A twist in the playoff plot, and more on Catchings and Taurasi

Advantage, Indiana: Atlanta Dream Center Erika de Souza will miss the rest of the Eastern Conference finals. She has returned to her home country Brazil to play for the Brazilian national team in the FIBA American Championshp for Women. In her absence, the rest of the Atlanta team will need to step up their performances. WNBA blog.

MVP stuff:

Tamika Catchings and her father Harvey Catchings talk about the challenges she’s overcome to be one of the best in the game. You may want to get a tissue before watching.

MVP press conference part 1, and part 2.

Geno Auriemma on Diana Taurasi:

Interesting comments from the UConn coach on his former player, Diana Taurasi. She has great basketball intelligence, and he could tell the moment he met her she’d be one of the best in the game. Auriemma also said he’s talked to Taurasi before about channeling her energy into a more positive direction.

“You don’t become a great player by sitting on the bench the last three minutes cheering your teammates on. The great players are deciding the game the last three minutes.”

He added that he hopes an incident like the one that happened Monday against Seattle “doesn’t happen again.”

The Fever and Dream tip of in game two tomorrow at noon PDT/3 p.m. EDT, and the Lynx and Mercury follow at 2 p.m./5 p.m.