The team has now won five of 10 races in 2013. | Forum

The Atlanta Dream have weathered a few things this year. Danny Hultzen Cubs Jersey . Such as the realization that Shoni Schimmel, whom they drafted in 2014 and had high hopes for, just wasnt going to work out at point guard. And a six-game losing streak. And the worry that veteran post player Sancho Lyttle might be lost for the season with a foot injury.They ended up trading Shimmel to New York for a draft pick, and then shipping a pick to Indiana for Layshia Clarendon, who is having a solid season in the Dreams backcourt. Atlanta pulled out of the losing skid -- which lasted from June 18 to July 3, including four road games -- and won five of eight before the Olympic break.Lyttle suffered the injury July 15 and had to miss playing in the Olympics for Spain, which won a silver medal. At first, it appeared that Lyttle wouldnt return to the WNBA in 2016 because of what was thought to be a broken bone in her foot. Then it was revealed she had a partially torn tendon that wouldnt require surgery, and coach Michael Cooper said she is day-to-day.She has started running, Cooper said. She hasnt practiced yet, but were very encouraged by her. I couldnt give you a date [for her return], but we hope its going to be pretty soon.Getting Lyttle back in the regular season would be a huge help to the Dream, who have a very challenging closing run before the playoffs. Atlanta is 14-13 and in fourth place in the WNBA standings, as just four teams have a winning record. Realistically, New York (19-8) is out of reach for Atlanta to catch, but now the Dream have to be concerned about others catching them.Chicago (13-13) and Phoenix (13-14) are on the Dreams heels, with Indiana also close at 12-14. Furthermore, six of their last seven games are against Western Conference teams, including Phoenix twice, Los Angeles, and defending WNBA champion Minnesota.Cooper still sounds optimistic about the Dream securing the fourth playoff spot, which would come with a first-round bye. The lower seeds -- No. 5 vs. No. 8 and No. 6 vs. No. 7 -- will compete in single-elimination games in the new playoff format, with the winners then facing the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds in single elimination.Even if Atlanta slides into the 5-8 range, which then would require two victories before advancing to a best-of-five semifinal series, Cooper can see a bright side to that, too, saying he thinks his team plays better when it doesnt have a lot of time off between games.What wouldnt be acceptable is the Dream not making the postseason at all, which was the case last year for just the second time in franchise history. That would take a total plunge over the last two weeks, and Cooper sounds confident that isnt going to happen.While Atlanta star Angel McCoughtry was with the U.S. Olympic team, the Dream players back home went through rigorous practices. They did a lot of running and conditioning work, Cooper said, because he wants the Dream to have endurance to get through this part of the season.McCoughtry won her second Olympic gold medal and brought back that triumphant vibe from Team USA.When shes around so many great players, with her being one of them, Cooper said of McCoughtry, theres an attitude, a mentality and a focus that you have to have. Since shes been back, Ive been asking her questions on different things that they did, and the things she says are things our players need to hear. And she needs to hear it, too.The biggest thing she teaches our other players is that she knows what it takes to win at the highest level. And its not just about one player being able to do that, but all of our players. Sometimes your Olympic player can be that glue that pulls everybody together.Atlanta lost its first game after the break, 90-82 at Chicago Friday, and then beat Connecticut 87-73 in Atlanta on Sunday. Then in a quirk in the schedule, the Dream had a whole week without games -- which they didnt really need after the Olympic break -- before they play Sunday in Atlanta against 11-16 Seattle, another team trying to make a surge into the postseason.When Cooper reflects on what went wrong during the Dreams losing streak in June and early July, he acknowledges that its just part of the big highs and big lows that Atlanta seems to experience. The teams confidence sometimes can plummet.I always tell our players winning is contagious, but so is losing, Cooper said. When there were games that we thought we should have won, but we lost, we tended to drop our heads. But you have to keep competing every game.In general, Cooper has been happy with 2016 additions Clarendon and post player Elizabeth Williams, whom the Dream also obtained in a trade. Hed like to get Clarendon (11.3 PPG, 3.1 APG) more time at shooting guard to take advantage of her perimeter scoring ability, but shes certainly filled a need. Williams (12.