The Atlanta Dream bounced back with a solid 87-74 win against the Los Angeles Sparks, improving to 6-6. Allisha Gray came up huge with 25 points.
The Atlanta Dream still have a pretty sour taste in their mouths. They recently lost back-to-back games and still sit quiet a ways away from their brand of basketball.
“We gotta stay the course. We gotta continue to trust what we’re doing,” said head coach Tanisha Wright pregrame. But obviously, something has to change. Wright and the Dream are underachieving, and that fact is painfully loud.
Let’s delve into what I learned from the Dream’s comfortable win against the Sparks:
- Draw-kicks are still a huge issue: Atlanta overcommits on defense, and drawing towards one side of the court or defender allows teams to kick out the ball to the open player freely. Teams have very clearly watched the film on the Dream and are using it to their advantage. For goodness sake, Cameron Brink was 2-for-3 in the first half on draw-kick 3-pointers.
- The offense still needs to improve in the paint: The Dream had just 14 shots at halftime. Atlanta missed a blistering 13 shots in the paint during the first half, including seven-plus under the basket. That’s just not cut it against the more elite teams in the league. That’s at least 14 points left out on the floor.
- Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is off the bench, and Nia Coffey is in the starting lineup: I’d be lying if I said I like Cheyenne coming off the bench, but I totally get why. Something had to give. However, the issue is now that Coffey’s offense is nowhere to be found in back-to-back games. Hopefully, it comes alive, but I’m now weary of the initial switch.
- The Dream need to live at the foul line and never leave: Atlanta does its best when they gets north-south and attacks the paint. It shouldn’t be a complex concept, but you can tell they did not do those things in their losses. By midway through the third quarter against Los Angeles, they had taken 20 free throws. See what happens when they attack? Good things!
- The Dream had no answer for Rickea Jackson: Rickea Jackson has been on a tear since she was inserted into the Sparks’ starting lineup. Jackson continued that dominance on Sunday. By mid-way through the third quarter, she had 16 points, including six in the period. She ran Atlanta all over the court and broke out her signature one-legged fade-away jumper just because she could.
- Foul Trouble: This sounds like a broken record, but the Dream stay in foul trouble. (Literally, as I was typing this, Allisha Gray picked up a foul less than 30 seconds after checking back into the game.) The defensive woes are just so mind-boggling, and it’s hard not to call this team undisciplined at times, but that’s what it boils down to. If they get beat, they unravel. It’s not good. That cannot be a hallmark staple of their game. Better teams will continue to tear them apart.
- Aerial Powers (until we see Jordin Canada) is the best offseason acquisition: Listen, if nothing else, Aerial Powers is a huge energy boost. I’ve said it before, but she really is a lightning bolt. I mean, ENERGY has to be her middle name. It just helps that she has timely buckets. She was 5-for-8 off the bench, and you can’t ask for much more. Once Powers gets more control over her energy – WOOOO BOY! – she will be special.
“She’s just who she is,” Tina Charles said post-game. “She’s never gonna change. Like, AP, you walk in, and you know who she is.”
Ultimately, Atlanta walked out of Gateway Center Arena with a win to get back to .500, but the jury is still out on who this team is.
“Good win for us. Great bounce back win,” Wright said. “We need to work on consistency. So, our message to them is not being satisfied.”
The Dream have two huge games against Minnesota and Indiana this coming week to figure out who they want to be.
We’re still looking for the top-four team several players spoke about being in training camp. It’s not that the Dream can’t do it. But from game to game, it’s hard to feel confident about that aspiration. If the Dream want greatness, the runway is waiting for them to takeoff.
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