2023 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[lethalweapon3]

Patience is a virtue. The virtuosity of Atlanta Dream fans needs only to be tested a little longer.

Take, for example, the New York Liberty. No WNBA titles of which to speak, and a long history of being mismanaged and disregarded by prior ownership. They’ve lost 20 games in each of the past three seasons – 2-20 in the bubble season of 2020, 12-20 in 2021, 16-20 in 2022. But what they’ve also had throughout that time is 2020’s #1 pick, the sensational guard Sabrina Ionescu, to grow around as the team improved.

Ionescu was derailed by early injury in 2020, struggled to regain her form in 2021, but had her first complete All-Star-worthy season in 2022. The Libs managed a bottom-seed in the WNBA Playoffs in each of the past two seasons, notching their first playoff win before bowing to Courtney Vandersloot’s and Candace Parker’s Chicago Sky in last summer’s opening round.

Well, somebody liked what they saw out of Sabrina and the Liberty. 2021 league MVP Jonquel Jones hopped on the Tina Charles Freeway, steering a trade trip from Connecticut to New York. 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart opted not to return to Seattle, coming from across the continent to join forces with Ionescu and Jones.

Vandersloot bailed Chicago, too. The WNBA’s all-time leader in assists per game departed from the Sky to forge a juggernaut in New York, as much on paper a super team as the defending champions in Las Vegas. The Aces are now fortified by the arrival of 2013 MVP Parker to pair upfront with 2020 and 2022 MVP A’ja Wilson.

What seems to be a recurring theme in this league is, no matter your past reputation, if you draft high AND draft very well (Ionescu, Wilson, the retired Maya Moore), All-Star caliber veterans with the agency to move will move heaven-and-earth to get to where you are.

New York City’s big media market has its obvious allure. But GMs like the Atlanta Dream’s Dan Padover knows it can be done with previously underwhelming franchises in Las Vegas and Minnesota, too. You don’t have to necessarily Build-A-Bear. Get the right cubs in-house, content and under guaranteed contract, and Mama Bear is soon to come.

2022’s first-overall pick acquired by Atlanta, Rhyne Howard has been making Padover and the Dream brass look smarter than average. While the back months of 2022 were deflating for the Dream, Howard (10^th in WNBA for points scored, 3^rd in made threes, 8^th in SPG) was the clear-cut Rookie of the Year whose All-Star-worthy start had Atlanta (14-22) finish merely a game short of the 8-seed, two games behind Ionescu’s Liberty.

15 or 16 wins probably won’t cut the mustard this season, not with the WNBA expanding the schedule to an all-time high of 40 games. Frankly, that’s okay, especially this year.

The prospect of college NIL deals encourages the best PTP amateurs on scholarship in the women’s game to stick around campus as BWOC for as long as possible, forgoing the low-scale and insecure wages that await them in the pros. That was what left the 2023 WNBA Draft class, including Dream rookie Haley Jones of Stanford, relatively thin when compared to the potential bumper crop that could befall WNBA clubs next spring.

While there was one perceived immediate-splash of a prize at the top of draft boards, or maybe two, in 2022 and 2023, finishing this season with a low playoff seed, or none at all, could pay dividends with a rookie offering instantaneous plug-and-play impact. If Padover plays his cards as well as he did while biding his time drafting high-caliber prospects at Las Vegas, we may soon find The ATL, headlined in College Park by Howard and another young up-and-comer, serving as The W’s hot new super-team destination.

In the meantime, there is no one stopping Howard and her current cast of Dream mates from reaching for the stars right now. Least of all the organization, who went out and acquired Allisha Gray from the Wings. 2017’s Rookie of the Year, Gray led the Wings in minutes played last season, nailing over 40 percent of her threes (10^th in WNBA for 3FG%), while serving as an ideal second-fiddle to scoring ace Arike Ogunbowale.

Gray’s addition helps the Dream begin to re-establish a foundation of stout defensive-minded scorers at the wing spots, something not seen since the peak years of Angel McCoughtry and the recently departed (via trade with Connecticut) Tiffany Hayes together. It certainly behooves head coach Tanisha Wright (2022's Associated Press pick for their Coach of the Year honors) to firm up the imprint of an emerging defensive club, an identity that began to escape Atlanta as McCoughtry’s presence waned.

