The WNBA Finals shifts to Atlanta and the Dream are hoping to hold off elimination and force a Game 4 on Sunday. Atlanta dropped Games 1 & 2 in Minnesota and now have their backs squarely to the wall in the best-of-five series.
Atlanta entered the fourth quarter in both games of the series either tied or with the lead only to watch it slip away. In Game 3, Atlanta will have to avoid the many mental breakdowns that plagued them in Game 2 and they are hoping to catch a break from the officials that sent the Lynx to the free throw line 24 times in the fourth quarter alone.
"I think the thing that really turned the game around, they had 24 free throws to our seven in the fourth quarter," Meadors said.
Atlanta was whistled for 33 fouls in the game which was 10 more than Minnesota. Officiating aside Atlanta also has to look hard at their fourth quarter execution as another reason for the Game 2 loss. When Minnesota wasn't at the free throw line, they were executing their offense to get the shot that they wanted. Too often in the fourth quarter, Atlanta broke down into too much one-on-one play.
Angel McCoughtry was magnificent for much of Game 2, however the challenge for coach Marynell Meadors is to get her team to execute where they can get the ball in McCoughtry's hands in positions where she can be successful. Atlanta's head down approach made things easy for the Lynx to defend and they are too good defensively for the Dream to have any success with that approach.
Tip off from Philips Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN 2.