ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings are only win game away from making franchise history.
With a victory on Tuesday night over the Atlanta Dream, Dallas will secure its first playoff series victory since moving the franchise to DFW.
And what better way to do it than on the team’s homecourt at College Park Center in Arlington.
At home, the Wings have gone 11-9 this season. And with an overall 22-18 record -- good enough to earn the team the No. 4 seed in the WNBA Playoffs -- the team's players, along with head coach Latricia Trammell, like their odds.
Asked why she believes this team is ready to win its first playoff series, Wings forward Natasha Howard -- a three-time WNBA champion -- had an answer at the ready.
"Well, they have me as a leader, a veteran on this team… that’s actually been through these postseason games, playoffs," Howard told WFAA on Tuesday. "It feels really good to be a part of this."
The team took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series this past Friday but now look to overcome the rough start they experienced against the Dream in that matchup.
The difference makers in that game -- Satou Sabally, Arike Ogunbowale and Teaira McCowan -- helped spark a Wings rally that overcame a 20-point deficit by the end of the second quarter.
The Wings won 94-82.
Howard said the team has to go into Tuesday's night's game like they would any other matchup.
"Act like it’s any other regular season game," she said of the message she shared with her teammates heading into the Tuesday matchup. "The only thing that changes is it’s playoffs. Just have fun doing it."
Game 2 tips off at 8 p.m. If you’re not seeing it in person in Arlington, you can watch it on ESPN.
If the Wings beat the Dream on Tuesday, they’ll take on the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Playoffs' semifinals. If they lose, they'll head to Atlanta for a series-deciding Game 3 on Friday.
Howard said it would be amazing if the Wings could bring a championship back to the city -- the team's ultimate goal.
"Our fans are going to go crazy," she said. "The city is going to go crazy. So, right now, we're going to take care of business tonight and focus on what we need to focus on."
