As one Atlanta pro basketball dream continues, another is just getting started.

The Atlanta Dream, the newest WNBA franchise, played its first exhibition game Saturday night before 7,932 fans who had been longing for the return of women's professional sports to the city.

Allen Sullivan / AJC (ENLARGE)

The Atlanta Dream's Tamera Young shoots over the Los Angeles Sparks' Kamela Gissendanner (left) and Christi Thomas.

Allen Sullivan / AJC (ENLARGE)

Dasha Chapman (from left), Juanita Jones and Shaday L. Woolcock cheer for the Dream.

Although the veteran Los Angeles Sparks won 86-80, the Dream sparked its own fire under fans with a feverish finish.

"I've been saying for years that if a professional team would come here, I would support it," said Karen Race, who sat in the first row wearing an Atlanta Dream T-shirt. "I don't care if the economy's tight, I don't care if I have any money, we're supporting them."

She and Debbie Brown called for Dream season tickets the morning they found out they were going on sale.

"I got my newspaper, I opened it up and I said, 'It's time,' " Brown said. "I think there's a great fan base here of people who have been traveling to Charlotte to see women's basketball, and it's nice to have it here. It just happens to start on the tail end of the Hawks' big fanfare."

Less than 24 hours after the Hawks' electrifying Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics at Philips Arena, the Dream machine gave the venue a complete makeover.

They have their own floor, with a light blue, white and red logo at midcourt, and curtains blocking the upper seats for a more intimate setting. They had dancers at halftime and a furry bird mascot named Star.

The crowd jumped for T-shirts tossed into the stands and came up with their own Dream scream as the Dream scrapped back from a 24-point deficit against the Sparks led by superstars Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker.

Dream players got a standing ovation as they left the court. With stars on their uniforms and stars on the court like 6-foot-8 center Katie Feenstra, guard Ivory Latta and forward Carla Thomas, the Dream want to prove they have a place in the Atlanta sports landscape.

"There's room for us," Latta said. "We're definitely going to win the hearts of fans. That's what we're here for."

The Dream will return to Philips Arena on May 23 against Detroit after opening the regular season May 17 at Connecticut.

The franchise is the city's first women's pro basketball team since the Atlanta Glory of the now-defunct ABL disbanded in 1998 after two seasons.

"I think it's exciting, women's basketball period," said spectator Teresa Edwards, the five-time Olympian who was the player/coach for the Atlanta Glory. "I think the fans are so happy to have it back that they're beside themselves."

However, Edwards cautioned, "We've got to be patient with them and not expect miracles."

Kaci Palmore, 17, whose mother was general manager of the Glory, remembers carrying the American flag on the court before games as an 8-year-old. Now she's a ballgirl for the Dream.

"I want to play at a higher level, so it's good to see that it's doable," said Palmore, who is 6-1.

Her fellow ballgirls, Bria Griffin, 12, and Nicole Siegel, 14, were also thrilled to see their role models up-close.

"I'm not a sports person," said ballgirl Erin Borders, 13, "but I thought that they'd better be good because they have to represent for all of us."