The Atlanta Dream are going to need Allisha Gray to fight through her persistent hand injury one more time.
A single WNBA game lasts at least 40 minutes. That "at least" is crucial there: we all know these games can go much longer than that, and all the stopping, starting, and timeouts add to the overall time on the court.
We also all know that Karl Smesko really likes to stick with his starters most of the game. That's especially true of three: Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese, and Allisha Gray have logged heavy minutes all season, and the Dream's playoff wins have largely come down to the individual and combined work by each of them.
The Dream and the Golden State Valkyries will play a historic seventh game Saturday when they once again return to Ballhalla. Though the Dream have beaten Golden State at their hallowed home once during the WNBA Finals series, that game can't be used as a map for this one. To win on Saturday, the Dream are going to have to force the Valkyries to lose. To do that, the entire team needs to shoot their best game of the season — beginning with Gray.
That's a tall order, but Gray is up to the task. After all, she racked up 23 points and 6 rebounds Thursday morning, just a day after telling reporters in Atlanta she wasn't playing at her full capacity due to an injury she suffered earlier in the series. Today's game was also the first Gray's been able to shoot like Dream fans know she can since suffering that injury. The question, of course, will be whether she can summon that power one more time to get the Dream across the finish line.
She'll have help, of course. Howard, Reese, and Jordin Canada will be battling alongside her. Veteran DeWanna Bonner, who knows a thing or two about winning championships, will be there.
Besides shooting like their lives depend on it, the Dream have to focus on two key areas that have given them trouble, and that are entirely in their control: fouling and turning over the ball. They're a physical team playing another physical team in what is always a physical series. They'll be traveling to a certifiably hostile environment, and it will be tempting to blame game officials for bad calls and mistakes. And there probably will be bad calls and mistakes, but to win this game, the Dream need to avoid fouling where they can, accept the fouls they rack up, and stay locked in, despite even the most egregious miscall.
Turnovers are another thing altogether. When the Dream lose, turnovers almost always have something to do with it. Atlanta simply cannot afford another offensively sloppy game like we've seen from them earlier in this series.
The Dream wins when they push the tempo, grab fast-break points, and steal the ball. They also win when they mentally and emotionally refuse to back down. On Saturday, they need to do all of this and more.
The Dream have the actual skill to win Game 7 and take the trophy back to Atlanta. To win on Saturday, they have to grab hold of their mental strength and refuse to part with it. That's easier said than done, but it's nothing they aren't capable of.
Add us as a preferred source on Google