June 19--To say the Atlanta Dream's starters put in work is not a boastful platitude. Sancho Lyttle, Angel McCoughtry and Erika de Souza are 1-2-3 in the WNBA in minutes played.
And these aren't idle, milk-the-clock minutes. They're run-and-shoot minutes. The Dream is No. 1 in the league in shot attempts and second in 3-point tries. They're also first in rebounds, assists and steals.
Those gaudy stats haven't always translated into wins this season -- the Dream are 2-4 heading into Friday night's home game versus the 2-2 Sky (6:30 p.m., The U Too) -- and they'll miss Tiffany Hayes and Anieka Henry for the next five games while both compete in the European Games, but Sky coach Pokey Chatman is not about to understimate last season's No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Chicago and Atlanta split their regular season series 2-2 last year and needed a then-career-high 34 points from Elena Delle Donne to move past them in the playoffs.
"There's a reason why they're always one of the hottest teams in the league," Chatman said. "They have a nice core group of players being that Angel's a tremendous player. She causes fits. And on top of that there's Lyttle. And you've got a championship pedigree in that coaching staff. And they're at home. We always have a tough battle with them."
The battle gets tougher without defensive leader Tamera Young, who's out indefinitely after having thumb surgery earlier this week. Chatman said it will take a group effort to corral McCoughtry, who leads the Dream with 19.7 points per game.
"It just magnifies just how important someone like Tamera is," Chatman said. "She's had some head-to-head battles with Angel over the years. We also know that she was the lead person on all that but we also had a nice team defense. And that's going to be tested. Everyone's going to have to step up because we always had Tee leading the charge."
Part of that defensive mandate is limiting "easy points" for McCoughtry: offensive putbacks and fast-break points. "I think she's really good in getting in the passing lanes and getting about 4 points because she steals it," Chatmand said. "I think she gets about 2 or 4 points on offensive rebounds. I think No. 1, you make sure you eliminate those normally 6 to 8 points where she just runs faster and jumps in the lane. ... I think you have to create the toughest shots for Angel and not send her to the free throw line eight to 10 times and I think it gives you an opportunity to keep her under control."
Although Jessica Breland plays a different type of game than Young, she'll be given extra minutes along with other players in Young's absence, and she'll be counted on to help with defense, rebounding and scoring while managing a calf injury.
"I think the main thing for us, not just a player -- I mean you have Angel, of course, you have de Souza -- is moreso that we know they like to run," Breland said. "We just have to get back and try to stop them in transition and try to make it a halfcourt game."
While Breland will help against McCoughtry, she most likely will be matched up against De Souza, who is two rebounds (42) shy of team leader Lyttle.
"She's a big post player," Breland said, then let out a laugh. "She's big."
