After making a WNBA finals appearance last year, the Dream have won one of five games this season.
It’s not the beginning they expected for 2011, but for the Dream, it’s not about this rocky start. Instead, it’s about how they finish.
“We’re in a tougher spot than most teams, but I feel like it’s going to turn for the better,” forward Angel McCoughtry said. “We still believe we’re going to win the championship, and we still believe we’re going to get a ring.”
To get back on track, the Dream, who won their first six games last season, will need to muster some victories during their five-game homestand that begins Sunday with a matchup against Atlanta-native Maya Moore and Minnesota (4-1) at 3 p.m. at Philips Arena.
“We just have to continue to play through it all,” McCoughtry said. “That’s what shows how tough we are — if we can play through all of our kinks.”
McCoughtry, the Dream’s leading scorer in 2010, was sidelined for the opening game this season — an overtime loss against New York on June 5 — nursing a sprained left knee she injured while in practice. She played only three minutes against Washington later that week before returning to the Dream’s starting lineup June 11.
Pair McCoughtry’s injury with limited playing time for starters Iziane Castro Marques and Sancho Lyttle, and it’s easy to see why the Dream had some struggles early on.
“It’s very disruptive when [these injuries] happen,” coach Marynell Meadors said. “We haven’t had our team full strength yet. I think if we ever get everyone on the court at the same time, we might know what each other is going to do.”
The Dream hit the road June 11 with a healthy McCoughtry in search of the team’s first win. That win came against the Liberty on Tuesday, a 79-58 victory in which the Dream held a double-digit advantage over New York throughout the second half of play.
“It was a tough road trip, but at least we got one win under our belts,” McCoughtry said.
On Friday night, the Dream finished the three-game road trip, losing to Minnesota 96-85. Despite 27 points from McCoughtry and a double-double by Erika de Souza, the Dream couldn’t muster enough punch to stop the Lynx.
“Scouting-wise it’s very good for us, but it’s very good for them, too,” Meadors said of facing the Lynx again two days after playing them on the road. “We knew what they were going to do, but they executed very well.”
However, the Dream will play without the rebounding and inside presence of Lyttle, the team’s third-leading scorer. Lyttle has left the Dream to play for Spain in Eurobasket Women 2011. The international tournament held in Poland serves as a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics. She missed her first of six games Friday.
“She’s a big loss when she’s gone. She brings so much energy and effort,” McCoughtry said. “We know that she’ll be back, so we’re just going to hold it down for her until she is.”
Lyttle will return to the Dream on July 9 when the team plays the Chicago Sky.
In the meantime, the Dream have signed center Courtney Paris to fill in for Lyttle, who the Dream has to temporarily suspend during her absence. Paris played in 33 games for the Sacramento Monarchs during the 2009 season. She was waived by Los Angeles before the beginning of this season after participating in the Sparks’ training camp.
“One person isn’t going to be able to replace [Lyttle],” center Alison Bales said.
With the remainder of the roster healthy and hungry for some wins, the Dream will look to use this homestand to rebound out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. It won’t be a simple task, as the Dream’s next five opponents have 13 combined wins this season.
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