All the tangible progress and intangible positivity the Atlanta Dream (11-21) achieved with their three-game winning streak out of the Olympic break soon was negated by a four-game losing streak. On Sunday, Sept. 1, the Dream snapped that skid with a 80-62 victory over the Sparks in Los Angeles.
The single win, remarkably, strengthened their playoff chances. The struggles of the Chicago Sky—1-7 since play resumed—have Atlanta tied in the standings with Chicago for the eighth seed with eight games to play. (The Sky, however, currently own the tiebreaker.) For their second-to-last game of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Dream will host the Sky, a contest that could potentially determine which team claims the final spot in the playoffs. (At two games back of Chicago and Atlanta, the Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings also could enter the eighth-seed conversation).
To make sure their playoff hopes aren’t extinguished, and maybe even have improved, by that date with Chicago, Atlanta should aim for a .500 record over the intervening six games. Those games are:
Tuesday, Sept. 3: at Phoenix Mercury (10 p.m. ET, League Pass)
Friday, Sept. 6: vs. Dallas Wings (7:30 p.m. ET, ION)
Sunday, Sept. 8: at Indiana Fever (4 p.m. ET, ESPN3/League Pass)
Tuesday, Sept. 10: vs….
