Before the Dream left for Minnesota to begin the WNBA finals, All-Star forward Angel McCoughtry already was making her pitch to disaffected local fans.
The Braves are done, and the Thrashers are gone. The Falcons are off to a slow start. The Hawks are indefinitely idle as the owners and players hash out a new labor deal.
The Dream, meanwhile, are in the WNBA finals for the second consecutive season, so fans looking for a championship contender to cheer for can come to Game 3 at Philips Arena on Friday night.
“That’s why people need to come out and support us,” McCoughtry said. “We are fighting hard for this city. Come out and show love. We want to give this city something, so we want them to show they love us.
“Our house ... there shouldn’t be a seat available. That’s how I feel.”
Now that the Dream face elimination in the best-of-five series, they may need the boost from fans more than ever. Thanks in part to some aggressive ticket giveaways by the team, they may end up getting it.
The Hawks, Braves and Falcons combined to buy 1,500 tickets for the game, and the Dream distributed them Thursday morning. The Dream said fans quickly snatched up the free tickets, and the team expects to open areas beyond the official capacity of 10,160.
The Dream ranked 10th of 12 WNBA teams in announced regular-season attendance, at 6,487 per game. The announced crowds for their two home games in the postseason averaged 7,469, and the Dream’s finals loss to Seattle in Game 3 last season drew 10,522 spectators.
The Lynx enjoyed a surge of fan support in the finals, with more than 15,000 at Target Center for both games.
“It felt like it,” Dream center Alison Bales said. “The first time we went out on the floor it was pretty overwhelming, with everyone waving their white pom-poms. It was great to see so many people involved with women’s basketball, even if they were cheering for the other team.
“Really we are the big thing in town right now, and it would be great if Atlanta comes out and supports us.”
If the first two games of the series are an indication, spectators at Philips Arena can expect another intense, rough-and-tumble contest.
The Dream led by as many as nine points in the second half of Game 2, but Minnesota rallied for a 101-95 victory. The Lynx scored 19 of their 32 fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line, raising the Dream’s ire.
“It’s supposed to be physical play, but they should just let us fight it out,” McCoughtry said. “If we both come out bloody, then we come out bloody. The game should be determined by Atlanta and Minnesota, and it wasn’t.”
Dream point guard Lindsey Harding noted that her team “won in every single statistical category except free throws.” The Lynx made 38 of 46 attempts, compared with 21 of 32 for Atlanta.
“We just need to find out how get to get to the foul line as much as them,” Harding said. “It’s going to be physical, but sometimes I wish they would allow it to be more physical so we can just play.”
Center Erika de Souza’s return helped the Dream deal with Minnesota’s size. De Souza, who missed Game 1 while playing for the Brazilian national team, had a game-high 10 rebounds as the Dream enjoyed a 31-30 rebounding edge after Minnesota had a 40-28 advantage in Game 1.
McCoughtry topped her own finals record by scoring 38 points. But Minnesota guard Seimone Augustus nearly matched her with 36, including 15 in the fourth quarter — 11 of those by free throws.
Perhaps the Dream will get more calls to their liking at home, where they expect a strong showing by their fans.
"It's not the regular season, it's not [just] the playoffs, it's the finals," Harding said. "I hope we get that many fans or even more and that the city is proud of how far we've come. We definitely need their support."
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