The Atlanta Dream played one of the best teams in the league, the Minnesota Lynx, and they showed why they're a tough matchup for any team that they go against. Coming into the game, the Dream had already lost to the Lynx three times this season, and they swept the season series on Sept. 10, losing 76-64. Throughout the night, the Lynx put pressure on the Dream on both sides of the ball, which led them to shoot 30 percent from the field.
After the game, head coach Tanisha Wright mentioned the physical play of the Lynx and how it forced the team to have to take tough shots. With only four games remaining, Wright also talked about how they control their destiny when it comes to getting the final playoff spot.
“Playing a team like Minnesota really forces you to be perfect. They capitalize on every single mistake that you make. I think they did a really good job of being physical with us. I thought we handled it well at times, and at times we didn’t,” Wright said. “Overall, our focus has to move on. We’re still in control of our destiny and we have to look forward to what we can control.”
Allisha Gray said that the mindset has to remain positive through these remaining four games if they want a chance to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
“Just remaining positive. From here on out, we have four games left, so all four are important for us to win to continue in postseason play. The biggest thing is keeping our heads up and remaining positive,” Gray said.
Dream can't overcome Lynx's physical play
Though the team took a tough loss against a good team, the Naz Hillmon was still satisfied with how they played throughout the game.
“We did some good things tonight. We thought on the defensive end we did a good job against a team that usually puts up a lot of points,” Hillmon said after the game. “We want to continue to build on those things. We thought we had some really good stretches on defense, especially with our ball pressure, that we’re going to continue to take into these games.
“Some shots didn’t fall, things that usually go in like layups or consistent shots that our shotmakers make, and sometimes that happens. Tough night for that to happen against a really good team, but when you look at our percentages across the board, it just wasn’t our night.”
The Dream's top scorers were unable to get into a rhythm all night, which included Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Tina Charles. If the Dream want to stay competitive in games, one of those three players has to have it going, but the Lynx came in with a game plan and executed it to get the win.
“That’s a physical basketball team. They don’t necessarily let you get to your stuff, you have to be super intentional about doing early work so that you can get open on time,” Wright said. “They did a good job of being physical with us early on and establishing that throughout the game. I thought there were opportunities that the officials missed in terms of foul calls, but in games like this, you can’t let it affect you.”
Even after the loss, the Dream are still able to control their own destiny and get into the playoffs. With four games remaining and three of them being against the teams that are fighting for the final playoff spot, it's important that they do everything they can to get those wins.
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