The Atlanta Dream didn’t lose a game to the the New York Liberty in the WNBA semifinals, sweeping to advance to the WNBA Finals.
But the series wasn’t a breeze. Game 2 went to overtime and ended with an officiating controversy. Game 3 didn’t quite have that level of spice, yet it was still tightly contested.
But the Dream held on.
For New York, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel
Jones were fantastic, both scoring 26 points. New York pushed Atlanta to the brink in the fourth and were just a couple of scores away from extending this series to a Game 4.
But down the stretch, the Dream came through.
Jordin Canada scored a key basket. DeWanna Bonner continued to be a crucial veteran, knocking down two free throws to keep the Liberty at bay.
And the Dream walked out of New York victorious, 85-83.
Here’s what Dream head coach Karl Smesko said about his team and their achievement after the game:
Obviously, another just outstanding game back and forth, and we just feel great that we were able to make the last couple plays and that we get to be moving on to the Finals.
We’re really excited about it, and I’m really proud of the way that our players competed, pulled together, and held on to win.
The Dream ran a tight rotation in this game. They played seven players, with six logging the majority of the minutes. But everyone who stepped onto the floor made an impact.
The most unexpected contributor might have been Isobel Borlase, who came off the bench and was a walking bucket. She went 5-for-6 from the field, scoring 10 points. Smesko celebrated the contributions from the Australian rookie after the game, saying:
The first thing I said in the locker room today was that ‘I don’t think we win either of the last two games without the production we got from Izzy.‘
She’s grown a lot this year. She’s really built her confidence.
Then, Rhyne Howard had 21 points. Canada had a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists, stepping up once again with Allisha Gray out.
Bonner also had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
This is an amazing storyline for her and the Dream. The veteran asked to be bought out by the Mercury so she could compete for a title. Now she’ll get a chance to do just that. And she’s not just along for the ride; she’s key to the team’s success.
But no one is more at the heart of all things Dream than Angel Reese.
She had a demonstrative performance. Reese had a team-high 22 points. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, shot 50 percent from 3-point range and grabbed nine boards.
Just 364 days ago, she tweeted about manifesting a finals appearance. Now that Dream is Atlanta’s reality.
The Dream will take on the Valkyries next, but for now Reese is balancing gratitude for what she’s accomplished with the understanding that the next four wins are the toughest to get.
Here’s what Angel said after the game:
We’re definitely happy about where we are right now, but we’re not satisfied.
I think we just continue to push every single day, get back to work. I’m sure Karl’s not gonna sleep tonight. We just talked about it. But, yeah, we’re gonna enjoy this moment tonight. And we put a lot of work into the season.
We can’t shy away from knowing that we did put a lot of work to get to this moment. I’m really proud of this group.