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG) has blossomed in her second season in the league after coming from Connecticut.Cooper says Tiffany Hayes is the Dream player who most reminds him of himself in his playing days, as she always given the toughest defensive assignments. But Hayes also has proven to be a consistent offensive presence; shes averaging a career-best 14.6 PPG in her fifth season in the league.The Dream know that as the calendar turns to September, its very tough from here on out. Theyll need McCoughtry (18.4 PPG) to be her Olympian self. Theyll have to clamp down defensively, which Cooper sees as the biggest key. Theyll need a little more from their bench.They also have to remember this is a franchise that, in its relatively short history (starting in 2008), has had a lot of postseason success, including three trips to the WNBA Finals. With so much attention, understandably, on Minnesota, Los Angeles and New York this season, its still worth keeping an eye on the Dream.If we have all our players and are playing the way I know we can play, Cooper said, I still feel we can compete with anybody in the league if were healthy. Greg Maddux Jersey . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Moises Alou Cubs Jersey . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. https://www.cheapcubs.com/300t-justin-steele-jersey-cubs.html . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. NEWTON, Iowa -- Andretti Autosport has long been the team to beat at Iowa Speedway. On Sunday, James Hinchcliffe put an exclamation point on Andrettis dominance there with the best race of his career. Hinchcliffe, from Oakville, Ont., cruised to victory in the IndyCar Series race, leading all but 24 of 250 laps. He became the first three-time winner this season and gave Andretti Autosport its fourth consecutive victory at Iowas .875-mile oval, the shortest track on the circuit. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffes teammate, battled back from last place to finish second. He was followed by Tony Kanaan, Ed Carpenter and Graham Rahal. Hinchcliffe took the lead on the opening lap and ceded control only briefly during pit stops. He joined Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Hunter-Reay as Iowa winners for Andretti Autosport since 2010. But none of those runs was as dominant as the one Hinchcliffe put together this time around. "Ive watched guys win races like this on TV, and my whole career I thought I just dont get it. How do they do that? Ive never been in that position. And now I know. You have to have a hell of a good car. You have to have a hell of a good crew and just hit your marks all afternoon long," Hinchcliffe said. "Man, it feels good to do it like that." Now the next step for Hinchcliffe is consistency. Despite earning his first three career wins this season, Hinchcliffe is 66 points behind series leader Helio Castroneves because of five finishes of 15th or lower. "Hes been either feast or famine. He either wins or he has problems. But he knows hes capable of winning," team owner Michael Andretti. "If he can hopefully get through all his problems and continue to do what hes doing, he has a good shot at a championship." Series leader Helio Castroneves was eighth. His lead over Hunter-Reay was cut to nine points -- the exact number Castroneves earned Saturday by winning the pole through heat qualifying races. "We drove as hard as we could. When they told me I came in eighth, I was like What? I certainly felt we had a better car than that," Castroneves said. It was clear from the opening lap that nobody had a better car than the No. 27 of Hinchcliffe. He immediately grabbed control of the race from Will Power, who coounts just one oval among his 18 series victories. Mark Prior Jersey. Power fell behind by as much as a lap midway through the race and finished 17th. Hinchcliffe also held off a furious challenge from Rahal off a restart about 90 laps from the finish. Though Rahal technically took the lead for a lap, Hinchcliffe hung on to the low groove, running side-by-side with Rahal, before bursting clear. Hinchcliffe had only led 99 laps in his three-year IndyCar career before Sunday. He surpassed that total less than halfway through the race. "We got (Power) on lap one there and really never looked back. The car was solid," Hinchcliffe said. "When we needed it, the car was awesome. We were fast up front by ourselves. We were good in traffic." Hunter-Reay fell behind Castroneves by 25 points on Saturday after a poor showing during the qualifying heats. It only got worse for Hunter-Reay roughly 40 laps in when he rear-ended Rahal, forcing his team to change out his front wing. But he scrambled from the back for an impressive podium finish. "It was a really good day for points, to finish second after being dead last, and just (Saturday) we had the nightmare of a day," Hunter-Reay said. "Its a bummer when you have that good of a car to finish second. But considering we came from the back of the pack to finish second in such a tight field, I have to be happy about that. Somewhat pleased, I should say." The series next runs at Pocono Raceway, but not before a much-needed break. IndyCar will take next weekend off, its first true break since late April, before returning to Pocono on July 7, ending a 23-year hiatus from that track. Though its been decades since the series has run there, itll be hard to bet against Andretti. The team has now won five of 10 races in 2013. It also boasts three serious championship contenders in Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Hinchcliffe, all of whom are right behind Castroneves. "Guys like Helio, with his experience and everything, is going to be really difficult. Hes going to make it go right down to the wire, I can assure you. But its always nice to have more than one bullet in the gun. And right now, we have three real legitimate shots at winning a championship," Michael Andretti said. ' ' '