Wright clearly did work throughout last season with Aari McDonald (1.4 SPG in 2022), allowing the diminutive guard to see more of the floor as a sixth-woman energizer for the backcourt. 2021’s third-overall pick, McDonald may break into the starting unit, although veteran Danielle Robinson, a three-time All-Star during the mid-Teens with Padover’s San Antonio Stars, will hold the fort at the point after Atlanta acquired her from Indiana.

Also likely to see more playing time, only in the frontcourt, is 2022 second-rounder Naz Hillmon. A bestie of Howard’s, Hillmon was a beastie during the offseason, a runner-up to Indiana’s NaLyssa Smith for MVP in the Athletes Unlimited league (Gray finished fourth overall, as the top guard behind ex-Dream guard Odyssey Sims). Tenacious rebounding aside, Naz struggled to find her form when forced into starting lineups at the close of last season, but she will push mainstay hustle forward Monique Billings (team-best 6.3 RPG in 2022, in just 17.4 MPG) for the frontcourt starting spot between Howard and Cheyenne Parker.

Wright’s challenge for this season is to boost the offensive aptitude of a club that finished last season with a league-low 17.6 APG and a WNBA-high 15.2 TOs/game. Howard has the transition skills down pat, especially off turnovers. But creating halfcourt offensive sets that gain Howard (37.9 2FG%, 2.8 APG) better interior looks and passing lanes could unlock more of the 6-foot-2 wing’s game, perhaps just in time to participate in the triple-double craze that other multifaceted WNBA stars (Alyssa Thomas, Ionescu, Candace Parker) have birthed.

Despite being undersized relative to today’s array of standout WNBA centers, Cheyenne had her first complete WNBA season in three years with the Dream in 2022, joining McDonald as the sole players to appear in every game. Given ample rebounding help from the forwards, Parker can transition from help defender and beat her assignment down the floor for better chances around the rim.

Size upfront will improve once 2022 rookie Iliana Rupert, previously drafted by Padover in Vegas, arrives from her overseas duties in Italy. Rupert is not shy about lofting three-point shots, and the potential with Rupert, at least momentarily former Georgia Tech star Lorela Cubaj, and Cheyenne Parker opening up the floor, granting Howard, Gray and the Dream backcourt better options while handling the rock, offers a tantalizing dimension to the offense that Atlanta has never seen.

A surge to superteam-level play is unlikely in 2023. Yet, the team core, managerial and coaching staff included, remains reasonably stable relative to most of the other 11 WNBA clubs, Padover granting Cheyenne Parker a contract extension along with Gray during the offseason, on the heels of Padover and Wright inking their own five-year extensions. But even the so-called superteams will need a minute to gel, while some lineups are incomplete in the early going due to either overseas commitments, injury returns or pregnancies.

The opportunity abounds for the Dream, led by Rhyne, to pounce, much as they tried to do at the outset of 2022, only this time with a little more collective knowledge under their belts. That could lead to a WNBA playoff berth by the close of the regular season, or even a shot at the midseason WNBA Commissioner’s Cup if they can trip up enough Eastern Conference teams in this early going. It’s after this season concludes where we could really watch the stars align, via draft, trades and/or free agency.

Yes, Atlanta, futures made of virtuous insanity is what we’re living in. And, well, it’s alright!

 

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

It won’t be as easy as ABC, where the Dream’s season-opener will air, or 1-2-3, to figure out where all the WNBA action is on the telly.

The beleaguered Bally Sports remains, for now, committed to providing regional coverage for the Dream and some other WNBA outlets. If that holds through the summer, like Jimmy Buffett at 5 PM, it’s a Dream game on somewhere.

The array of streaming and traditional-cable outlets means viewers, with or without WNBA League Pass, will want to keep a close eye on the schedule for media availability, and the wildly varying tipoff times, from game to game. Check! Your! Local! Listings!

Contests will continue being presented via Amazon Prime Video and Twitter, while CBS Sports Network, NBATV, and ESPN3 will continue offering some Atlanta games to national audiences. The newest player is the ION network. They’ll interrupt re-runs of Matlock and Law & Order: SVU or whatever to introduce Friday Night Hoops through the summer.

