August 27, 2024
How Atlanta Dream will continue to build on ‘identity’ after loss to Indiana Fever
Tanisha Wright: 'We are doing a great job of forming an identity. … That’s going to be our focus moving forward'
When the Atlanta Dream needed points in the 84-79 loss to the Indiana Fever on Monday at State Farm Arena, Tina Charles delivered. Possession after possession, the eight-time All-Star showed why her scoring prowess remains elite and why she sits at No. 2 on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list.
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Charles, who led the Dream with 28 points on 13-of-21 shots and eight rebounds, nearly helped Atlanta complete a fiery comeback in a game where the Dream trailed by as many as 18. With 13.5 seconds to play in regulation—following an attempt from 3 by Nia Coffey at the top of the key and a clutch rebound from Maya Caldwell—Charles had a chance to tie the game at 82.
As she fielded the pass from Caldwell, Charles launched a corner 3 that bounced off the right side of the rim, resulting in the final field goal attempt for Atlanta. Although Charles nearly played hero for the Dream, the 35-year-old summed up her performance as part of a bigger team quest for strength and toughness in the face of adversity in Monday’s contest.
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At halftime, Indiana led Atlanta 52-38, outrebounded Atlanta 25-14 and held a massive advantage in points in the paint (28-10). However, in the second half—specifically within the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter—the Dream found their offensive rhythm, earning contributions from the bench, timely scoring from Howard and the offensive consistency from Charles.
Charles, Coffey and Howard combined for 17 of Atlanta’s 20 points in the final frame, despite Howard’s struggles to score in the first half.
“I wouldn’t say I saw anything different [on the court],” Howard said after the game about her rhythm offensively. “I just think that shots started to fall. … Some of the shots I was taking, they were good looks but sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in.”
Howard finished with 16 points (5-of-17 shots), seven rebounds and two assists in the game.
No team desires to lose a game. But, according to Dream head coach Tanisha Wright, the loss served as a litmus test for where the team is now and where it can be as the second half of the season continues to unfold.
“I thought our team had great fight and resiliency,” Wright said. “…It’s just one game. We’re going to refocus. … We are doing a great job of forming an identity. … That’s going to be our focus moving forward.”
Here are four takeaways from the Dream’s loss against the Fever:
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Tina Charles dominates
The Fever had no answer for limiting Charles’ production on the hardwood. The former MVP produced her sixth outing of 20 or more points this season, using her signature midrange jump shots around the key and several finishes near and around the paint.
Charles was Atlanta’s main source of offense in the second and third quarters until Howard found her rhythm in the latter portion of the third quarter and into the final period.
Resilience after slow start in first half
Very few teams this season have understood the term resilience like the Dream have this season. Atlanta’s first half of the season was filled with injuries from Howard, Aerial Powers and Jordin Canada, along with seven different changes to the starting lineup. Monday marked only the fifth time that Atlanta started Canada, Gray, Howard, Naz Hillmon and Charles in a game this season.
Using simple math, that’s not a lot of games. That also means—even with the Dream winning three of their last four games entering Monday—chemistry and “renewed focus” are still being established on the team. When Atlanta trailed by double digits—behind the play from Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark (finished with 19 points, seven assists, seven rebounds), sharpshooting Kelsey Mitchell (29 points, seven rebounds) and Boston (14 points and 11 rebounds)—the Dream didn’t give up.
When Charles was asked about Clark’s and Mitchell’s performances after Monday’s loss, she simply credited the level of talent in the league and said that “no night is easy.”
“It’s really great teams in this league,” Charles said. “You can’t take a night off. Sometimes, it gets lopsided, sometimes the ball doesn’t go in but we were able to pick one another up. [Coach] Tanisha [Wright] did a great job keeping us motivated and chopping down the lead with possessions.”
Much of the Fever’s success in the paint stemmed from Boston’s production in the opening quarter against Charles. Boston had also produced two double-double performances in the first two matchups against the Dream in June, and the Fever dominated the Dream in points in the paint in both of those contests.
However, Atlanta outscored Indiana in the third and fourth quarters and part of the Dream’s near-comeback in the second half came from Charles adjusting her defensive assignment on the 2023 Rookie of the Year.
“We changed our post defense, I personally changed my post defense on Boston, try to be more aggressive, trying to stay in front of her,” Charles said. “It was a lot of fun to go up against Boston. … She was getting me in the beginning [of the game], but I felt like I had the last laugh at the end of the day.”
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Health will be important down the stretch
Health remains a key factor for the Dream right now. Forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus has missed Atlanta’s last two games after injuring her left ankle in the first quarter of the game against the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 18.
Powers is still nursing a left calf injury, and Gray injured her back in a collision with Boston in the paint during the third quarter of Monday’s contest. While it remains unknown when Powers, Parker-Tyus and Gray will return to the court, all three players are critical to the success of the franchise.
But with those injuries, Atlanta’s bench play has blossomed. The team saw strong minutes from Maya Caldwell, Nia Coffey and Haley Jones, sparking the 18-7 run in the fourth quarter.
“…At the end of the day, I don’t care about the score in the loss, I just care about the character shown throughout the game,” Charles said. “The resilience we showed. Nia Coffey coming in, the way she played … Rhyne [Howard] not giving up on herself on the offensive end. … All things we can take with us as we keep playing through the remainder of the season. … Proud of our resilience and not folding.”
What’s next for the Dream?
After five games at home, the Dream will begin a rugged four-game West Coast roadtrip starting Wednesday against the Storm, followed by matchups against the Las Vegas Aces on Friday, the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday and the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 3.
Three of the four teams—Storm, Aces and Mercury—currently sit among the top-eight teams vying for spots in the playoffs. Atlanta’s victory against Seattle on Aug. 16 was the first of its recent three-game winning streak. Prior to Monday’s loss, the Dream were a half game behind the Fever for the No. 8 spot in the WNBA standings.
After Monday’s loss, the Dream (10-19) currently sit at No. 9 and a game behind the Chicago Sky at No. 8.
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Written by Wilton Jackson
Wilton Jackson II covers the Atlanta Dream and the SEC for The Next. A native of Jackson, Miss., Wilton previously worked for Sports Illustrated along with other media outlets. He also freelances for different media entities as well. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in multimedia journalism (broadcast) before earning a Master's degree in mass communication from LSU and a second Master's degree in sport management from Jackson State University.
