The Atlanta Dream played the Chinese National Team in a scrimmage closed to the public, held on the practice court of the Atlanta Hawks.
There were no announcers. No cheerleaders. No goofy sound effects. No seating, except what you could find around the court (folding chairs were brought in for the benefit of the visitors). And for the members of the Dream that were present, there were no uniforms. Remember that old saying that you can't tell the players without a scorecard? Sometimes, it's true. Aside from the fact that these were the best female basketball players in the world, it looked a lot like games played in gyms all around the world.
There were WNBA referees present, but the only video you’ll find of this game was taken by the team. The Dream had a lot of flexibility, and decided to play five quarters – five 10-minute periods of basketball. Both substitutions and time outs were infrequent. Without commercials and frequent meetings for strategy, those minutes went by surprisingly quickly.
Stay tuned for more on the game tomorrow.