The league’s healthier and deeper rosters, one of which Atlanta presently appears to be, will fare better during the treacherous back half of the season, as the schedule-makers sought to cram six more games than last year into the docket. While I am unsure of the Dream’s odds to reach the Commissioner’s Cup, clearly someone in the league office has their doubts. Atlanta has to play a Western road back-to-back, in L.A. and at Vegas, just two days before the Cup game tips off in mid-August.

 

ATLANTA DREAM SCHEDULE

(All Times Eastern)

[** - Commissioner’s Cup qualifier games]

Saturday, May 20 – at Dallas Wings (1 PM, ABC)

Tuesday, May 23 – at Minnesota Lynx (8 PM, Bally Sports Southeast, Twitter)

Sunday, May 28 – vs. Indiana Fever** (3 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Tuesday, May 30 – vs. Chicago Sky** (7 PM, BSSE, Twitter)

Friday, June 2 – vs. Las Vegas Aces (7:30 PM, ION)

Friday, June 9 – vs. New York Liberty** (7:30 PM, ION)

Sunday, June 11 – vs. Connecticut Sun** (4 PM, Bally Sports South)

Tuesday, June 13 – at New York** (8 PM, BSSE, CBS Sports Network)

Thursday, June 15 – at Connecticut** (7 PM, BSSO, Amazon Prime Video)

Sunday, June 18 – at Indiana** (4 PM, BSSO, CBSSN)

Tuesday, June 20 – at Dallas (8 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Friday, June 23 – vs. New York (7:30 PM, ION)

Wednesday, June 28 – at Washington Mystics** (7 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Friday, June 30 – vs. Washington** (7:30 PM, ION)

Sunday, July 2 – vs. Los Angeles Sparks (3 PM, BSSO, ESPN3)

Wednesday, July 5 – at Los Angeles (10 PM, BSSE, CBSSN)

Friday, July 7 – at Chicago** (8 PM, ION)

Sunday, July 9 – at Chicago (8 PM, BSSE)

Wednesday, July 12 – vs. Seattle Storm (7 PM, BSSE)

[ALL-STAR WEEKEND, LAS VEGAS, JULY 14-15]

Tuesday, July 18 – vs. Minnesota (7 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Thursday, July 20 – at Connecticut (11:30 AM, BSSE, NBATV)

Saturday, July 22 – vs. Connecticut (1 PM, ESPN)

Tuesday, July 25 – vs. Phoenix Mercury (7 PM, ESPN)

Thursday, July 27 – at New York (7 PM, BSSE, Prime)

Sunday, July 30 – vs. Washington (3 PM, BSSO, ESPN3)

Tuesday, August 1 – at Las Vegas (10 PM, BSSE)

Thursday, August 3 – at Phoenix (10 PM, BSSO, Prime)

Sunday, August 6 – vs. Indiana (3 PM, BSSO, ESPN3)

Thursday, August 10 – at Seattle (10 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Saturday, August 12 – at Los Angeles (7:30 PM, BSSO)

Sunday, August 13 – at Las Vegas (9 PM, BSSE, CBSSN)

[WNBA COMMISSIONER’S CUP GAME – AUGUST 15]

Friday, August 18 – vs. Chicago (7:30 PM, ION)

Tuesday, August 22 – vs. Las Vegas (7 PM, BSSE, CBSSN)

Friday, August 25 – vs. Los Angeles (7:30 PM, ION)

Sunday, August 27 – at Indiana (4 PM, BSSO, NBATV)

Tuesday, August 29 – vs. Phoenix (7 PM, BSSE)

Friday, September 1 – at Minnesota (8 PM, ION)

Wednesday, September 6 – vs. Seattle (7 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Friday, September 8 – at Washington (7 PM, ION)

Sunday, September 10 – vs. Dallas (1 PM, BSSO)

 

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

35 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

It won’t be as easy as ABC, where the Dream’s season-opener will air, or 1-2-3, to figure out where all the WNBA action is on the telly.

The beleaguered Bally Sports remains, for now, committed to providing regional coverage for the Dream and some other WNBA outlets. If that holds through the summer, like Jimmy Buffett at 5 PM, it’s a Dream game on somewhere.

