The beginning of the Atlanta Dream season didn’t go according to plan. Just 11 days before their season opener, head coach Nicki Collen left the Dream to run the Baylor women’s basketball program. In February, they signed former Chicago Sky forward Cheyenne Parker. Parker had a career year in points per game (13.4), field goal percentage (.554) minutes played (24.9) assists (1.5), and rebounds (6.4). Then, days before the season, she contracted COVID-19 and hasn’t played a minute yet with the team. That isn’t stopping them from playing pretty and gritty.
“Pretty on offense and gritty on defense,” said interim head coach Mike Petersen. “Pretty and Gritty, that’s what we want to be.” That’s what the Dream have been as of late. In the first two games of the year, their trials showed on the court. Then something changed.
Since halftime of their second game, they’ve outscored their opponents in 10 of 14 quarters, on their way to a three-game winning streak. Thursday night’s opponent, the Dallas Wings, couldn’t keep up with a 101-point scoring Dream side. They’re accomplishing it through spectacular guard play and big performances from the bench.
“We’ve got to get the court spread out and we’ve got to attack the rim,” said Petersen. “The thing our players have done such a wonderful job with is when they get in there, they’re making the right decisions: Do I throw it up on the post? Do I kick it to a shooter? Do I go all the way?”
They lost their first two games of the year. In both, the Dream made a presence in the paint, but couldn’t finish high percentage shots. Guard Chennedy Carter drives the baseline like no one else in the WNBA, but her shots weren’t landing. On second chances, the Dream were either outrebounded or missed follow-up opportunities. Beyond the arc, the story wasn’t too different, making eight of 33 attempts in their losses to the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky.
In their last three games, that’s changed. Thursday, Carter had 21 points, four assists, and four rebounds. That’s opened up her teammates. Tiffany Hayes and Courtney Williams have each found open shot opportunities; on their way to a combined 114 points between the two. Hayes alone has had big performances during the winning streak. A candidate for the most improved player, Hayes scored 26 in both of Atlanta’s past two victories.
What’s also come around for the Dream is on the boards. The Wings came to Atlanta as the top rebounding team in the league. A team that Atlanta commentators labeled “vertically challenged” compared to their opponents grabbed 45 rebounds, compared to only 32 from Dallas. A lot of that credit goes to Monique Billings.
“I like everything about Mo,” said Petersen. “The boost she gives us when she enters the game is palpable. You can feel it and we love that.” Billings started for the Dream in 2020 but moved to the bench and her 2021 performances prove that it’s not for lack of production. Against Dallas, she had a double-double with 10 rebounds on top of 10 points. For Billings, starting or playing off the bench doesn’t matter.
“Whatever my team needs at any moment, whether I am starting, whether I’m not starting,” said Billings. “I know what I bring. I bring something special.” Her special play comes through energy and getting into the paint for the ball. Her +11 was the best of any player on the court, from either team, on Thursday. Another piece of the puzzle is her work on screens.
“I take pride in getting my guards open, so if they get open off my screen, I’m like ‘we’re sharing that bucket’,” jokes Billings. Kidding aside, the improvement of her and her frontcourt teammates in the early season is a welcome sight to Dream fans. A sight that will only get better with Parker.
There’s still a lot of games left in the 2021 WNBA season, but if the pretty and gritty play of the Dream continues, the rest of the league, and fans of the WNBA, are going to start to notice.
Atlanta travels to the Barclays Center Saturday. The first-place New York Liberty welcome them in their first matchup of the year. The 2:00 tipoff airs live on Amazon Prime.
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