\u201cI don\u2019t want no smoke, AT. That\u2019s your [bleep],\u201d she said, laughing. She offered some alternative nicknames instead: \u201cenergizer bunny\u201d and \u201cpapi of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Call Cloud whatever you want. But the Sky\u2019s success depends on her.<\/p>\n
Ask any Sky player about the team\u2019s veteran leadership and defensive identity \u2014 the assets that define them at their best \u2014 and Cloud\u2019s name is the first out of her mouth.<\/p>\n
When she\u2019s humming, there\u2019s no telling how far the Sky can go. Beat the Lynx on the road. Go toe-to-toe with the Dream.<\/p>\n
When she\u2019s sputtering, they stall out completely.<\/p>\n
They got a taste of engine failure last week. Against the Tempo, Cloud shot 2-for-7 and turned the ball over three times.<\/p>\n
Against the Mystics a few nights earlier, she got into early foul trouble, shot 0-for-4 and committed four turnovers. The Sky lost both games.<\/p>\n
Cloud is far from the only Sky player who has struggled lately. The Tempo loss prompted a postgame callout<\/a> from point guard Skylar Diggins, who said the team needed more effort, maturity and leadership across the board. The Sky had dropped six of their last seven.<\/p>\n Cloud said the team took the message to heart, and it lit a fire under them heading into the Dream game. The players sacrificed what was supposed to be an off day to watch film and walk through their game plan. They all took a good long look in the mirror.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom top to bottom, from GM to coaching staff to players, we all had to have some accountability in our own homes first,\u201d Cloud said. \u201cBut the mindset is: We\u2019re not going on our own islands. We\u2019re going to get through this storm together.\u201d<\/p>\n Cloud\u2019s own realization was that, as a leader, she has to be a stronger and more mature voice for the team. That starts with less jawing at the officials.<\/p>\n \u201cThe accountability for me is, I have to be great with my body language and controlling my water on the floor,\u201d she said. \u201cI need to be more poised. I can\u2019t be arguing with refs all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Defensive-minded players like Cloud are adjusting to officiating that seems to be tilting back in favor of the offense this season. She had gotten heated with referees throughout. But her own play was wearing on her, too.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some games [this season], I walk out where I\u2019m like, I\u2019m trash. Trash right now,\u201d she said. \u201cI needed to be held up the last few games. I\u2019ve been struggling playing, not to the standard that I want to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Cloud is averaging 10.3 points and 4.2 assists, but her 2.7 turnovers have dogged her, and her shooting has run hot and cold.<\/p>\n She said the challenge is to keep trusting herself \u2014 stick to her regimens and routines, slow herself down and let her defense bring her offense.<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly what she did against the Dream on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n She got to the line 10 times and finished with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Coach Tyler Marsh likes to deploy Cloud like a baseball utility player, someone who can fill any position, and she did it well.<\/p>\n The Sky still lost 82-75, letting a one-point lead slip away in the final five minutes. But Cloud thought their effort marked a turning point.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not happy with the loss,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll never be happy with a loss. I\u2019m a sore-ass loser, too. But what we all said in that locker room is, if we play this hard this consistently, we\u2019re going to be in a really good position post-All-Star.\u201d<\/p>\n Against the Dream, the Sky looked a lot more like the team that started the season 3-1 than the one that dropped seven of the next eight \u2014 connected, tough, letting their defense fuel their offense.<\/p>\n The Fever, Liberty and Wings are up next. To prove they\u2019ve turned a corner, Sky will need the Cloud standard for all three.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Reese has given the Dream much of what she gave the Sky: elite rebounding and defense. She also credits coach Karl Smesko with developing her jump shot.<\/p>\n [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] read<\/p>\n![\"Atlanta](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/58e8bd2\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6602x4402+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe4%2F35%2F4df31ad1488796111133861f6b4c%2Fangel-fan-selfie.jpg\")
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\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n
![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f4c8f7a\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4598x3066+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe9%2F72%2Fad280631455f97f7a701e3cf764a%2Fmarsh-animated.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Atlanta](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f67309f\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/2333x3500+0+0\/resize\/840x1260!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fde%2F1d%2F3e3b66f047409dc8403c26550a61%2F2279132507.jpg\")
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