudden spurt as a two-way player is helping Seattle distinguish itself from the pretty-good WNBA clubs, quite possibly becoming a great one.

 

SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Some of this is on the coaches, some of it on the limited starter-quality depth in the league, but few players stood out as a solid reserve worthy of accolades in 2018. While Atlanta's Brittney Sykes deserves recognition in this default situation, I'm leaning toward Cheyenne Parker of Chicago. Also qualifying as a Most Improved candidate, the big averaged double-digit scoring for the first time in her four-year career, her 53.1 FG% (9th in WNBA) and her per-36 values of 18.2 points and 10.5 rebounds blasting away her early-career numbers. Parker took advantage of the slow start for Stefanie Dolson, the lack of a clear power forward option, and the team's reluctance to rush rookie Alaina Coates. In part because of Cheyenne, the Sky turned around a lackluster year to become a late-season spoiler.

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

The managerial awards for both Atlanta and Seattle (+11 wins each from 2017) are interchangeable, in my opinion. And neither fanbase should have qualms so long as each club gets an honor. Both teams fired their coaches during, or immediately following, the prior season. And while Seattle went with Dan Hughes, an esteemed sideline taskmaster with over 500 WNBA games under his belt, Atlanta took a different approach for a replacement. Armed with a newly-formulated (unlike Seattle) and energetic coaching staff, Nicki Collen oversaw the reincorporation of Angel McCoughtry into the gameplans, the commitment of Tiffany Hayes to becoming a top-flight defender, the fixing of halfcourt offensive woes around the glass and along the perimeter, the establishment of a viable bench, and the sustenance of uptempo play and defensive prowess. And the rookie coach accomplished these feats in one season, not two like many (okay, Yours Truly) once predicted. It's why Collen deserves the edge, albeit a razor-thin close one.

 

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

It comes down to flipping a coin here as well, as Atlanta's incoming Chris Sienko made the coaching staff and roster acquisitions (Breland, Renee Montgomery, Alex Bentley, Monique Billings) that eventually made Atlanta look as cohesive a unit as it has ever looked in its decade-long history. But the bold move to risk swapping first-rounders with Minnesota in the Natasha Howard deal has made Alisha Valavanis too strong a candidate to ignore. Sienko's contract extensions to veterans may pay off in 2019, but extension deals to the Storm's Jewell Loyd and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis are bearing fruit right now. Even their risky pick of Billings' Bruin teammate, guard Jordin Canada, with the 5th-overall pick in 2018's draft is looking better by the day. Awarding Valavanis is also awarding Hughes, who was coaxed out of retirement, by extension.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Dear Worldwide Leader in Sports... PLEASE hire Jameelah. Or somebody, at least, with more than half a clue! lmao

~lw3

[macdaddy]

2 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Dear Worldwide Leader in Sports... PLEASE hire Jameelah. Or somebody, at least, with more than half a clue! lmao

~lw3

Hey intern! Finish that tweet and get me my coffee already!

[Gray Mule]

3 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Dear Worldwide Leader in Sports... PLEASE hire Jameelah. Or somebody, at least, with more than half a clue! lmao

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

CONGRATULATIONS !  Just watched the replay.  Couldn't watch live.  On national TV but not on my cable, therefore I couldn't watch.

I really liked that 4th quarter.  Rest up now for the playoffs.

[lethalweapon3]

It's Gameday!

 

Round 1 picks...

MERCURY over Wings (8:30 PM Eastern, ESPN2): Maybe the last we see of Cambage for awhile? Liz and Skylar will put up big numbers, but they need lots of help from teammates to hold back Phoenix's Big 3 on the road.

SPARKS over Lynx (10:30 PM Eastern, ESPN2): Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles will ensure Lindsay Whalen doesn't retire quietly. But Candace Parker has been too good lately to bow out early, and playoff time is always Chelsea Gray time!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Me and The AP agree! At least on this item!

~lw3

[Dnice]

Don't get rusty waiting for your opponent.

[lethalweapon3]

I'm Associated with this Press!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Ding! Ding!

Round 2 picks:

MYSTICS OVER Sparks (6:30 PM Eastern, ESPN2): I suspect the Dream would root for L.A. to pull off the road win, setting up the next match winner as the team heading to the ATL, and not a lightly-rested Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver. These opponents just played in D.C.. last week, in an otherwise wayward-shooting affair ended at the buzzer by Natasha Cloud. The Mystics should be able to win by a wider margin tonight, provided they shoot better, play faster, and not commit too many unforced errors versus the Sparks' game but road-weary defenders.

SUN over Mercury (8:30 PM Eastern, ESPN2): The Merc won two of three matches during the regular season versus the Sun. But, neither of those victories came at Mohegan Sun Arena. And none of the three games featured a reinvigorated Jonquel Jones, who was the main reason the Sun finished the regular season with a 9-1 run. Can Connecticut's defense contain Phoenix's Big 3, not allowing the supporting cast to make enough plays to get the Mercury over the hump on the road?

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

As always, he's #TrueToAtlanta!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Styx it is!

It will be a toughie! I dunno if the WNBA has a Death Lineup, but the Mystics' starters sure comes close!

~lw3

[Dnice]

I don't really follow much, but I hope they get it Sunday, it's been a lame weekend, Peachtree City didn't advance, the falcons don't look good, and the braves can't score runs now.

[lethalweapon3]

It’s time to #DefendTheATL! A hard-fought run for the playoffs has earned the Atlanta Dream the right to control their own destiny along the path to the WNBA Finals, a destination that is just three wins away, beginning in their own house. But standing in the way, at each step, will be a longtime playoff foe, Elena Delle Donne, and the Washington Mystics (3 PM Eastern, ESPN2).

