Peachtree Hoops - June 7: Dream 97, Sky 59The place to read about/discuss the Atlanta Hawks.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/8811/peachtree-fave.jpg2014-06-10T07:11:03-04:00http://www.peachtreehoops.com/rss/stream/55524472014-06-10T07:11:03-04:002014-06-10T07:11:03-04:00De Souza earns WNBA Player of the Week honors
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<figcaption>Hannah Foslien</figcaption>
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<p>Atlanta's Erika de Souza was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after putting up monster numbers in a pair of wins for the Atlanta Dream.</p> <p>The Atlanta Dream have had a somewhat up and down start to the season but center Erika de Souza has been the one constant. She was rewarded on Monday by the WNBA with the first Player of the Week honor of her career.</p>
<p>De Souza averaged 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in a pair of Dream victories last week. She shot 66.7 percent from the field, was a perfect 7-7 at the free throw line and threw in 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals for good measure. Atlanta defeated the L.A. Sparks on Tuesday and then closed out the week with a 38-point blowout of the Chicago Sky. De Souza tied a career-high with 27 points in the win over the Sparks.</p>
<p>De Souza leads the WNBA in field goal percentage on the season at 67 percent. She is sixth in scoring (18.5), fifth in rebounding (9.5) and fourth in blocks (1.38).</p>
<p>She has been a solid performer during her Atlanta tenure but has taken her game to a new level this season under first-year coach Michael Cooper.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/6/10/5796210/erika-de-souza-wnba-player-of-the-weekKris Willis2014-06-07T21:43:12-04:002014-06-07T21:43:12-04:00Dream crush Sky 97-59
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<figcaption>Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Atlanta Dream put on a clinic Saturday night at Philips Arena and crushed the Chicago Sky 97-59 to move into a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference. </p> <p>The Atlanta Dream put on a clinic at both ends of the floor Saturday night as they handed the Chicago Sky a 97-59 loss and moved into a tie atop the Eastern Conference.</p>
<p>Everything fell into place for the Dream who were well rested after defeating the Sparks on Tuesday. They took advantage of Chicago being on a back-to-back and put them back on their heels right away. Atlanta led by 14 after one and by 25 at the half. The 38-point margin of victory was a franchise record for Atlanta.</p>
<p>The most impressive part of Atlanta's game was their cohesiveness at both ends of the floor. Their defense fueled their offense and few teams are a match for the Dream when they are in transition. Atlanta shot 45 percent for the game and had a massive 51-32 advantage on the boards. Twenty offensive rebounds led to 24 second-chance points for Atlanta. Perhaps most importantly, the Dream committed just 13 turnovers against one of the better defensive teams in the league.</p>
<p>Angel McCoughtry and Erika de Souza led the way for the Dream with 20 points each. Sancho Lyttle finished with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds while Tiffany Hayes and Shoni Schimmel finished with 11 and 10 points respectively.</p>
<p>Schimmel came off the bench once again and at times shared the backcourt with Celine Dumerc who played 20 minutes in just her second WNBA game. Dumerc finished with three points, six rebounds and five assists while taking a pair of charges on the defensive end. Atlanta's ball movement picked up whenever she was on the floor and you can see that she will be a big part of the team going forward. The Dream recorded assists on 26 of 35 made baskets in Saturday's game.</p>
<p>Allie Quigley led Chicago with 11 points and Jessica Breland added 10. Atlanta's defense harassed Elena Delle Donne into a 3-10 shooting night as she finished with just seven points and zero free throw attempts. Epiphanny Hayes made her season debut for the Sky finishing with seven points in nine minutes.</p>
<p>The win is Atlanta's second straight and ties them with the Sky atop the East Standings at 5-3. The Dream is now 4-1 at Philips Arena and will have another long layoff before hosting the defending champion Minnesota Lynx next Friday.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/6/7/5789924/2014-wnba-sky-vs-dream-recapKris Willis2014-06-07T15:00:03-04:002014-06-07T15:00:03-04:00Cash, Ajavon off to slow starts for Dream
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<figcaption>Ronald Martinez</figcaption>
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<p>Its been a trying start to the season for veterans Swin Cash and Matee Ajavon off the Atlanta Dream's bench. </p> <p>Its been a tough start to the season for a pair of veterans off the Atlanta Dream's bench. Both Swin Cash and Matee Ajavon have struggled out of the gate for Michael Cooper's club and have seen their minutes fluctuate as a result.</p>