The array of streaming and traditional-cable outlets means viewers, with or without WNBA League Pass, will want to keep a close eye on the schedule for media availability, and the wildly varying tipoff times, from game to game. Check! Your! Local! Listings!

Contests will continue being presented via Amazon Prime Video and Twitter, while CBS Sports Network, NBATV, and ESPN3 will continue offering some Atlanta games to national audiences. The newest player is the ION network. They’ll interrupt re-runs of Matlock and Law & Order: SVU or whatever to introduce Friday Night Hoops through the summer.

The league’s healthier and deeper rosters, one of which Atlanta presently appears to be, will fare better during the treacherous back half of the season, as the schedule-makers sought to cram six more games than last year into the docket. While I am unsure of the Dream’s odds to reach the Commissioner’s Cup, clearly someone in the league office has their doubts. Atlanta has to play a Western road back-to-back, in L.A. and at Vegas, just two days before the Cup game tips off in mid-August.

 

ATLANTA DREAM SCHEDULE

(All Times Eastern)

[** - Commissioner’s Cup qualifier games]

Saturday, May 20 – at Dallas Wings (1 PM, ABC)

Tuesday, May 23 – at Minnesota Lynx (8 PM, Bally Sports Southeast, Twitter)

Sunday, May 28 – vs. Indiana Fever** (3 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Tuesday, May 30 – vs. Chicago Sky** (7 PM, BSSE, Twitter)

Friday, June 2 – vs. Las Vegas Aces (7:30 PM, ION)

Friday, June 9 – vs. New York Liberty** (7:30 PM, ION)

Sunday, June 11 – vs. Connecticut Sun** (4 PM, Bally Sports South)

Tuesday, June 13 – at New York** (8 PM, BSSE, CBS Sports Network)

Thursday, June 15 – at Connecticut** (7 PM, BSSO, Amazon Prime Video)

Sunday, June 18 – at Indiana** (4 PM, BSSO, CBSSN)

Tuesday, June 20 – at Dallas (8 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Friday, June 23 – vs. New York (7:30 PM, ION)

Wednesday, June 28 – at Washington Mystics** (7 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Friday, June 30 – vs. Washington** (7:30 PM, ION)

Sunday, July 2 – vs. Los Angeles Sparks (3 PM, BSSO, ESPN3)

Wednesday, July 5 – at Los Angeles (10 PM, BSSE, CBSSN)

Friday, July 7 – at Chicago** (8 PM, ION)

Sunday, July 9 – at Chicago (8 PM, BSSE)

Wednesday, July 12 – vs. Seattle Storm (7 PM, BSSE)

[ALL-STAR WEEKEND, LAS VEGAS, JULY 14-15]

Tuesday, July 18 – vs. Minnesota (7 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Thursday, July 20 – at Connecticut (11:30 AM, BSSE, NBATV)

Saturday, July 22 – vs. Connecticut (1 PM, ESPN)

Tuesday, July 25 – vs. Phoenix Mercury (7 PM, ESPN)

Thursday, July 27 – at New York (7 PM, BSSE, Prime)

Sunday, July 30 – vs. Washington (3 PM, BSSO, ESPN3)

Tuesday, August 1 – at Las Vegas (10 PM, BSSE)

Thursday, August 3 – at Phoenix (10 PM, BSSO, Prime)

Sunday, August 6 – vs. Indiana (3 PM, BSSO, ESPN3)

Thursday, August 10 – at Seattle (10 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Saturday, August 12 – at Los Angeles (7:30 PM, BSSO)

Sunday, August 13 – at Las Vegas (9 PM, BSSE, CBSSN)

[WNBA COMMISSIONER’S CUP GAME – AUGUST 15]

Friday, August 18 – vs. Chicago (7:30 PM, ION)

Tuesday, August 22 – vs. Las Vegas (7 PM, BSSE, CBSSN)

Friday, August 25 – vs. Los Angeles (7:30 PM, ION)

Sunday, August 27 – at Indiana (4 PM, BSSO, NBATV)

Tuesday, August 29 – vs. Phoenix (7 PM, BSSE)

Friday, September 1 – at Minnesota (8 PM, ION)

Wednesday, September 6 – vs. Seattle (7 PM, BSSE, NBATV)

Friday, September 8 – at Washington (7 PM, ION)

Sunday, September 10 – vs. Dallas (1 PM, BSSO)

 

~lw3

I think I’d like to be a permanent fan? Where do I sign up? Problem is I can only watch the NBAtv games unless I order the wnba package I’m guessing? I might start out with the national tv games first to get my feet wet.

