The Atlanta Dream look to crack the win column for the first time this season at home when they host the Chicago Sky in a Tuesday matinee game at Philips Arena. Perhaps a noon tip off can provide the spark that Atlanta needs to get back on track from a 1-5 start to the season.
Atlanta has struggled thus far thanks in large part to not having the same players available on a consistent basis which has prevented the team from gelling. Most recently it was All-Star forward Sancho Lyttle who has left the team to be a part of the Spanish National Team. Lyttle is expected to miss four more games and the Dream cannot afford to wait until she returns to get things turned around.
The Chicago Sky enter the game with a 3-2 record most recently falling to Connecticut by a score of 83-68 on Sunday. They are led by Sylvia Fowles and Epiphanny Prince who combine to average a little over 38 points per game.
If you have watched the Dream over the last few games then you have seen a team that is trying hard but is not getting the results that it wants. Atlanta is much too talented to struggle like this for long and needs to get back to playing instinctively rather than over thinking on the court.
Perhaps that is easier said than done but coach Marynell Meadors is faced with the challenge of getting her players in positions where they can be successful. That means working the high/low game to Erika De Souza, getting Iziane Castro Marques on the fast break, and getting Angel McCoughtry enough room to work her magic on the offensive end.
It also means playing championship caliber team defense and taking care of the basketball. This game can be made very complicated but in the end it is simple. Atlanta needs to get back to doing the simple things and build some confidence along the way. Perhaps this is where they turn things around.
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