Coming into the 2011 WNBA season, the Atlanta Dream was viewed as the only team in the Eastern Conference that was guaranteed to make the postseason after stunning the league by sweeping the top seeded Washington Mystics and the second seed New York Liberty to advance into the WNBA Finals where they were unfortunately swept by the Seattle Storm. After the great 2010 campaign and the addition of Lindsey Harding, Dream fans felt their team would make the playoffs without any circumstances. Before the season started, Atlanta fans were shocked when their star, Angel Mccoughtry went down with an early injury and the Dream headed to their season opener without their star. Unfortunately, the Dream dropped their first 3 games, including two in overtime to the New York Liberty and the Washington Mystics. Mccoughtry finally returned to the Dream lineup; however, the team still struggled through the entire month of June and into July. Early in July, the Atlanta Dream hit their lowest point of the season by dropping to a 3-9 record. On July 16th, the Atlanta Dream would win a huge game against the Chicago Sky and this win sparked one of the best streaks by a WNBA team this season. The Dream won 5 straight games to pull within one game of a .500 record; however, after losing two straight games to the Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty, Atlanta found themselves three games under .500. Early in August, as the Atlanta Dream became healthier and their team began the month by winning 5 of their next 6 games and taking the lead over the Chicago Sky for the fourth and final seed in the Eastern Conference. As the month progressed, the Dream would finally climb over .500 for the season after winning on the road against the Los Angeles Sparks and they would continue their dominance for the rest of the month. On September 3rd, the Dream defeated the Tulsa Shock and clinched their third straight playoff appearance and now, Atlanta will have the opportunity to make their second straight appearance to the WNBA Finals. I will mention some of the key players that made the Dream's return to the playoffs possible.
1.ANGEL MCCOUGHTRY
Without Angel's contribution, the Dream would not have made it back to the postseason. In her third season in Atlanta, she is averaging (20.9) points per game, (5.3) rebounds per game, (2.5) assists per game, and (2.3) steals per game. Mccoughtry's ranks (2nd) in the WNBA in points per game, (2nd) in the league with steals per game, and leads the league with free throws converted with (198). After struggling early in the season, she turned her intensity up to another level to help bring the Atlanta Dream back to playoff contention and also place herself in the race for the WNBA Most Valuable Player at the end of the season. Since the Dream went on their 15-5 streak, Mccoughtry has posted (4) games of 30+ points and (10) games of 20+ points and continued her dominance throughout the second half for her team. Mccoughtry is one of the young and emerging stars in the league and the Dream will need a big postseason from her in order to return to the WNBA Finals for the second consecutive season. Even if Angel don't win the MVP around the league, without her key contributions throughout the season, Atlanta would have completely missed the postseason and she deserves a lot of credit for her efforts.
2. ERIKA DESOUZA
Desouza is one of the only members from the inaugural Atlanta Dream team in 2008; however, in her fourth season on the team, she provided a huge impact on the team all season and emerged as one of the best forward/centers around the WNBA today. Desouza, in her 5th season in the WNBA is having a career season averaging (12.6) points per game, (7.7) rebounds per game, and (1.4) blocks per game for Atlanta. Desouza ranks (11th) among her position with points per game, (6th) in the WNBA in rebounds, and (5th) in the league in blocks per game. Desouza's inside presence is a huge contribution for the Dream and she provides mismatches for opposing teams whenever they have to defend her in the paint. Since Atlanta's run to the playoffs, Desouza contributions were huge for the Dream and she is one of the most important people that makes the team very successful and tough to compete against. In the postseason, Atlanta will continue to rely on her dominance inside the paint to help take their team to another level.