[lethalweapon3]

9 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

I think I’d like to be a permanent fan? Where do I sign up? Problem is I can only watch the NBAtv games unless I order the wnba package I’m guessing? I might start out with the national tv games first to get my feet wet.

Definitely do that as there ought to be a lot more ESPN coverage this season, although I'll note the league is dusting off a new WNBA app that can help keep you abreast of games and things going on.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

With the season tipping off this evening, it’s WNBA Power Poll time!

Las Vegas Aces – The champs remain, thanks to Parker, the most complete team 1-through-6, no matter what other superteams have formed.

New York Liberty – In Stew York! Jonquel and Stewart and Sloot joining forces with Ionescu changes a lot of equations. Can they find enough shot-making at the wing to complete the turnaround?

 

Washington Mystics – Still a dangerous team, with great defense at the wings, now directed by the longtime coach's son. But limited frontcourt depth puts a lot on Elena Delle Donne's plate.

 

Phoenix Mercury – It is great to have Brittney Griner back in seemingly full form. It is not so great for her to return to a team that seems plagued by dysfunctional relationships on and off the court.

 

Connecticut Sun – Departures of the Coach and MVP suggest a steep slide is in order. But with the other Jones' emergence in Brionna, and some guard help, not so fast.

 

Dallas Wings – Key new faces, including the first-time head coach, will make the start slow out of the blocks, although an emergent draftee could change the prospects significantly. Everything's bigger with Arike Ogunbowale around.

 

Seattle Storm – Suddenly, it's the Jewell Loyd Show! She will need more help, in areas of depth and rebounding, to disprove skeptics that say she cannot ably carry the marquee.

 

ATLANTA DREAM – Gray and Howard ought to be a dynamo at the wing spots not seen since peak Hayes and McCoughtry. Rebounding and further growth from McDonald may help tip the scales.

 

Minnesota Lynx – A complete transition to the post-championships era is underway for Reeve. Try as Napheesa Collier and rookie Diamond Miller might, the ride is bound to be bumpy.

 

Los Angeles Sparks – Healthy veterans all season long would give the team under Curt Miller a better shot, although better shooting from outside would be even more useful. Anyone seen Chennedy?

 

Indiana Fever – Now loaded, thanks to rookie Aliyah Boston, with young talent at the post positions, playoff contention will be possible with improvement at the wing spots.

 

Chicago Sky – Did someone snap their fingers? Even with all the superstar departures, coach James Wade still has Kahleah “KFC” Copper and wing talent. Is there enough backfill for the frontcourt?

 

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

29 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

new WNBA app

There’s an app for that!   

[Spud2nique]

4 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

With the season tipping off this evening, it’s WNBA Power Poll time!

Las Vegas Aces – The champs remain, thanks to Parker, the most complete team 1-through-6, no matter what other superteams have formed.

New York Liberty – In Stew York! Jonquel and Stewart and Sloot joining forces with Ionescu changes a lot of equations. Can they find enough shot-making at the wing to complete the turnaround?

 

Washington Mystics – Still a dangerous team, with great defense at the wings, now directed by the longtime coach's son. But limited frontcourt depth puts a lot on Elena Delle Donne's plate.

 

Phoenix Mercury – It is great to have Brittney Griner back in seemingly full form. It is not so great for her to return to a team that seems plagued by dysfunctional relationships on and off the court.

 

Connecticut Sun – Departures of the Coach and MVP suggest a steep slide is in order. But with the other Jones' emergence in Brionna, and some guard help, not so fast.

 

Dallas Wings – Key new faces, including the first-time head coach, will make the start slow out of the blocks, although an emergent draftee could change the prospects significantly. Everything's bigger with Arike Ogunbowale around.

 

Seattle Storm – Suddenly, it's the Jewell Loyd Show! She will need more help, in areas of depth and rebounding, to disprove skeptics that say she cannot ably carry the marquee.

 

ATLANTA DREAM – Gray and Howard ought to be a dynamo at the wing spots not seen since peak Hayes and McCoughtry. Rebounding and further growth from McDonald may help tip the scales.

