For the first time since the new playoff format was introduced in 2016, we are
guaranteed to have an Eastern Conference team represented in the WNBA Finals.
While the new format eliminated the traditional East vs. West matchup, that is
exactly what has played out based on the results of the first two rounds of the
playoffs.
In the West it will be No. 1 Seattle vs. No. 5 Phoenix and in the East it will
be No. 2 Atlanta vs. No. 3 Washington, with the first game of the series tipping
off Sunday in Atlanta at 3:00 PM ET on ESPN2.
Series Schedule
– Game 1: Sunday, Aug. 26, Washington at Atlanta, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN2) – Game 2:
Tuesday, Aug. 28, Washington at Atlanta, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2) – Game 3: Friday,
Aug. 31, Atlanta at Washington, 8 p.m. ET (ESPNews/NBA TV) – Game 4*: Sunday,
Sept. 2, Atlanta at Washington, Time TBD (ESPN2) – Game 5*: Tuesday, Sept. 4:
Washington at Atlanta, Time TBD (ESPN2) *if necessary
The Dream vs. Mystics semifinal features two of the hottest teams down the
stretch of the regular season. Atlanta was the best team in the WNBA over the
second half of the season as they went 15-2 over their final 17 games, including
a franchise-record eight-game winning streak. However, that streak was snapped
by Washington as the Mystics closed out the regular season by winning eight of
their last nine games; and if you include their second-round blowout win over
L.A., the Mystics enter the semifinals having just one loss in their last 10
games.
These two teams are also the only two in the Final Four that have yet to win a
WNBA title. Seattle has two (2004, 2010) and Phoenix has three (2007, 2009,
2014); meanwhile Atlanta has three Finals appearances but has yet to win a
Finals game, and Washington is the only active franchise in the WNBA that has
never appeared in the Finals. In terms of playoff history between the teams, the
Dream eliminated the Mystics in the first round on their way to the Finals in
both 2010 and 2013 as the Dream lead the all-time playoff series 4-1.
Season Series (Atlanta 2, Washington 1)
The Dream also won this year’s regular season series by taking two of three
games against the Mystics. All three meetings took place during a three-week
stretch during July. And all three featured All-Star Angel McCoughtry before she
suffered a season-ending knee injury in early August.
McCoughtry was not only Atlanta’s second-leading scorer (16.5 ppg) and rebounder
(6.0), she is also one of the best playoff scorers in the history of the WNBA as
she owns the second-highest scoring average (22.8) in playoff history behind
only Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper. McCoughtry also owns four of the top seven
scoring games in playoff history (including the single-game record of 42 points)
and three of the top four scoring performances in the WNBA Finals.
The Dream closed out the season by winning their final three games without
McCoughtry to hold onto the No. 2 seed and earn the double-bye to the
semifinals. Now they must look to advance without the veteran scorer available
against a high-scoring Mystics squad. In their win over Los Angeles in the
second round, the Mystics had six players score in double-figures – the entire
starting lineup plus Tianna Hawkins off the bench – as Washington set franchise
records for points (96), assists (28) and margin of victory (32) in a playoff
game. It was the second-largest margin of victory in WNBA playoff history,
trailing only the 33-point win by Phoenix over Tulsa in 2015.
July 11 at Washington Dream 106, Mystics 89
Other than the three-game win streak in early June, the Dream could not string
wins together through the first half of the season. That all changed on July 8
when Atlanta won the first of eight straight games. The second win of that
streak came against the Mystics in Washington DC. Atlanta got big contributions
from those who were not with the Dream in 2017 – McCoughtry had 24 points (she
sat out the 2017 season), Jessica Breland had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7
assists (she signed as a free agent from Chicago in the offseason), and Renee
Montgomery had 21 points (she also signed as a free agent from Minnesota).
Tiffany Hayes added 21 points as the Dream scored 106 points, their
second-highest scoring game of the season. Natasha Cloud led the Mystics with 17
points, while Elena Delle Donne added 16 points and nine rebounds.
July 15 at Atlanta Dream 80, Mystics 77
The Dream’s winning ways (four in a row and counting) continued as the teams met
in Atlanta four days later as they earned a three-point win over the Mystics
after trailing 16-2 in the opening quarter. Brittney Sykes led five Dream
players in double figures as she scored 12 of her 17 points in the fourth
quarter to help seal the victory. Elena Delle Donne had 23 points and 11
rebounds, while LaToya Sanders added 16 points for Washington.
