Dream hopes four-guard lineup results in another win against Mystics

Dream coach Marynell Meadors felt she had no choice. Her team had a 5-10 record since the WNBA All-Star break and had trouble matching up against the Washington Mystics.

So on Wednesday night, out went starting guard Shalee Lehning and center Erika de Souza. In went backup guards Coco Miller and Armintie Price. The result caught Washington off guard and lifted the Dream to a five-point victory in the first game of Eastern Conference semifinals.

Now the chess match has begun. How will Washington counter the new lineup? Can the Mystics slow the Dream enough to force a deciding third game in Washington?

Whatever the answers, one thing is certain: the Dream wants to finish off the series Friday night at Philips Arena.

“No, we don’t want to go back to Washington,” Meadors said.

Miller said: “We have to end [the series] here.”

The lineup change was just the thing the Dream needed to get going after losing six of the last seven games in the regular season. Miller, one of the fastest players on the team, and Price, one of the team's emotional leaders, gave the Dream a boost of energy on offense and defense.

With the lineup moves, shooting guard Iziane Castro Marques moved to small forward, guard Angel McCoughtry moved to power forward and power forward Sancho Lyttle moved to center. The net result was a faster team.

The Dream pushed the ball up the court, created an up-tempo and got fastbreak points. The faster pace led to easier scores, which helped with the shooting percentage. Miller scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Price only scored five points, but had a team-high eight assists. The Dream shot 53.5 percent and had a 16-8 edge in fastbreak baskets.

On the other end of the floor, the Dream also did a better job of clogging the passing lanes and defending on the perimeter. Washington shot 39.4 percent. Last Sunday, the Mystics shot 45.1 percent in their 90-81 regular season-ending victory against the Dream.

“I thought the team responded well,” Meadors said.

Meadors expects Washington to try its own four-guard rotation. They went to a smaller lineup in Game One, subbing guard Marissa Coleman for center Chasity Melvin after the Dream opened the night with a 10-1 run. The Mystics also could use back-up guard Matee Ajavon.

“I would suspect that at some point, all four guards from both teams will be in the game,” Meadors said.

Miller also thinks the Mystics might try to play a more physical style.

“It’s the playoffs and you don’t know what to expect,” Price said.

The winner may come down to who best exploits its matchups.

“It’s like a chess match with the parts moving back and forth,” Meadors said.