 

Minnesota Lynx – A complete transition to the post-championships era is underway for Reeve. Try as Napheesa Collier and rookie Diamond Miller might, the ride is bound to be bumpy.

 

Los Angeles Sparks – Healthy veterans all season long would give the team under Curt Miller a better shot, although better shooting from outside would be even more useful. Anyone seen Chennedy?

 

Indiana Fever – Now loaded, thanks to rookie Aliyah Boston, with young talent at the post positions, playoff contention will be possible with improvement at the wing spots.

 

Chicago Sky – Did someone snap their fingers? Even with all the superstar departures, coach James Wade still has Kahleah “KFC” Copper and wing talent. Is there enough backfill for the frontcourt?

 

~lw3

Nightmare of peachtree street! Love it!

[Gray Mule]

Some Squawk posters say that watching the WNBA is almost as exciting as watching grass grow.

I've tried both.  WNBA is better!

Expecting good things from the Atlanta Dream this summer!

Spud, you can get WNBA League pass and watch games on your computer.  That's what I've been doing.  Glad to have you on board and I hope you enjoy the season.

Thanks LW3.  You make everything better!!

GO ATL DREAM!!

[Spud2nique]

30 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Spud, you can get WNBA League pass and watch games on your computer.  That's what I've been doing.  Glad to have you on board and I hope you enjoy the season.

 

Will look into it! Thanks Gramps!

31 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Thanks LW3.  You make everything better!!

Seriously he’s a savant.

[lethalweapon3]

Rough season-openers were in store for two WNBA teams who'll try to make amends tonight, as the Minnesota Lynx host the Atlanta Dream at Target Center (8 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast, Twitter). Both the Dream and the Lynx had disastrous lapses in the second quarters that had them each down 17 points at the half.

Allisha Gray struggled at the outset of her return to Dallas, and neither she nor Rhyne Howard could keep Arike Ogunbowale in check during the first half. Cheyenne Parker turned over the ball repeatedly in hopes of a favorable whistle, and a multitude of Dream players were off the mark on open jumpers. Yet at least the Dream (0-1) were on the road, and waged a valiant effort to cut the lead down to 3 in the closing minutes. Minnesota took their L from the stripped-down Sky, scoring just 66 points and falling by 11 before the home audience, as their team fully transitions from its era of legendary WNBA stars.

More balance for Atlanta will be needed from the jump courtesy of guard Aari McDonald (2-dor-11 FGs @ DAL), particularly now that the status of backup Danielle Robinson, who injured her knee midway through the Wings game, is up in the air. McDonald and Gray ought to be capable of winning their respective matchups with the Lynx's Rachel Banham and Ariel Powers.

The Dream were able to make inroads in the third quarter after Wings center Teaira McCowan exited due to injury. Center Natalie Achonwa took Napheesa Collier's pregnancy-leave spot, and the momentary waiver of ex-Dream Damiris Dantas leaves Jessica Shepard and Nikolina Milic holding it down as best they can in the post-Sylvia Fowles post.

As our Rhyne-stone seeks to outshine rookie Diamond Miller, Parker and Naz Hillmon have to be a disruptive presence in the paint (Mo Billings as well, if she returns after being a scratch versus Dallas due to an ankle injury) and keep Collier cool,

In closing, we love you back, LaChina!

 

Let's Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

And there was

Spoiler

some

nooooooooo doubt about it!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Are the Atlanta Dream prepared to help the Indiana Fever make history? The Fever has been planning all week to thwart it.

The Fever (0-2) began what is technically a three-game road trip with 90-73 loss in New York last Sunday. They’ve been off ever since, allowing them to rest up and strategize ahead of the Dream’s home opener and five-game homestand opener today (3 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast, Facebook). Yet Indy knows taking their 21^st consecutive L this afternoon would make the WNBA record for futility all their own.

The Fever tied the Tulsa Shock, now doing business as the Dallas Wings, who set the 20-game mark as the undesirable standard back in August 2011. Last winning a road game back in June of last year, Indiana (11 straight road Ls) does have a way to go before threatening the league-record 22-game road skid Tulsa set simultaneously a dozen years ago.

