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Jordin Canada Hits a 32-Foot Buzzer-Beater as the Dream Win Their First Finals Game
The Atlanta Dream point guard turned a season of health and ball security into a Game 2 win that tied the WNBA Finals at 1-1.
The shot that swung Game 2
Jordin Canada hit a 32-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter in San Francisco, and the Atlanta Dream went on to win the first Finals game in franchise history. [1] Canada is the point guard for the Dream, and the 79-65 win over the Valkyries tied the WNBA Finals at 1-1. [2][1]
Atlanta led 39-37 at halftime after DeWanna Bonner hit a jumper before the buzzer. [1] Rhyne Howard picked up three of her WNBA Finals-record six steals in the third quarter. [1]
Turnovers decided the game
Golden State committed a season-high 18 turnovers in Game 2, eight of them in the third quarter. [1] Veronica Burton said turnovers dictated the entire game because they gave Atlanta more looks. [1]
Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said the team's identity is defense. [1] Angel Reese finished Game 2 with 30 points and 16 rebounds. [1] She said she let the team down in the prior game by taking only two shot attempts in the second half, and she took responsibility for it. [1] If the series ended at the time of the article, the likely WNBA Finals MVP would be Reese. [2]
A style built on forcing mistakes
The Dream ranked No. 5 in pace this year. [2] They finished No. 2 in the league in fastbreak points, with 11.9 points per game in the regular season. [2]
They also tied for first in the league with the Minnesota Lynx with 18 points off turnovers per game in the regular season. [2]
Canada's season in numbers
Entering training camp, Canada's goals were to get the Dream back in position to win a title, stay healthy, and lead the league in assist to turnover ratio. [2] In her first two seasons with the Dream, she played in 48 of a possible 84 games due to numerous injuries. [2] This season she played in 43 of the Dream's 44 regular season games. [2]
Last year Canada had a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio in 28 games. [2] This season the ratio was 2.9, trailing only Veronica Burton and Julie Allemand in the league. [2]
The coach who saw the work
Camryn Brown is an assistant coach with the Dream and previously played at High Point University, where she averaged 17 points as a senior. [2] She joined Karl Smesko's staff at Florida Gulf Coast University and then joined his Dream staff when he made the leap last season. [2]
Brown said she and Canada began building chemistry from the first time they met during preseason workouts. [2] She said the relationship developed organically and has become very close. [2] Brown also said Canada asked what changes she needed to make to have a successful season and wanted to make those adjustments. [2]
How we got here
Last season the Dream had the best record in the Eastern Conference and then had a first-round exit to the Indiana Fever. [2] After the Game 3 loss to the Fever, Canada told reporters that Atlanta will be back. [2]
Canada said the Dream's core group returned because the team had been believed in. [2]
What to watch in the Finals
If you follow the Finals, watch the turnover count. [1] Golden State committed a season-high 18 in Game 2, and the Dream tied for first in the league in points off turnovers per game during the regular season. [1][2]
Also watch Canada's ball security, since her 2.9 assist to turnover ratio trailed only Burton and Allemand this season. [2] The series is tied at 1-1. [1]
Sources
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