Weekend Reflections: Braves return home with that 2021 feeling

The 2021 Braves were the least-impressive team among the six straight division champions.

Then October came, a long list of implausible scenarios coalesced and, next thing you know, they were beating the Dodgers on the way to a World Series championship.

So many things about that run didn’t make sense. The Braves returned from Los Angeles early Monday morning with that same feeling.

The Braves beat the Dodgers 3-2 in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. They can eliminate the back-to-back World Series champs by winning Tuesday and Wednesday at Truist Park.

That won’t be easy, of course.

But suddenly anything seems possible for these Braves.

They went to Dodger Stadium with a thin pitching staff and an all-or-nothing offense against L.A.’s unfathomably deep group of swing-and-miss pitchers. The Braves left with a 1-1 split and now get some needed rest before Game 3.

Manager Walt Weiss turned to journeyman reliever Ray Kerr to open Sunday’s Game 2. Kerr had already given the Braves way more than they could have hoped for with 3⅓ scoreless innings against the Phillies in the decisive Game 3 victory of the NL Wild Card Series.

Kerr pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings with four strikeouts against the Dodgers on Sunday.

Braves reliever Robert Suarez was a top setup man before a three-month stint on the injured list. He returned to make two appearances in September, allowing one run in each outing.

Suarez got out of a two-runners-on, no-outs jam in the fifth inning on Sunday for his second scoreless appearance of the playoffs.

Braves right-hander Didier Fuentes blew a save chance in Game 1 against the Phillies. He gave up the deciding home run in extra innings in Game 2 of that series. Weiss went back to Fuentes, 21, on Sunday.

He retired 11 batters in a row, including the “big three” of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

Max Muncy finally got to Fuentes with a solo home run with two outs in the ninth. No harm done, as Raisel Iglesias got the last out.

The Braves have gotten unexpected surprises from the hitting side, too.

Austin Riley followed his career-worst season with a winning homer against the Phillies.

Ozzie Albies has scuffled for the past month, but he’s hit a team-high two homers in the playoffs.

Sean Murphy had become the defense-only part of the catching platoon, and now he’s 2-for-7 with a home run, a double and two walks in October.

Even the ABS challenges are suddenly working out for the Braves.

Braves hitters had the third-worst challenge success rate this season (41.7%). They are 7-for-11 (64%) during the playoffs. The total of 11 calls overturned in favor of the Braves is the most in the postseason.

It seemed improbable the Braves would win a game in Los Angeles, yet they did. It’s starting to feel like 2021 for the Braves again.

Ace lefty Chris Sale is set to start Game 3.

Dream win after vet Bonner ‘got into us’

The Atlanta Dream barely started the WNBA semifinals before All-Star Allisha Gray left the game for good. They trailed the Liberty 40-37 at halftime. They were missing Gray’s aggressiveness.

Dream guard Jordin Canada said veteran forward DeWanna Bonner “got into us” before the team went back out for the third quarter. They were no longer passive after that.

The Dream buried the Liberty with a fantastic performance in the third quarter and went on to win 92-82 at State Farm Arena on Sunday.

Bonner’s fast-break layup started a 13-0 run in the third period, and Angel Reese’s steal and layup ended it. The Dream outscored New York 32-15 in the quarter. They had nine steals and 11 fast-break points.

Gray left the game early in the second quarter after suffering what appeared to be a hand or wrist injury. No one could have blamed the Dream if they couldn’t beat New York without her.

The Liberty won the 2024 WNBA championship. They have two of the league’s best players: two-time league MVP and three-time champion Brenna Stewart, and All-WNBA guard Sabrina Ionescu.

Gray was the Dream’s leading scorer this season with 19 points per game. She was averaging 22 points in the playoffs before Sunday.

“We told her we had her back,” Canada said.

Gray’s teammates kept their promise.

Canada scored 25 points, including a 3-pointer that diffused New York’s late rally. Reese (four steals, three blocks) was the defensive anchor, as usual. Bonner (23 points, nine rebounds) continued to show her value on and off the court.

The Dream took it to New York’s stars. Stewart and Ionescu combined for 46 points on 33 shots. But they committed seven turnovers against four assists and had the two worst on/off-court ratings of the game (minus 10 for Stewart, minus 12 for Ionescu).

“They turned up their defensive pressure,” Ionescu said.

It happened after Bonner had some words for her teammates. Bonner, 39, won WNBA championships with the Mercury in 2009 and ’14. Her reunion with Phoenix ended with a contract buyout in August.

Bonner signed with the Dream for the chance to chase another title. She helped them get a step closer with a strong performance and vocal leadership when they needed it.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Wednesday at State Farm Arena.

‘Bama is still ‘Bama

Alabama football somehow managed to fly under the radar during the offseason. The Crimson Tide were ranked outside the Top 10 of the preseason AP poll for the first time since 2008, Nick Saban’s second year as coach.

There should be no doubt now the Tide are legitimate contenders for the national title.

Keelon Russell is the latest in a long line of good-to-great Alabama QBs. There are plenty of playmakers in the backfield and on the outside. The improving defense has several good ball hawks behind the line of scrimmage.

In other words, ‘Bama is still ‘Bama.

It seems there still are plenty of skeptics. The Tide are up to No. 7 in the AP poll after blowing out then-No. 16 Mississippi State, but they opened as three-point underdogs against Georgia for Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa.

I will be surprised if that number doesn’t go down. I still believe Georgia is the best team in the country. I also believe the Tide are underrated.

Alabama has been the SEC’s most consistent team outside of Georgia. The 56-23 victory at MSU was the Tide’s third league win by a margin of at least four touchdowns. Alabama wobbled late in the 50-36 victory at Florida State in Week 3, but that was a weird game with several weather delays.

It was foreseeable that Alabama could be great. Saban is long gone, but successor Kalen DeBoer took Washington to the four-team playoff. And DeBoer has beaten Kirby Smart twice in three tries, including last year in Athens.

Yes, the Tide took a beating from eventual national champion Indiana in the 2025 CFP quarterfinals. But DeBoer has recruited at an elite level. That includes signing Russell, a five-star QB who took over for Ty Simpson.

Maybe another victory against the Bulldogs would be enough to convince the naysayers that ‘Bama is still ‘Bama.

My Weekend Predictions are 7-3 so far

A winning week is in the bag before the Falcons play at the Saints on Monday night. Iowa and Florida were big misses for me, but they were the only ones from my college picks. The Lions ruined my perfect NFL Sunday by losing as road favorites at Carolina in the nightcap.

Three quick thoughts

The weekend was a wash for the Falcons’ interests. The Buccaneers (0-4) lost, but the Panthers (2-2) will stay on top of the NFC South. The Falcons may have caught a break with Lamar Jackson’s ankle injury. Baltimore’s QB didn’t play in the second half of the victory over the Titans on Sunday. The Ravens will play the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium next on “Sunday Night Football.”

Georgia had no problem handling its first game pressure of the season. The Bulldogs closed strong to beat Vanderbilt 38-14 on Saturday. Vandy had touchdown drives of 96 and 75 yards in the first half. Bulldogs linebacker Jordan Hall said, “We got hit, we gotta hit back. We responded.” The Commodores were on game despite finding out before kickoff that freshman QB Jared Curtis couldn’t play because of injury.