Izzie Castro-Marques has been favoring a strained Achilles tendon all season, and instead of maintaining her usual starting position, she has had to play cautiously off the bench.
However, you couldn’t tell with her performance on Sept. 25 in Game 2 of the WNBA best-of-three Eastern Conference final series against the Indiana Fever at Philips Arena; nor in Game 3 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sept. 27.
And Angel McCoughtry, who was second in the league in scoring with 21.6 points per game, was held to a 13.0 point average during the semifinals against Connecticut and Game 1 against the Fever. Blame it on the stars or that thing that just happens to the best of athletes at some point, but she struggled to find her mark in the first four games of post-season play after closing out the regular season magnificently.
The pair had been dubbed the ‘Dynamic Duo’ last season by being the driving force behind Atlanta’s offensive attack. They complemented each other game after game while giving a one-two punch to the offense and leading the franchise to the best turnaround record in league history – not to mention advancement into last year’s Finals.
That had been all but forgotten until recently, particularly since the Dream had such a poor start to the season. Add several temporary departures along the way and a couple of costly injuries, the team was struggling to stay alive.
But that all changed last week.
The superheroes heard the call and came to the rescue in a must-win game last Friday in Atlanta to combine for more than half of their team’s total points.
Meadors decided to go with a smaller, faster lineup, and inserted Castro-Marques back into the starting lineup. The departure of starting center Erika DeSouza to join the Brazilian national team was also a factor.
That decision may have been the end to Indiana’s threat. Not only did forced turnovers by pesky Atlanta team
add up to points, but following the 82-74 loss in Game 1, Castro-Marques put it all on the line to lead all scorers with 30 points. McCoughtry also got her groove back and scored 27 in the 94-77 victory that tied the series at a game apiece.
Referring to Castro-Marques, Meadors said: “She was the X-factor that kept us going. She hit shot, after shot, after shot.”
Castro-Marques scored 13 points in the first half and 17 in the second.
And to handle unfinished business, the two simply changed roles in Game 3. McCoughtry led the way with 26 points while Castro-Marques added 23 on the Dream’s way to an 83-67 win and advancement into their second consecutive WNBA Finals series.
Lindsey Harding scored 16 points and Sancho Lyttle added 10 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for the Dream.
The Dream have plenty of backup in the starting lineup and on the bench. This Atlanta squad is built on balance and unwavering role players. In Game 2, three other Dream players finished in double figures with 10 points each – Lyttle, Harding and Armintie Price.
“We’re built on balance and I think we had great balance with our starting five.” Meadors added.
Minnesota, Moore Up Next In Finals
Now that the Atlanta Dream have disposed of Indiana, the team – along with the ‘Dynamic Duo’ – will have to face ‘Superwoman’ Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx in the 2011 WNBA Finals.
Moore, a native Georgian, was this year’s Rookie of the Year and the only first-year player to start in the All-Star game since 2002.
Moore, along with Taj McWilliams-Franklin, scored 21 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 103-86 victory to sweep the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, and give the Lynx their first ever championship appearance.
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NOTE: Indiana’s leading scorer saw limited action in Game 3 after going down late in Game 2 with a foot injury. She was later diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, a strain of the ligament that supports the arch.
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