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2014 WNBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

The Atlanta Dream will begin their quest for a fourth WNBA Finals appearance in five years after winning the Eastern Conference outright with a 19-15 overall record.

The Dream took control of first place during the first half of the campaign by winning 15 of their opening 20 games and managed to hang on to the top spot despite a 4-10 finish. Atlanta's momentum subsided around the same time coach Michael Cooper was diagnosed with tongue cancer. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year returned to the bench after successful surgery, but his Dream failed to reestablish themselves as the clear favorite to come out of the East.

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Indiana won three of its final four games to tie the Mystics for second place in the conference standings. Hall of Fame coach Lin Dunn's Fever will have home court advantage thanks to their 12-10 conference record, which bested Washington's by just a single game. The Mystics' second straight appearance in the postseason under coach Mike Thibault is primarily thanks to their dominant stretch from July 9 through July 27, during which time they won six of seven games.

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Chicago squeaked into the playoffs despite playing shorthanded throughout the season due to some unfortunate visits from the injury bug. The Sky were arguably the most impressive team in the Eastern Conference in May before 2013 Rookie of the Year Elena Delle Donne began to miss action due to her ongoing struggle with Lyme disease. Coach Pokey Chatman's roster will be at full strength for the playoffs as Chicago and Washington both attempt to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Final Standings

1. Atlanta (19-15)

2. Indiana (16-18)

3. Washington (16-18)

4. Chicago (15-19)

5. New York (15-19)

6. Connecticut (13-21)

ATLANTA DREAM VS. CHICAGO SKY

The Dream will host Chicago in the opening game of the best-of-three series on Friday. Atlanta will make its sixth straight playoff appearance, but is the top seed for the first time. Chicago was the top seed last year and had its excellent season quickly spoiled in a two-game sweep by Indiana in the opening round of the playoffs.

Chicago won three of the five meetings with the Dream during the regular season. Atlanta defeated the Sky in two of the three games played at Philips Arena before Chicago's 79-75 triumph on July 25. The Sky won both matchups at Allstate Arena.

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The Dream had three representatives in the Eastern Conference's starting lineup for the All-Star Game in late July after their tenacious start to the season. Rookie point guard Shoni Schimmel stole the show and was named the All-Star Game MVP after her 29-point eruption, while leading scorer Angel McCoughtry chipped in 13 points and center Erika de Souza added eight points in 12 minutes.

Schimmel cooled off as the calendar progressed, but ended her first regular season on a strong note. The Louisville product earned her first career Player of the Week honor after netting 15.3 ppg and 4.7 apg in three games last week. Schimmel is the fifth-leading scorer for Atlanta at 8.3 ppg, while McCoughtry led the Eastern Conference with 18.5 ppg. Third-year guard Tiffany Hayes was Atlanta's third-option with 12.9 ppg behind de Souza, who posted 13.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg. Veteran forward Sancho Lyttle continued her steady play for the Dream, as she provided 12.2 ppg along with a team-high 9.0 rpg.

Chicago will provide a challenge for any of its competitors in the postseason with Delle Donne available to carry the load offensively. The second-year star from Delaware tallied 17.9 ppg and converted 93.3 percent of her attempts from the charity stripe in 16 games this season. Delle Donne has some assistance for an improbable run, as Epiphanny Prince (15.0 ppg), Sylvia Fowles (13.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg) and Allie Quigley (11.2 ppg) all helped pick up the slack during her absence. Fowles and Jessica Breland set the tone defensively, ranking second and third in the WNBA, respectively, in blocks per contest. Starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot is expected to be back to 100 percent after missing considerable time with a knee injury.

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INDIANA FEVER VS. WASHINGTON MYSTICS

The Fever and Mystics split their four-game season series, during which the road team won each installment. This matchup will mark the second time Indiana and Washington meet in the playoffs. The Fever swept Washington in the opening round of the 2009 postseason.

Indiana, making its 10th straight playoff appearance, was also the second seed entering the 2012 postseason, which concluded with Dunn attaining the first WNBA championship in franchise history. Dunn announced during the regular season that this will be her final year before retirement. The legendary coach managed to guide her squad to the playoffs for the seventh time in as many years as the club's coach even though former MVP Tamika Catchings logged only 16 games. Catchings was outstanding when healthy, tallying 16.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Shavonte Zellous (11.0 ppg) and Briann January (10.3 ppg, 3.7 apg) have performed very well as a tandem in the backcourt for the Fever, while Erlana Larkins hustled her way to 9.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg on the interior.

The Mystics led the WNBA in scoring defense, allowing just 73.8 ppg to the opposition. The strong play on the defensive end is sorely needed for Washington, which shot 42.5 percent from the floor including a 31.7 percent clip from 3-point range. Two-time All-Star Ivory Latta paces the Mystics with 12.8 ppg and 3.3 apg. The veteran floor general out of North Carolina made a WNBA-best 81 out of 215 shots from beyond the arc, giving her more than 100 3- point field goal attempts than any of her teammates. Emma Meesseman adds 10.1 ppg and a team-best 6.4 rpg.

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[SportsNetwork.com]

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