New head coach Christie Sides doesn’t care too much about winning purely for stemming losing streak’s sake. “We’re not talking about last year,” Sides confided to media as reported by the AP. “We’ve got to figure out how to find that win.” Aiding that cause, Sides does have at her disposal the likely 2023 Rookie of the Year to help offset 2022’s winner, Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, today.

Center and 2023 top pick Aliyah Boston gets as close to Gamecock Country as possible in her new WNBA profession. She can become the first player to score 15 points in her first three WNBA games since Elena Delle Donne and Brittney Griner did so as members of the Three To See rookie class of 2013. Sides also has former Dream sniper Kristy Wallace to help alleviate the defensive pressure in the paint on Boston and sophomore sensation NaLyssa Smith.

Smith, Kelsey Mitchell and the Fever don’t want to dwell on the losing from past seasons, including the fact Atlanta swept Indy for 4 of their 14 wins in 2022, including two by double digits at College Park’s Gateway Center Arena. Like the Fever, the Dream would like to snap their string of falling behind with loose play in the first halves. Unlike Indiana, Atlanta has had a pair of strong finishes under their belts to start this season, notably their franchise-record comeback out of a 19-point third-quarter hole in Tuesday’s 83-77 win at Minnesota.

Also hoping for a warm reception from Gamecock fans in attendance today, Allisha Gray got out of her shooting funk and poured on a career-tying 26 points as the Lynx, suddenly, didn’t know what hit them. With forward Nia Coffey (3.0 BPG) blocking shots and center Cheyenne Parker (2.0 SPG) going for steals, Gray (8.5 RPG) and wing mate Howard (7.0 RPG) have been securing defensive rebounds to spark transition. That will be a taller order, literally, with Smith and Boston around the glass, so the Dream “bigs” need to pull in their share of caroms today.

Naz Hillmon and AD Durr were the sparks off the bench that helped Atlanta turn the tide on Tuesday. Starting guard Aari McDonald came through in the clutch with the triple that helped Atlanta seize the lead for the final time, but it will aid the Dream for her and other shooters to create and sink open looks from the outset of games like today’s.

If the home team starts strong by leading the turnover battle and continues coming through at the charity stripe (18-for-20 FTs @ MIN), then history, for the visitors, is likely to be in the making.

 

Have a safe, reflective, and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend. Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

^ So much for all of that, the Fever get a stay of execution (we hope) as the tipoff with the Dream is TOMORROW (Sunday) at 3 PM. I shoulda checked my local listings! smh

 

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

16 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

^ So much for all of that, the Fever get a stay of execution (we hope) as the tipoff with the Dream is TOMORROW (Sunday) at 3 PM. I shoulda checked my local listings! smh

 

~lw3

Hey bro why you goin around altering then deleting my insider post? You first alter it then delete the whole thing? Bush league bs!

[lethalweapon3]

Thanks for the reminder. It's (actually) Gameday!

Let's Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

No rest for the leery! Not for the Atlanta Dream fans that watched their team flub their home opener to Indiana, breaking the Fever’s 20-game losing string. There was just one off-day before the Dream host the Chicago Sky this evening (7 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast, Twitter), and Atlanta will find a pared-down opponent that isn’t feeling sorry for itself.

Histrionics with the referees aside, coach James Wade has his squad out to a 3-1 start to the season. Courtney Vandersloot and Candace Parker have moved on to other super-teams, Allie Quigley elected to take this season off, and Emma Meesseman remains in Europe. Isabelle Harrison has been out all season so far while rehabbing her knee, and rookie Morgan Bertsch and Rebekah Gardner missed the last game.

That hasn’t stopped the Sky from catching foes unaware. When asked about the adversity, Wade answered to the postgame media that it is, “not a big deal. It’s how you respond.”

After winning on the road twice, including spoiling Brittney Griner’s home return in Phoenix, Chicago bounced back from a close loss in last Friday’s home opener to former Sky star Elena Delle Donne and Washington, taking out the visiting Wings two days later. Making a lead guard out of former Dallas breakout player Marina Mabrey, the Sky soared to a 94-88 win behind Mabrey’s 23 points.

