Atlanta at Seattle

There is a good and bad side to this WNBA Championship opener for Seattle. The Seattle Storm was unbeatable at home this season, finishing a perfect 17-0. That certainly makes this look improbable for Atlanta to come in here and give them a game. Not so fast. The Storm was 16-1 at home back in 2008, and were beaten in one of their two playoff home games. San Antonio was 15-2 at home in 2008, and went 3-3 at home in the playoffs. LA was 15-2 in '06 and went 2-1 at home, and again in '04 they were 15-2 and went 1-1 at home in the playoffs. So history shows teams in the regular season at 61-7 straight up at home during the regular season, and going 7-6 at home in the playoffs. One reason is the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Seattle, while Atlanta is playing with house money, and can play loose and free. The Dream are  13-6 ATS on the road this season and 5-1 straight up on their last six road games, and 6-0 ATS. The past two seasons, they are 23-12 ATS as an underdog. And, they are looking for revenge for a 10-point loss to the Storm on August 10th. Atlanta is 24-12 ATS the past two seasons when seeking revenge including 8-0 on the road revenging a home loss. The Dream are more than capable of hanging close or even winning here. Seattle left a lot on the court in their last game with the late upset win. They may not be ready for what Atlanta will bring here. I think Atlanta keeps this one close, at a minimum.