While Atlanta (franchise-best 23-11) enjoys the homecourt advantage, on paper, this series is the Mystics’ to lose. Not even counting their forfeit win against Las Vegas, or their resounding 32-point elimination-game win over L.A., Washington is the only team whose record after the All-Star Break (7-1) was more stellar than the Dream’s 7-2. Both teams finished with equally good 10-7 road records, and Atlanta’s last defeat here, at McCamish Pavilion, came by an 86-71 score at the visiting Mystics’ hands.

That game, back on July 31, had Angel McCoughtry on the floor. So did the prior two games that month, both won by the Dream, including an eye-opening 106-89 blowout at Capital One Center with Angel leading Atlanta’s four 20-plus-point scorers. In each of the two meetings that followed, Washington held the Dream to 35.6 percent shooting from the field.

While Atlanta has adjusted without their franchise face for the past few weeks, Washington has had to make-do without a star-quality contributor, Emma Meesseman, all season long. The Belgian has been sitting out this WNBA season in preparation for next month’s FIBA World Cup.

All this just means there’s a lot of work cut out for the staff of first-year Dream coach Nicki Collen, who faces off against Mike Thibault, a 3-Time WNBA Coach of the Year with over 500 games, over 300 wins, 25 playoff victories and a pair of WNBA Finals appearances under his belt.

For Thibault, this was his best regular-season finish since leading sixth-woman Renee Montgomery and Connecticut to a 25-9 record in 2012. Now, his aim is to guide Washington (22-12, tying the franchise-best mark of 2010) to the first WNBA Finals in its 20-Year history.

That aspiration isn’t lost on Mystics owner Ted Leonsis, whose teams are suddenly bringing hardware to the title-starved District of Columbia. In the past three months alone, Leonsis enjoyed a Stanley Cup win by his Capitals, then watched his TWO indoor football teams play each other for a championship in ArenaBowl XXXI.

Stepping up at playoff time is nothing new for Atlanta’s Tiffany Hayes. Coming off a first-round suspension in 2016, she carried the day for the Dream with 30 points in a season-ending 108-98 loss to Chicago, who were missing Delle Donne due to a thumb injury. The starting bigs for the Sky, who helped keep Tip and Angel (27 points) from pulling off the road upset? Jessica Breland and Imani McGee-Stafford, who suit up today along with Hayes in Dream blue.

Hayes also remembers quite well 2014’s playoff conclusion, where the Dream had Delle Donne and the Sky in their house, and right where they wanted them. Delle Donne’s 33^rd and 34^th point came on a jumper with just over eight seconds to play, helping her team overcome a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit and propel Chicago, not top-seeded Atlanta, toward the WNBA Finals. The WNBA’s active leader in PER, per-48 Win Shares, Lowest Turnover Percentage, and Offensive Rating, EDD is as challenging a singular foe as anyone remaining in the Playoffs, definitely more so than anybody outside of Phoenix.

Tiffany is certain to Bring It, in this and every postseason game, no matter how much defensive pressure Kristi Toliver and rookie Ariel Atkins bring to the proceedings. The former second-round pick, should-be-two-time All-Star, and future All-WNBA 1^st Team member will do all she can to offset Delle Donne’s offense while stifling perimeter scorers like Toliver, Atkins and Natasha Cloud on defense.

Elena shoots from outside (40.5 3FG%, 9^th in WNBA) about as proficiently as anyone, so she will force Breland to leave defensive paint duties to Elizabeth Williams, who will also have to keep LaToya Sanders off the offensive glass. Atlanta will strive to shoo ballhandlers off the 3-point line, creating better chances of forcing turnovers by getting the Mystics to put the ball on the floor and drive inward for buckets. Getting Washington to settle for two, instead of three-point attempts and free throws (league-best 85.8 team FT%), works to Atlanta’s advantage.

While she has been feasting from the free throw line (31-for-44 FTs in last six games) since McCoughtry was lost for the season, it’s clear that Hayes (33.3 FG% in last six games) will need help on the floor.

Atlanta won five of those final six contests because of timely, occasionally dazzling shooting from Montgomery (last four games: a ridiculous 21-for-36 3FGs) and Alex Bentley. Also, because of steady finishes, stout rebounding and block-party defense from the frontcourt duo of Williams and Breland.

Finally, the Dream will need to rely upon their supporting cast to outshine Washington’s. Likely going head-to-head with Atkins, Ruffin-Pratt and new acquisition Aerial Powers, the moment cannot be too big or too bright for Brittney Sykes (32 assists and just seven TOs in her past nine appearances), who starts in place of McCoughtry in her playoff debut. McGee-Stafford and rookie Monique Billings will have to join Bentley in making plays on both ends while meshing with the starters better than the Mystics’ reserves.

Through the perspectives of history, past and present, and momentum, this edition of the Mystics has the advantage. Fortunately, this series will be played on hardwood, not on paper. It will be played in front of thousands of Dream fans, some old and some new, for at least the first two games. Chances are slim there will be a capacity crowd, but this Dream team intends to show the rest of the ATL what it has been missing. With or without the whole ATL behind them, the Dream are out to Defend It.

 

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Great intensity was too late and too much Elena Delle Donne.  Dream fought and made it oh so close in the end.  They sure miss Angel.

Dream already staring that "must win" game in the face.

GO DREAM !!

[lethalweapon3]

Great game both ways, especially Elena, my goodness. On to Game 2!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Once you go #TrueToAtlanta, you never go back!

~lw3

[macdaddy]

9 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Once you go #TrueToAtlanta, you never go back!

~lw3

I thought Malcolm was back in Europe?  Well I said a bunch of bad things about him and look at this.  That's really cool.   

[lethalweapon3]

Dream owners went to the line on new hires... and went 2 for 2! Congrats to Coach Nicki and The Great Sienko!

 

~lw3