Lynx-Dream Preview

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Oct 06 2011 6:48PM

ATLANTA (AP) For the Dream, the task is clear: Start making free throws and keep Minnesota off the line to avoid being swept in the WNBA finals for a second straight year.

They'll get the chance to do it at home on Friday when the series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3.

The Lynx went to the free-throw line so many times in Game 2 that Atlanta's players and coach cried foul. But the Dream couldn't blame the officials for their poor free-throw shooting.

Minnesota's 101-95 comeback victory over Atlanta on Wednesday night gave the Lynx a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five series. Seattle swept Atlanta in last year's finals.

Angel McCoughtry set a finals record with 38 points and out-dueled Minnesota's Seimone Augustus, who scored 36 - but Wednesday's loss left Atlanta on the brink of elimination.

``We just felt like we should have won that game,'' McCoughtry said Thursday. ``We're pretty upset but we'll be OK'' on Friday.

The Dream made only 21 for 32 free throws, a key as they faltered in the fourth quarter after leading most of the game.

Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors on Thursday renewed her complaints about the discrepancy in fouls. Her team drew 33 fouls, 10 more than the Lynx.

``I think the thing that really turned the game around, they had 24 free throws to our seven in the fourth quarter,'' Meadors said.

Forward Sancho Lyttle fouled out. McCoughtry and center Erika de Souza each finished with four fouls.

``I just want to say that the game should be determined by Atlanta and Minnesota,'' McCoughtry said. ``Let us battle it out. If we come out bloody, we come out bloody. Let us battle it out. We don't want to see it determined by other things.''

Asked if she was referring to the officials, McCoughtry said ``That didn't come out of my mouth.''

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said she expected a tight game from officials Sue Blauch, Lamont Simpson and Kurt Walker.

``I had an idea that it would be called a little more closely,'' Reeve said. ``They called everything. They established it and the players didn't adjust.''

Meadors said she believes the officials called a tighter game in the fourth period.

``I just think we are who we are and we've got to come out and play the way we play,'' Meadors said. ``If they call it tight again we've got to adjust much quicker, but the tightness didn't come until the fourth quarter.

``It changed in the fourth quarter. They called three quarters one way. You start out in the fourth quarter calling it really tight. The thing both coaches want is consistency on both ends and fair play and let them play. Let the players decide the game.''

Fouls were a bigger factor for Minnesota in the first half. Star rookie Maya Moore had her playing time severely limited by fouls. Moore, who will return to her Atlanta home for Game 3, had only 8 points in less than 16 minutes.

Thanks to the combined 78 free throws, the game lasted 2 hours and 26 minutes.

That's too long, according to Meadors.

``We're all programmed for 2 hours,'' she said.

The Atlanta coach acknowledged her team didn't play well when the Dream had a double-digit lead.

``There are a lot of things we can do much better,'' Meadors said. ``We had a 10-point lead and we came down and took a couple of quick shots and missed them and it put them right back in the game. We can't afford to do that. We have to play better basketball mentally.''

Atlanta led at halftime in its Game 1 loss. The Lynx have outscored the Dream a combined 58-33 in the two fourth quarters.

``When we have a lead we just have to maintain and play with poise,'' Lyttle said. ``I think we are good. We've just got to play the game and hopefully we come out with a win. We've just got to stick together.''

Game 3 could develop into another scoring shootout between McCoughtry and Augustus.

``I didn't think I had to match Angel point-for-point; it just happened that way,'' Augustus said. ``Angel, oh my God, every defender we threw at her did a great job of trying to get a hand in her face and even with that she made tough shots. That's all that you can ask for is to get a hand up and contest each shot.

``Everybody did an amazing job, she just had better offense. Kudos to her. She had a wonderful game but at the end we got the victory.''

And with one more, they'll also have the title.

Lynx 73, Dream 67

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Oct 07 2011 11:45PM

ATLANTA (AP) Seimone Augustus and the Minnesota Lynx turned up the defensive pressure on Angel McCoughtry and the Atlanta Dream.

