Confetti rained down upon the floor.

Every fan stood cheering.

Tears of joy streaked down the faces of some players while others rummaged through a box of t-shirts that had been saved for the occasion.

A victory marked something that had never happened before at Philips Arena occurred.

Did the Hawks win a championship? No, they lost to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. The Thrashers then? No, they missed the playoffs after trading away Marian Hossa.

So what was it??

(from AJC/Todd R. McQueen)

dream.jpg
The WNBA’s Atlanta Dream won the first game in franchise history. After starting their inaugural season 0-17, Atlanta defeated Chicago 91-84 Saturday night.

Thanks to heeding the advice given on Earn on the Side, I won 4 tickets and a signed mini-basketball from a local radio station and was once again a fortunate fan having an opportunity to be on hand for such a monumental and historic feat (that will soon be forgotten by all but those in attendance). After throwing away an 11-point halftime lead, the Dream regained the lead early in the fourth quarter and pulled away in the last minute. Jennifer Lacy and North Carolina alum, Ivory Latta, each scored 18 points to lead the Dream.

Now, I won’t say the Dream game was anything close to the Hawks playoff games I attended or any of the Thrashers games I’ve seen at Philips Arena (where all 3 teams play). However, the atmosphere and intensity of the crowd was at least equivalent to the regular season Hawks’ blowout to the Pistons I attended earlier this year.

The WNBA product that was on showcase was no where close to as entertaining as a NBA game, but that could be because the Atlanta Dream and the Chicago Sky have the two worst records in the league. The two teams combined for 29 turnovers, numerable second chance opportunities due to failed attempts at box outs, and more than a handful of missed layups.

I understand they are not NBA players, but some of the forced passes and wide open shots due to defensive lapses are things my alma mater’s men’s basketball program (a Division III program that is usually ranked in the Top 25) would rarely ever do. I at least expected to see a game that was not so sloppy.

Also, I was very confused by the substitution patterns of Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors. Latta, the face of the Dream franchise, got into some early foul trouble and had to sit, but she sat for long periods throughout the second half when I thought she should have been in the game. Meadors also played newly acquired Alison Bales (over starter Kasha Terry and 6-foot-8 sub Katie Feenstra) for nearly the entirety of the stretch run. In my opinion, Bales played atrocious. She was 1 of 7 from the field missing several bunnies; she was worked by Chicago’s quicker posts; and she missed both free throws with a chance to ice the game in the final 30 seconds.

Nonetheless, the game was still highly entertaining. There is not a bad seat in Philips Arena (thanks to the upper levels being completely blocked off), so I recommend everyone at least giving the WNBA franchise in Atlanta and your own city a chance. Grab the kids and take the family (as it’s a true family atmosphere) to a game, cheer, and have a good time. What do you have to lose besides a couple of bucks for the tickets?

Lastly, congratulations to the Dream on their first victory as any athlete that has gone through a slump or losing streak can imagine just how rough 17 consecutive losses must have been.

Shotgun Spratling

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