The Dallas Wings are on their first win streak of the season after knocking off the Connecticut Sun, following up on their victory over the Golden State Valkyries. The Sun only has two Ws, so it wasn't a huge feat, but right now, any success needs to be celebrated. This team is off to a rocky start, and they need to use this momentum to course correct before the season gets out of hand.
Paige Bueckers and company will soon be in the midst of a tough stretch, so it's do or die time. At 3-11, their chances of making the playoffs are a long shot, but it's not impossible. The Aces are sitting in the eighth spot right now, and it may be difficult for anyone to believe that they won't make it to the postseason, but they've lost five of their last six games. That final spot may be up for grabs more than anyone realizes.
Wings can make the playoffs if they survive the brutal upcoming stretch
Dallas has one more less-than-stellar team they should be able to snatch a win from, with the struggling Washington Mystics hosting. The team from the nation's capital is 3-7 in their last 10 games, and are coming in fresh off a loss Atlanta Dream. It was a closely contested game (92-91), and losing those games can wear on you.
ATL hasn't had a great year. They've only lost four games, so the 5-8 Mystics surely put their best foot forward. The fact that they came so close is only slightly concerning. Any given night, weird things can happen, and predicting outcomes isn't as straightforward as saying if team X beats team Y, then team Z should beat team Y.
Speaking of the Dream, they're up next after Dallas takes on the Mystics. They follow that up with the Fever, Mystics again, then the Mercury twice in a row. That's a tough stretch, and if they don't hold their own, the season could be lost.
The Wings have been improving their chemistry on the court. It's understandable took some time, and Chris Koclanes took a lot of heat in the first month of the season. No opinions are etched in stone, though. He can turn around public perception if he shows that he can get this team on the same page (no pun intended) and keep them there.
There's talent on this team. Bueckers is a rookie, but she's a special one. She's efficient, leads the league in steals, and plays unselfish basketball. Those usually aren't traits you see in a first-year player. Those skills and her leadership make her the ideal candidate to lead this team, so everyone must fall in line.
Playing your role is important in team sports. Nobody can overextend themselves, or the whole thing falls apart. That's what needs to happen in Dallas for this team to go on a run. Once everyone is comfortable in their roles, the sky is the limit.