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ATLANTA- The Atlanta Dream have been in this situation several times this season. The most recent was against the Minnesota Lynx, where they had a lead late in regulation, but ended up going into overtime and losing the game. This time, it was against the Seattle Storm, where they were up 79-75 with 51 seconds left. When the clock hit zero, the Storm had won 80-79.
Erica Wheeler hit a 3-pointer to cut down the Dream's lead to one with 32 seconds. The Dream came down on offense and missed a shot, and the Storm had 11 seconds to work with. Skylar Diggins then did with Skylar Diggins does best, and drove down the lane to give the Storm a one-point lead with three seconds left. From there, the Dream weren't able to get a clean shot off.
It was another end-of-the-game situation where the Dream fell short late after having a lead, and the players know what they need to do in those moments.
“I think it’s about locking in on the little things and the details,” Brionna Jones said. “Coach harps on it all the time, and we’re seeing it firsthand. To be the great team that I know we can be and compete with the great teams in this league, we have to take care of those little details, whether it’s a box out or a missed defensive assignment.”
“We just have to lock in and focus,” Jordin Canada said. “All it takes is one possession, and I think those last two possessions, we kind of lost a little bit of focus. Being able to finish out these games, knowing that the little things matter and the details matter.”
Dream give up late lead in loss against Storm
The Dream have lost a few games this season where they've had control of the game late, but the other team has found a way to execute and steal it in the end. Head coach Karl Smesko knows the team has a lot of things working against them right now, and he's owning up to their late-game blunders.
“These end-of-the-game situations are one, for our team, where new players are working together and getting adjusted to that,” Smesko said. “For me, fouls to give, those kinds of things. I have to make sure we start working on that in practice and feel comfortable with how to do it, when to do it. There’s a lot of work yet to be done, but I feel good with where we’re at.”
The one bright side of the game was Jordin Canada, who had her best performance of the season, finishing with 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists. All game, Canada was putting pressure on the rim and getting to the foul line, which helped the Dream stay in the game.
“I was just getting into space, taking what the defense gives me, being able to make good reads and make good decisions,” Canada said.
With her having the hot hand, the last play of the game was for her, but the Storm did a good job of disrupting it.
“We were going to get it to Jordin on the move because she was having such a great game. I give them credit; they disrupted the timing on the catch,” Smesko said. “We were supposed to catch it on the run, and then we were going to be attacking the basket after that. As soon as it got disrupted, that’s where I should’ve stepped in and called a timeout.”
Late game situations are something where both Smesko and the players are striving to be better, and as time goes on, things should get improve on that end.
