While Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry got the spotlight for her scoring performances in the 2011 WNBA Finals, point guard Lindsey Harding was more quietly one of the main reasons they got there and was arguably the best distributor of the entire 2011 WNBA playoffs.
If in fact you're interested in basketball legacies and preserving some of the details that wash away with the passage of time, both 2011 WNBA Finalists gave us plenty to reflect on during this long WNBA off-season.
As determined as the Atlanta Dream were in the 2011 WNBA Finals, they were unable to win a game for the second consecutive season as they fell to the Minnesota Lynx.
A routine fastbreak layup by Minnesota Lynx wing Maya Moore marked a turning point against the Atlanta Dream in Game Three of the 2011 WNBA Finals at Philips Arena on October 7, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia.
For the third consecutive WNBA Finals game, the Atlanta Dream held a halftime lead. And for the third consecutive contest, the Minnesota Lynx stormed back for the win. Minnesota gets its first WNBA Championship in franchise history in their first trip ever to the WNBA Finals in sweeping fashion.
Regardless of whatever we think about the nature of the nature of the calls made - whether the game was called "too tight" or whistles blown in response to imagined infractions - the frequency of the calls really made an otherwise exciting duel of two of the league's most dominant perimeter scorers choppy and, unfortunately, difficult to watch (and re-watch) down the stretch.
The Minnesota Lynx fought to a 2-0 WNBA Finals advantage after taking down the Atlanta Dream 101-95 in front of 15,124 fans at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry scored a WNBA Finals record 38 points, but her one woman show could not stop the Lynx. Minnesota's Seimone Augustus answered the call with a 36 point performance of her own in her winning bid.
As much as the NBA lockout might have some basketball fans depressed, the 2011 WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream makes right now yet another great time for any true basketball fan to give the women's league a chance.
I always think of the Storm Crazies as well - crazy. Crazy for their team and eager to show support, coming out to Key Arena in droves and droves. However, a look through the 2011 numbers show an underperforming crowd in Seattle. See how all the playoff teams stack up.
After helping Brazil qualify for the 2012 Olympics in the FIBA Americas Championship, how might center Erika de Souza's presence help the Atlanta Dream in the 2011 WNBA Finals?
The Minnesota Lynx' 88-74 win exemplifies an exquisite balance that makes them both difficult to beat and equally difficult for some people to appreciate.
Despite a ridiculous 33 points from Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream, the Minnesota Lynx take a 1-0 WNBA Finals lead after an 88-74 win from the Target Center.
The 2011 WNBA Finals might be the toughest to predict in some time. So who will win the series?
The Minnesota Lynx swept the Atlanta Dream during the regular season in two games for which forward Sancho Lyttle was absent. Her presence could make a difference in the Dream's second consecutive trip to the WNBA Finals.
The short-handed Atlanta Dream scrapped their way to a Game 3 victory in Indiana to advance to the WNBA Finals for the second straight season. Atlanta ran away with the game in an 83-67 rout at Conseco Fieldhouse.
With Atlanta Dream center Erika de Souza with the Brazilian National Team for the FIBA World Championships and the possibility that Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings will be out, it's nearly impossible to predict how Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals will turn out. But the key questions are clear.
While Erika de Souza was off to pursue her dream - a shot at qualifying Brazil for the 2012 Olympics - it looked like her dream would be reached at the cost of Atlanta's dream of a repeat visit to the WNBA Finals. However, Iziane Castro Marques had a dream performance of her own. Iziane would scored 30 against the Fever in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals in Atlanta 94-77.
One half of the 2011 WNBA Finals field was decided on Sunday, after the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 103-86. The Atlanta Dream forced a decisive Game 3 in the East after beating the Indiana Fever 94-77.
According to an e-mail I've recently received, I can confirm that Erika de Souza of the Atlanta Dream will be joining the Brazilian team to play in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Women. ...
Can the San Antonio Silver Stars pull off an upset of the Minnesota Lynx tonight in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals? Guard Becky Hammon might be a big part of such an effort.
Penny Taylor scored 11 of the Phoenix Mercury's 17 final points to carry her team to a thrilling - or heartbreaking - Game 3 victory against the Seattle Storm at KeyArena last night.
Another classic game for the WNBA and one that demonstrates both the talent and determination fans of the league are used to seeing but taken to another level for the playoffs. For a recap of the...
Over the course of the season, Angel McCoughtry has been a one-woman wrecking crew. This might have fooled the rest of the WNBA into thinking that the Atlanta Dream was a one-woman team. But in the deciding game of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Dream put that theory to rest.
The focus of the New York Liberty's 87-72 victory over the Indiana Fever on Saturday was the defensive end.
Forward DeWanna Bonner's (left) game-high 13 rebounds stood out as being one shy of a Phoenix Mercury post-season record, but fellow forward Penny Taylor's performance was quietly more significant.
I... I didn't have to worry about us choking the lead away? What mad world is this?