Former Dream All-Star swingwoman Courtney Williams (team-high 33.0 MPG, 8.5 RPG) signed in the offseason with the Sky, and leads a brigade of players crashing the glass for every available rebound. That has allowed another ex-Dream All-Star, center Elizabeth Williams, to rove for stocks (1.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG). Wade may have pulled off the biggest coup by finding some utility out of fifth-yeat forward Alanna Smith.

The former 2018 first-rounder, waived early last season by the Fever, latched onto Chicago and delivered her first career double-double in Sunday’s victory. Making use of third-round rookie Sika Kone and Smith to dominate possessions to the benefit of Kahleah Copper has worked well so far, and it stands to continue versus teams, like the Dream (38.4 team FG%, 10^th in WNBA; league-high 11.7 O-Rebs/game), who attack the offensive glass but are plagued by wayward shooting.

“If we’re going to win games,” Atlanta coach Tanisha Wright told Field Level Media and reporters, “we’ve got to be high-level, in terms of our execution.” That includes better utilization of screens and shot selection from Rhyne Howard and Aari McDonald. And it includes better communication when transitioning on defense. Despite the bad loss to Indy, a better-balanced game for four quarters gives them a legitimate chance to scrape past the Sky.

 

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Aces High! Pretty much everything is going according to plan for the Las Vegas Aces, the WNBA defending champions who made more boffo offseason maneuvers, including the acquisition of Candace Parker, and enter today’s contest at Gateway Center Arena (7:30 PM Eastern, Atlanta’s debut on the Friday Night slate of games on the ION Network) unbeaten through its first four games.

They likely did not plan on head coach Becky Hammon getting suspended for the first two, a consequence of violating league workplace policies, tied to the treatment of former Ace Dearica Hamby before shipping her contract to Los Angeles. Las Vegas will also be docked their 2025 first-rounder as organizational punishment.

Nonetheless, the depth presented by adding Kiah Stokes and Sydney Colson, plus defensive ace Alysha Clark, was a strategic move that offset the roster upgrades made by New York (3-1; the Liberty arrive here next Friday) while balancing a starting lineup (Chelsea Gray, Kelsea Plum, Jackie Young, Parker, reigning MVP and DPOY A’ja Wilson) that’s chock full o’ All-Stars.

Despite a back-to-back, the Aces blew out two struggling teams last weekend at home, L.A. by 28 and Minnesota by 21, before getting the next five days off ahead of this four-game East Coast trip. They’re presently league leaders with both 96.5 PPG and 71.8 PPG allowed.

Atlanta (2-2) took some of the bad taste of the home opener versus Indiana out of everyone’s mouths with a resounding 83-65 win on Tuesday against visiting Chicago. The double-barreled scoring attack from Rhyne Howard (21.5 PPG in past two games) and Allisha Gray (17.0 PPG, team-high 3.3 APG) is working according to its own designs.

Ball movement took a hit with the season-opening loss of veteran guard Danielle Robinson, who had arthroscopic surgery in mid-week and hopes to return in July. But there have been encouraging signs that rookie Haley Jones is fitting in well while taking predictable lumps in her new role, and AD Durr offers enough offensive spark to make holding out for Robinson’s return worth Atlanta’s while.

(More on Jones’ acclimation in the early going here on The Next: )

The Next: "Haley Jones is Finding Her Way On and Off the Court"

Quality touches and defensive plays from the Dream reserves could help the starters keep up with Vegas’ top-line firepower. If they can keep it up for 40 minutes, as they did in fending off the Sky, then it won’t be obvious by the fourth quarter who is holding all the cards.

 

Let’s Go Dream!

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Aces ran away and hid in the 1st half, up by 15.  Held thsat thru the 3rd quarter, then had to hold on and fight for their lives in the 4th as the dream closed on them.  They got the win but not without a real fight from the Dream.

In the 4th quarter the Dream proved to themselves that they were as good as anyone and put a real scare into the undefeated Aces.  If they could have played the 1st half like they did the 2nd, well, the outcome would have been in the favor of the Dream.  Lesson learned.  Now we press onward!

[Spud2nique]

@AHF may we throw this absolute perfection of a thread in the Hall of Fame now?

[Spud2nique]

It’s just my own writing style, I detect hate, bitterness, jealousy in my own posts.

Again, not talking squawker but rather thread and content of thread seems like it’s kinda projection from a bloody mirror.

Let's Go Dream!