r/AtlantaDream • u/campoole82 • 1d ago
A potential first round matchup vs fever
I’d be perfectly fine with it we should be 3-1 against them and we blew it. But the key to beating them is Madina okot.
For two reasons,
- AB is a brick wall
Ik my gamecock well her post d is incredible she’s strong, physical, and her shot tracking is so good pump fakes don’t work. Banging and boxing her out will be a tiring matchup but if she’s guarding okot that makes things easier for Angel.
- Timpson’s help defense is a problem
she’s able to rotate very well and help from the weak side to stop drives.
When Angel was taking AB off the dribble, getting by her Timpson was roaming like a free safety and meeting her at the spot.
With okot in when Timpson does rotate that dump off pass is there for an easy layup
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u/freeman1231 #3 Jordin Canada 1d ago
To best the fever you need to get in Clark’s head, and that means being physical early let her make the mistakes she does after getting frustrated easily. She has a difficult time coming back from that and the fever suffer when she is off her game.
Fever has gotten better in the second half of the season. Look forward to this matchup a lot.
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u/KyriePlzz 1d ago
Very true
KM is like a machine. She’s gonna get you an efficient 25 or so
CC is the volatile one. Depending on the version you get she can either blow the game completely open or stink it up.
On the other side, Howard had the same problem. Angel can be too aggressive and brick a lot but she always competes defensively . Itll be her first playoff game but I hope she’s able to continue playing as she has been since the last Fever loss. Being more patient has worked wonders for her
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u/KyriePlzz 1d ago
The series will come down to Howard and Lish. Bri may or may not return and I can see Angel having a good game but Boston cam greatly affect her. Angel also guards Boston well
However, Rhyne and Lish should be able to have their way with the Fevers perimeter defenders. Indy won’t be able to afford sitting KM and CC for any extended periods. So the 2 of them need to be attacking them on switches and making their shots. Make them work for it on both ends.
No one’s gonna stop KM from getting hers but they can certainly frustrate CC enough to cough up turnovers and take crazy shots. Sometimes she hits and you love with that, but she’s far more efficient on catch and shoots than she is off the dribble
If Rhyne/Lish play like they should, on both ends, we’ll win
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u/campoole82 1d ago
If we wanna space the floor then
go with Bonner you can’t leave her she’s too good of a scorer.
At the very least it takes Timpson out of the paint allowing Angel to take AB off the dribble and finish
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u/Ron-C-2321 1d ago
This is why they brought in Bonner. Okot is too green for the playoffs. Naz expanded her game but she cannot take most defenders off the dribble. You never really see her pump fake the 3 and drive. I saw her do it one time this year. It was the third game against the Fever and Clark came out. If you are quick enough you can cheat on defense because Naz will not punish your close outs. If she doesn’t have a clear look she will pass it. Bonner can put the ball on the floor. Having 5 players on the floor that can’t penetrate at the same time would give them an advantage.
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u/Otherwise-Worry3418 1d ago
Fever fan here.. I believe this is the match up to. For both teams, it’s about who shows up. If a frustrated CC is playing, not good for us. I think it comes down to who stays out of foul trouble. If the Fever can maintain a decent defense and Lish and Rhyne both don’t show up. Could be great games, could be 20 point wins either way. Also like Atlanta as well..
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u/Tasty_Sugar_447 1d ago
Thibs Smesko is not going to play Okot. Better hope Jones is healthy and available to play, otherwise he’ll continue to have Angel play out of position and too small Naz in the lineup to get eaten up by the bigs.
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u/Blacbiird747 4h ago
Rhyne is the key. If she’s on, Atlanta sweeps them. If not, it’s gonna be a problem. Rhyne is unguardable when she makes up her mind that’s how it’s gonna be. Clark can’t guard Gray or Canada so I would force her to play defense. I think for Atlanta, it’s all about being locked in at all times. Bonner being there, a championship vet presence helps more than we realize.
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u/Nick_Bruiser 1d ago
I feel like the Fever is the best team in the W right now. I also feel good about having Bonner off the bench. She played 17 minutes last night. Smesko doesn’t seem to trust the best because they all average about 5 minutes per game. Having Bonner strengthens offensive output when a starter can rest.
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u/Jreal2013 Dream 1d ago
This is likely the matchup , I’d feel better about if we got the 4th seed. 3 game series so home-court advantage is even more crucial. We have the pieces to beat them , it’s just about execution which has been a problem all year.