Dream eliminated by Shock from WNBA Playoffs

By Sekou Smith

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dream coach and general manager Marynell Meadors will have months to stew over what might have been.

What if she didn’t have two starters — Chamique Holdsclaw and Shalee Lehning — on the bench in sweats with the season on the line Friday night at Gwinnett Arena?

What if her team hadn’t squandered that 18-point lead in their Game 1 loss in Detroit?

If Meadors had answers to any of those questions the Dream’s playoff dreams might not have come to a screeching halt at the hands of the defending champion Detroit Shock the way they did, a 94-79 season-ending Game 2 loss before 4,780.

Instead of preparing for a Game at home Sunday, the Dream will have a long weekend to beat themselves up about the franchise’s first foray into the postseason ending so abruptly.

“We had so many opportunities to make something happen, and we just did not do it,” Meadors said. “Whether we had tired legs, and we were obviously a step slower than we were [in Game 1], we just did not make it happen. That said, we had a great season. And I don’t want to take anything away from that.”

From four wins in their inaugural season to home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs this year, the Dream’s rapid ascent was as stunning as the playoff crash they’ve experienced the past 72 hours.

They led by a point at halftime Friday but trailed by as many as 17 points before their postseason dream turned into a nightmare down the stretch of a game in which they simply couldn’t keep up.

The Shock owned the Dream on the boards, 38-27, and capitalized on a sloppy game by both teams (23 turnovers each). The Shock bench, led by Shavonte Zellous and her 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, outscored the Dream reserves 37-18.

Not even inspired performances from Ivory Latta (21 points), rookie Angel McCoughtry (17 points) and Armintie Price (10 points off the bench) could keep the Dream going on this night.

“This is so disappointing,” McCoughtry said. “We thought we had this series, and I really thought we had a chance to contend for a championship this year. We have so much talent, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Reaching those lofty goals without injured starters Holdsclaw (knee) and Lehning (shoulder) would have made the Dream the story of the WNBA season. But the happy ending ended with a thud, courtesy of Deanna Nolan (game-high 22 points) and the Shock.

Latta, however, insists her team didn’t leave empty-handed.

“We’re going to take a lot from this experience,” Latta said. “We have to regroup and come back and stay focused and work hard. We’ve got to grind, because we got a taste of the playoffs now. We know what it tastes like. And for next year we’ll be able to do a lot more.”