July 31 at Atlanta Mystics 86, Dream 71
Atlanta’s winning streak had stretched to a franchise-record eight games when
they met the Mystics for the third and final time of the regular season.
Washington snapped Atlanta’s win streak behind a 28-point, 16-rebound
performance from Elena Delle Donne. The Mystics also got 13 points from LaToya
Sanders, 11 from Natasha Cloud and 10 from Aerial Powers off the bench in just
her second game with the team after coming over in a trade with Dallas. The
Dream were led Tiffany Hayes’ 18 points, but the team shot just 3-22 (13.6%)
from beyond at the arc and 35.6% overall in the loss.
Stats Spotlight
Efficiency – Strength vs. Strength
The Mystics finished the regular season with the third-highest rated offense –
scoring 107.2 points per 100 possessions – nearly four points higher than the
league average. However, the Dream owned the top defense in the league, allowing
just 97.1 points per 100 possessions. Which way will that 10-point swing sway
during this playoff matchup?
Dream Defense
Atlanta’s offense is driven by its defense as they look to force turnovers or
force difficult shots, grab the rebound and run. Atlanta led the league in
blocks (5.3 per game), ranked third in steals (7.6 per game) and led all teams
in points off turnovers (16.6 per game) during the regular season. While the
Dream had their shooting woes (46.8% eFG%, 51.4% TS% – both ranked second to
last) their ability to force turnovers and get out in transition has led to many
easy baskets.
Mystics 3-Point Shooting
Is there a direct connection between 3-point shooting and team success? Three of
the four teams in the semifinals – Seattle (9.0), Phoenix (8.5) and Washington
(8.4) – rank 1-2-3 in 3-pointers made per game. Atlanta is the exception to the
rule as they finished the regular season ranked ninth in 3-pointers made (5.8
per game). During the regular season series with Atlanta, Washington shot 25-70
(35.7%) from beyond the arc, which is right on par with their overall season
average (35.8%, 5th in WNBA). The Mystics’ reliance on the 3-point shot
counterbalances their lack of interior scoring as Washington ranked last in
points in the paint (26.9 per game) during the regular season, while Atlanta
ranked seventh at 32.6, which is on par with league average (32.7).
Matchups To Watch
Elena Delle Donne vs. Jessica Breland
Delle Donne and Breland spent three years as teammates in Chicago (2014-2016)
before landing with their current teams. Delle Donne is a matchup nightmare for
opposing teams every time she steps on the floor, but Breland knows her game
well. Breland was a key free agent signing for the Dream this past offseason;
she started all 34 games and averaged 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and
1.1 steals during the regular season. She is one of just six players in the
league to average at least one block and one steal per game.
Tiffany Hayes vs. Natasha Cloud/Ariel Atkins
Hayes led the Dream in scoring for the second straight season as she averaged a
career-best 17.2 points per game (14th in the WNBA). The Eastern Conference
Player of the Month for July went from being an All-Star snub to an MVP
candidate that finished seventh in the final Race to MVP rankings. With
McCoughtry sidelined, Hayes assumes a larger role in the Dream offense, which
saw a dramatic improvement in the second half of the season. Meanwhile, both
Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins spent time trying to slow down Hayes during the
season series. Cloud is having a career year in her fourth WNBA season,
averaging 8.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. Atkins ranks fourth
among rookies in scoring (11.3 points per game) and played so well during her
rookie campaign that the Mystics were able to trade Tayler Hill to Dallas to
acquire Aerial Powers, who has contributed off the bench.
Kristi Toliver vs. Renee Montgomery
These two point guards won championships in recent years – Toliver in 2016 with
L.A. (defeating Montgomery’s Lynx) and Montgomery with the Lynx in 2017 (Toliver
had already left L.A.) – before finding new homes in the Eastern Conference.
Both players have brought veteran savvy, championship experience and plenty of
3-point shooting to their new teams; Montgomery finished second in the league in
total 3-pointers made (78) while Toliver finished fourth (72).
Mike Thibault vs. Nicki Collen
It’s the veteran vs. the rookie when it comes to the matchup on the sidelines.
Mike Thibault has coached 544 regular season games and 52 playoff games; he is
the only coach in WNBA history with 300 regular season wins and picked up his
25th playoff win on Thursday. He led Connecticut to the Finals twice before
coming to Washington in 2013. Meanwhile, Nicki Collen just completed her first
WNBA season and Game 1 of this semfinal series will be her playoff coaching
debut.