<p>Cash came to an Atlanta via a trade late in training camp with the Chicago Sky in exchange for Courtney Clements. The hope was that she would bring championship experience to the roster as well as be a valuable piece off the bench. She seems to have meshed well with her teammates and is a quality leader but the on court contributions haven't materialized as of yet. Entering Saturday game against her former club, Cash is just 2-15 from the field on the season and is averaging just over nine minutes a game.</p>
<p>Over the last couple of weeks, she has gotten limited opportunities. She played a season high 18 minutes in the first meeting with Chicago when the Dream were without Angel McCoughtry. She then totaled just 14 minutes in the next three games combined. Cooper gave her another shot in Tuesday's win over Los Angeles but she went scoreless with a single rebound in 14 minutes.</p>
<p>Still Cash's leadership qualities make it worth keeping her around especially with the Dream's championship aspirations however, Cooper may be forced to look elsewhere if she can't turn things around on the court.</p>
<p>Celine Dumerc's arrival has created a bit of a logjam in the Atlanta backcourt that includes rookie Shoni Schimmel, Jasmine Thomas and Tiffany Hayes. The result could be more three-guard lineups with McCoughtry seeing minutes at the power forward slot when Sancho Lyttle or Erika de Souza is out of the game. That would help supplement the uptempo style of game that Cooper likes to play.</p>
<p>In many ways Ajavon is the same player she has been her entire career, she is just getting less opportunities this season. She is off to a 5-26 start from the field and is averaging nearly 1.5 turnovers in just over 11 minutes of playing time. She has never been what you would call an efficient player as her career 35 percent shooting mark suggests but with better options in Atlanta's backcourt its difficult to see where her minutes might come from.</p>
<p>Cooper talked about his bench early on and stressed its importance over the course of a season. "You have to utilize your bench, I feel that you have to have your bench ready and you can't save it until the end of the season and then throw people in the water. You have to exercise it and massage it."</p>
<p>He's stuck to that in each game as Cash and Ajavon have both appeared in all seven games. Its a long season and there is a chance that both could find a way to contribute before the season is over. Having veterans on the bench can be valuable especially in the case of Cash who has won multiple championships. However, there is no denying its been a tough start.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/6/7/5788456/atlanta-dream-swin-cash-matee-ajavon-strugglesKris Willis2014-06-07T12:00:04-04:002014-06-07T12:00:04-04:00Dream host Delle Donne, Sky on Saturday
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Atlanta Dream go for their second straight win Saturday night when they host Elena Delle Donne and the Chicago Sky at Philips Arena. </p> <p>The Atlanta Dream are back in action Saturday night when they host the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Sky at Philips Arena. Atlanta has been up and down early in the season and are 4-3 but just a game back of the Sky. Atlanta defeated the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday 93-85 to climb back over the .500 mark.</p>
<p>Chicago is off to a 5-2 start without Sylvia Fowles and Epiphanny Prince who have yet to play this season. Elena Delle Donne has built upon her solid rookie campaign and is averaging 24.4 points a game. Delle Donne finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds in Friday's 102-88 loss to the Sparks. That was the most points allowed by the Sky all season who entered Friday leading the WNBA in defensive rating.</p>
<p>Atlanta dropped theĀ <a href="http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/5/25/5749242/dream-vs-sky-final-score-angel-mccoughtry-injury">first meeting between the two teams 87-73 in Chicago</a>. Delle Donne led the charge for the Sky with 27 points. The Dream played without Angel McCoughtry who missed the game due to a shoulder injury.</p>
<p>McCoughtry has battled nagging injuries since the start of the season and has totaled just 21 points in her last two contests. Her scoring average has dipped to 17.7 on the season. The good news for Atlanta is that center Erika de Souza has taken her game to another level. De Souza tied a career-high with 27 points in Atlanta's win over the Sparks on Tuesday and is averaging a team leading 18.3 points and 9.7 rebounds. She is also shooting a ridiculous 68 percent from the floor.</p>
<p>Saturday's game is a good opportunity for the Dream who are at full strength and catching Chicago on the second night of a back-to-back. Point Guard Celine Dumerc joined the team over the weekend and saw brief minutes in Tuesday's win. Look for Michael Cooper to try to integrate her into the rotation over the next several weeks while the Dream try to find a rhythm and more consistency.</p>
<h3>Game Info</h3>
<p><b>Game Date/Time:</b> Saturday, June 7, 7:00 p.m.</p>
<p><b>Location: </b>Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia</p>
<p><b>TV: </b>SportSouth</p>
<p><b>Live Streaming: </b>WNBA Live Access</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/6/7/5788396/2014-wnba-sky-vs-dream-preview-time-tvKris Willis