The result was the final entry in a near-perfect postseason as the Lynx beat the Dream 73-67 on Friday night to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA championship series.

Augustus had 16 points and Maya Moore, returning to her Atlanta home, had 15 - including a key 3-pointer late in the game - to lead a balanced scoring attack as the Lynx won their first WNBA title.

McCoughtry had a game-high 22 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. McCoughtry made only 9 of 25 shots as the Dream were held to 34.6 percent shooting from the field.

``We felt we didn't show them what a good team we were defensively in the first two games,'' said Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, who was soaked by a bubbly spray before her postgame news conference.

Augustus had the primary defensive assignment on McCoughtry, who set a WNBA finals record with 38 points in Game 2.

``Tonight we just kind of smothered her and forced her into bad shots,'' Augustus said.

Minnesota closed the postseason with six straight wins, including sweeps of Phoenix in the Western Conference finals and Atlanta in the championship series.

Most Minnesota players celebrated in a pile of hugs on the court. Taj McWilliams-Franklin, the 41-year-old starting center, headed to the bench to engulf Reeve in a hug.

Erika de Souza, who had 11 points, was Atlanta's only other scorer in double figures.

``I'm just glad we were able to finish playing Lynx basketball by being a good defensive team,'' Moore said.

Minnesota had four scorers in double figures as Rebekkah Brunson had 13 points and nine rebounds and Candice Wiggins had 10 points.

Atlanta was swept by Seattle in the 2010 WNBA finals.

The Dream trailed by eight points in the final quarter before making a late charge.

Two free throws by McCoughtry cut Minnesota's lead to 64-40. Following a turnover, Iziane Castro Marques hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to one with 1:17 remaining.

Poor shooting from the field forced Atlanta to foul in the final minute.

Two free throws by McWilliams-Franklin and another by Lindsay Whalen pushed the lead to 67-63. Following a miss by Castro Marques, McWilliams-Franklin added two more free throws with 35 seconds remaining.

McCoughtry had two late layups, but the Dream could come no closer than four points in the final 30 seconds.

The Dream held a 19-12 lead in the first quarter and led 37-33 at halftime.

There were two ties in the third quarter, the last at 41. Minnesota closed the period with an 11-4 run to lead 52-45 entering the final quarter.

The Dream opened the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets by Alison Bales and Castro Marques to pull within three points. Augustus quickly came off the bench, and Atlanta's comeback bid ended.

A 7-2 run gave the Lynx a 59-51 lead.

After McCoughtry's basket cut the Minnesota lead to 61-56, Moore answered with a big 3-pointer that went through the net as the shot clock sounded.

``If Maya Moore's shot doesn't go in, who knows what's going to happen,'' Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors said. ``We had the momentum and we had them backpedaling.''

McWilliams-Franklin's status as starting center had been uncertain after she sprained her right knee, forcing her to leave Wednesday night's game. She did start, wearing pads on both knees, and had seven points, four rebounds and four assists. She made four free throws in the final 1:07.

``Maybe now they're sore,'' Reeve said of McWilliams-Franklin's knees, ``but when you're in a close-out moment for the WNBA finals, you don't feel a thing.''

With the health of McWilliams-Franklin a concern, Reeve was upset when backup center Jessica Adair was called for her second foul late in the first quarter. After receiving a warning from official Michael Price to return to the bench, Reeve added another complaint and drew a technical foul.

After there were a combined 78 free throws in the Game 2 at Minnesota, there were only 34 - 17 for each team - called in Game 3.

NOTES: Former NBA star Julius Erving, who lives in Atlanta, had a front-row seat. Rapper Lil Wayne was also in the crowd. ... The attendance was 11,543, including 1,500 tickets purchased by the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks and distributed by the Dream on Thursday. ... Minnesota was called for 10 fouls in the first half while Atlanta drew only two.

• Lynx: --
• Dream: --

• Lynx: Reeve
• Dream: de Souza

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #39 Michael Price, #8 Daryl Humphrey, #13 Cameron Inouye
• Attendance: 11543
• Duration: 2:13