3. ARMINTIE PRICE
As usual, Armintie Price was a key contributor off the bench and also considered as the Dream's "sixth woman" who brought the energy to Atlanta in order to help them win the game, however, when Atlanta started 3-9, Coach Marynell Meadors decided to insert her into the starting lineup and the results have been successful as the Dream won 15 of their next 20 games with Price in the lineup. Price, the former WNBA Rookie of the Year, is having her best season to date averaging (8.4) points per game, (2.8) assists per game, and (1.4) steals per game and her contributions are continuing to pay off for the Dream. Armintie Price is one of the fastest athletes in the WNBA today and her ability to come up with key steals and blocks on defense makes her difficult to defend during games and on offense, her speed and play making qualities allow her to make big offensive plays through any circumstances that the Dream face on gameday. As the Dream start their playoff push, she will be relied on as a key component for the offense and on defense in order to propel Atlanta towards another WNBA Finals appearance and hopes to bring Atlanta a world championship in professional basketball.
4. LINDSEY HARDING
In the off-season, Marynell Meadors acquired Lindsey Harding from the Washington Mystics in order to provide a true point guard for Atlanta in the 2011 season. During the early struggles that the Dream faced, Harding was unable to take her career to another level and it caused the Atlanta offense to struggle; however, as the season progressed and the Dream started their run towards the playoffs, Harding's stats and production increased and she returned to her Washington Mystics ways and continued to pay off major dividends for the starting unit. Harding averages (10.5) points per game, (4.5) assists per game, (1.0) steals per game, and (3.1) rebounds per game. She ranks (11th) in the WNBA in rebounds, (8th) in the league in assists and in the Top 25 for points per game among point guards around the league. As the playoff stretch continues, Harding is discovering her outside game and now her production will continue to increase for Atlanta and her veteran experience will benefit the Dream throughout the playoffs as they work towards accomplishing their ultimate goals.
5. SANCHO LYTTLE
Lyttle, the former WNBA All-Star began the season with the Dream; however, she would miss the next month and Atlanta struggled in the first half of the season. Towards the All-Star Break, Sancho Lyttle returned to the Dream by coming off the bench until she was completely prepared to make the starting lineup again. After the WNBA All-Star Game, Lyttle provided a huge boost for Atlanta and heading into the second half and down the stretch for the playoffs, she was a clutch contributor for the team including hitting a few game winning shots during the amazing rally for playoff contention. Lyttle averages (10.3) points per game, (2.3) steals per game, and (6.1) rebounds per game which have been some huge numbers that helped Atlanta win many games in order to continue their dominance to make the playoffs. Lyttle will continue to make an impact on the Dream during the playoffs and will continue to cause mismatches for the opponents.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Coco Miller and Allison Bales
Early in the 2011 WNBA season, when the Dream suffered key injuries to Angel Mccoughtry and Sancho Lyttle, these two players played a huge part in helping Atlanta weather the storm and once they returned, Miller and Bales was key contributors from the bench. Coco Miller, who is in her 10th season in the WNBA, was a huge addition off the bench averaging (7.4) points per game, (2.0) rebounds per game, and (1.3) assists per game, which was her best numbers in her three years on the Atlanta Dream and she will be the sixth woman for Atlanta throughout the postseason. Allison Bales, who was another original member of the Atlanta Dream, have been called on to play for both Sancho Lyttle and Erika Desouza and she was an effective threat for the Dream's offense. Bales averaged (4.8) points per game, (4.4) rebounds per game, (1.3) assists per game, and (1.6) blocks per game. Allison Bales ranks (4th) in the WNBA in blocks, (8th) in the WNBA among centers in rebounds, and (3rd) in the WNBA among centers with assists. Without both of their contributions throughout the struggles in the first half and their continued efforts in the second half, Atlanta may not have won as many games as they did down the stretch to return to the postseason.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
As the Atlanta Dream enters the postseason, they will use their strategy from the success of the 2010 WNBA playoffs in order to return to their playoff success and make a run at the WNBA Finals. Most of the current players on the 2011 Atlanta Dream went to the WNBA Finals last season and with a year of experience under their arsenal, they will look to take their experience and turn it into a championship season. Currently, if the playoffs started today, Atlanta would face the Indiana Fever, who is 0-3 against Atlanta this season despite having Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas. The matchup between two MVP candidates in Mccoughtry and Catchings would be a huge duel for a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Atlanta is excited about the playoffs and expects their team to go to another level and finally win a world championship. Until the playoffs come, LET'S GO DREAM!!!!
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