Atlanta Dream smother Golden State, riding a bruising defense to a 2-1 WNBA Finals lead

The Atlanta Dream have imposed their will defensively on Golden State in the WNBA Finals so far, using their size and strength to dominate the Valkyries.That's helped them take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after Wednesday night's 97-71 victory. Game 4 is on Saturday.Golden State has averaged only 68 points in the Finals — 14 below their regular season mark. After only forcing 10 turnovers in the Game 1 loss, Atlanta has turned up its pressure and that's led to easy points off its opponents miscues.Rhyne Howard, who has had back-to-back games with at least five steals, knew it just took a little bit for the team to get ready to play on the big stage of the championship series.“I think just settling in. I think just obviously taking in that this was a big moment for not just me, but for everybody,” she said after the Game 3 win. “At their place, jitters subconsciously or consciously, but I think just locking in and realizing that we can get what we want. We’re No. 1 in a lot of