Storm meet Dream in finals rematch on Sunday

For the first time since winning the 2010 WNBA championship there, the Seattle Storm return to Atlanta tonight to face the Dream.

The Storm come into the finals rematch playing their best basketball of 2011, riding their first three-game win streak of the year and winning four of their last f

ive.

But it has been a rollercoaster ride this year for the Storm, first they lost center Lauren Jackson to a hip injury and then they couldn’t figure out how to win on the road. But it appears that the Storm have righted the ship, and the team is riding an emotional high from Sue Bird’s game-winning three-pointer against the Connecticut Sun on Friday.

Not many teams can make this claim, but it has been even more of a rollercoaster for the Dream.

The Dream were picking by many WNBA analysts to represent the Eastern Conference once again in the finals, but a 3-9 start out of the gate made that seem unlikely. Then the Dream caught fire, winning five straight to improve to 8-9 and getting back into the conversation of the East’s elite teams.

Then Atlanta lost two in a row and now stand at 8-11. What is odd about the last two games for the Dream is that their star Angel McCoughtry has come off the bench. Originally head coach Marynell Meadors said McCoughtry was sick, but now has admitted there was more to the decision without elaborating.

The Dream lost those two games, but it hasn’t affected McCoughtry’s play, who is averaging 30 points per game in those contests. She will be a tough guard for Swin Cash and the rest of the Storm tonight.

When looking at the WNBA playoff picture, seeding is yet to be figured out, but the playoff teams seem pretty clear, with the exception of the final playoff spot in the East. The Dream and the Chicago Sky look to be fighting it out for that spot for the remainder of the season.

An Atlanta team that is getting more and more desperate each day could be a dangerous road game for the Storm.