Dream coach Michael Cooper likes the consistency his team has developed through the WNBA season’s first seven games. Now he wants to see more of it when Atlanta (4-3) hosts Eastern Conference leaders Chicago (5-1) on Saturday night.
“This team has gone some through drastic changes, loss of key players off last year’s Eastern Conference championship staff and a new coaching staff,” Cooper said. “Four-three is good for us. It will take us some time to get going.”
Playing Chicago will offer a stern test.
The Sky handed Atlanta its first loss of the season, 87-73, on May 24. The game was close through the first half but Chicago ran away from Atlanta with a 46-point second half. The Dream played that game without leading scorer Angel McCoughtry, who was suffering from a shoulder injury. She returned the next game.
To beat Chicago, Atlanta will need more of what it did against Los Angeles. Cooper said putting together a strong seven minutes in the third quarter sparked the team to a 93-85 win on Tuesday at Philips Arena.
He thought it would take time to generate those types of runs. Much of the roster has changed from last year and more changes are coming now that point guard Celine Dumerc has arrived from France. She played six minutes against Los Angeles, but Cooper said he can see her starting Saturday.
“The key is getting her comfortable,” Cooper said. “Her defense is better than expected. Now it’s (about) understanding her teammates and understanding what I want on the floor. Her basketball IQ is high.”
Cooper said Dumerc’s inclusion into an already deep lineup won’t mean that Jasmine Thomas and Shoni Schimmel, whom Cooper also once believed could be starters, won’t play.
“We go 12 deep. It will pay dividends for us later in the season,” Cooper said. “When we start our championship run, everyone will be fresh healthy and ready to go.”
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