As Mama Gump always said, “The WNBA is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” That was blatantly true at the Target Center Wednesday night as the Atlanta Dream faced the Minnesota Lynx. After the first quarter, which was reasonably competitive, the rest of the game contained more missed shots than I have seen in a long time.
The Lynx won shooting 35.5% and 7-22 from deep. The Dream was held to 28.8% and 4-23 from deep. To win a game shooting such a low percentage, one more commonly associated with a loss must be a testament to something, although I’m not quite sure what. Tenacity perhaps, just playing less poorly than the opponent. I try and avoid words like best and worst, so I will say that this game, for lack of anything else, was an exercise in keeping adversity at bay.
The Atlanta Dream is not without talent. The Minnesota Lynx might be the surprise team of the season. However, the surprise in this game was that the basket seemed to elude everyone. Each team had their moments, although few and far between. I do think that what pushed Minnesota across the finish line first was what has helped them all season long; chemistry.
Both Teams Played an Up-And-Down Matchup
Not knowing enough about Atlanta, I can’t say that they don’t have chemistry. As I’ve said before, the Dream has been a mercurial team this season, and in this game, the thermometer was anything but stable. What was also surprising was that neither team turned the ball over an inordinate amount of times. The Lynx had 10 and the Dream had 14. We’ve seen a lot worse. Fast break points were almost non-existent. One could discuss the state of referees in the W ad nauseam. There were 29 total fouls.
Again, we’ve seen worse. However, I think sometimes the refs just need to let them play. Minnesota’s Alanna Smith gets called for more fouls than I think she deserves, but the inequities in fouls exist on both sides. A solution? Way above my pay grade.
I did appreciate the first play of the game which, if I didn’t know any better, looked specifically designed for Bridget Carleton to hit a welcome back three. I was sitting and watching, thinking that this was Bridget’s shot. She did not disappoint. I do not pretend to have some magical power to create shots, but it is always nice when Kismet rears up and smiles at you.
BUCKETS 🟰 BOUQUETS 💐 pic.twitter.com/2dga5491T0
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) June 20, 2024
In fact, Carleton, to my mind, has become a bona fide starter and has ramped up her game considerably over the past couple of seasons. But no one really shot well, on either team. The misery of the missed shot was pretty evenly distributed, although Atlanta ultimately drew the short straw in that department.
Takeaways from the Game
Some might say that this was a game to forget, but I think it should be very much worth remembering. Shooting slumps are only cured by continuing to shoot and playing the game that you know you can play, and have played many times. Is this the kind of win, a gritty, haphazard win, from which a team can take away some positives? It harkens back to the old vaudeville line; “Patient: Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do that! Doctor: Then don’t do that!”
The win put Minnesota in second place in the league, while Atlanta is hovering at seventh place. Neither team wants any more games like this one, win or lose. The Dream play Indiana on Friday, a team that is starting to click and is on a three-game winning streak. Atlanta is going to have to shore up its offense. We will see what the injury to Rhyne Howard does to the team, but whatever the outcome, the Dream will have to collectively push forward to get in the win column.
What’s Next for the Lynx?
Minnesota next faces Phoenix, a team that, with Brittney Griner and Rebecca Allen back and Diana Taurasi playing great ball, has become a very formidable opponent. For the Lynx to pull out a win, they cannot afford another game like this one. But we’ve seen the Lynx bounce back a number of times this season, and there is no reason to think that they can’t do that against the Mercury.
Of course, guarding Griner is always problematic, but they’ve faced other bigs this season and come out on top. I’m eager to see this game and to see if another opening three by Carleton can spur the team to another productive team effort. Games with Phoenix are always entertaining. I anticipate no less.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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