Big dreams: The quest begins Sunday for Dream’s first WNBA title
The Dream knew their postseason journey and WNBA championship quest were coming nearly two weeks ago, after routing the Dallas Wings to clinch a playoff berth. But even with home-court advantage secured as a top-four seed, first-year coach Karl Smesko and his squad had to wait until late Thursday night to learn their opening-round opponent.
Heading into Thursday, the Dream (30-14) sat at No. 2 in the WNBA standings, hoping the Los Angeles Sparks could topple the Las Vegas Aces (30-14) — a team riding a remarkable 15-game winning streak — to lock in the No. 2 seed. A Sparks loss, however, resulted in the Aces securing the higher seed as they held the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Dream after sweeping them during the regular-season series despite ending the season with the same record.
The Aces didn’t falter, blasting the Sparks 103-75 and sending the Dream to the No. 3 seed. Meanwhile, the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx routed the Golden State Valkyries, 72-53, locking in the Indiana Fever as the No. 6 seed. As a result, the Dream will open a first-round series against the Fever on Sunday at Gateway Center Arena.
The Dream embark on their 11th postseason appearance, the third consecutive and the first under Smesko. As the higher seed, the Dream will host games 1 and 3, while Indiana takes Game 2. Sunday’s matchup also marks the first playoff game ever at Gateway Center Arena. The Dream’s last home postseason series took place at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion, adding another historic moment to a franchise record-breaking season.
WNBA playoff bracket
No. 1 Minnesota Lynx (34-10) vs. No. 8 Golden State Valkyries (23-21)
No. 2 Las Vegas Aces (30-14) vs. No. 7 Seattle Storm (23-21)
No. 3 Atlanta Dream (30-14) vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever (24-20)
No. 4 Phoenix Mercury (27-17) vs. No. 5 New York Liberty (27-17)
What seed are the Dream?
The Dream will be the No. 3 seed after Las Vegas defeated the Sparks on Thursday night.
Who will the Dream play in the first round?
The No. 6 seed Indiana Fever. Indiana set new franchise records this season for total wins and road victories, notching 10 wins away from home. The Fever also reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2015-16.
Dream first-round playoff schedule
Sunday: vs. Indiana, 3 p.m., ABC (Gateway Center Arena)
Tuesday: at Indiana, 7:30 p.m., ESPN (Gainbridge Fieldhouse)
Thursday (if necessary): vs. Indiana, time TBD, ESPN2 (Gateway Center Arena)
Players to watch
Fever
Kelsey Mitchell: (team-high 20.2 points per game, 3.4 assists per game, shooting 39.4% from deep)
Aliyah Boston: (15 ppg, 8.2 rebounds per game, 3.7 apg, 0.9 blocks, 1.2 steals per game while shooting 53.8% from the floor)
Natasha Howard: (11.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.2 spg, shooting 55.2% from the field)
Lexie Hull: (7.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 spg, shooting 36.7% from deep)
Odyssey Sims: (10.3 ppg, 4.0 apg)
Aerial Powers: (9.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg)
Dream
Allisha Gray: (team-high 18.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, shooting 38.4% from deep)
Rhyne Howard: (17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg, 85.6% from free-throw line)
Jordin Canada: (11.2 ppg, 5.7 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 spg)
Brionna Jones: (12.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg, shooting 52.7% from the field)
Naz Hillmon: (8.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, shooting 46.3% from the field and a team-high and second-best in the league 63.7% on 2-point FGs)
Brittney Griner: (9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, shooting 51.8% from the floor)
Three things to consider for the Dream-Fever opening-round series
Containing Kelsey Mitchell
By now, everyone knows Mitchell is one of the league’s elite guards. She can knife her way to the rim, earn trips to the line, bury a midrange jumper or torch defenses with one of her high-arcing 3-pointers. She’s the player Atlanta must contain if it wants to advance, even with Boston and Howard looming inside.
Mitchell has carried Indiana through a rash of injuries to Clark, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, Sophie Cunningham and Chloe Bibby. In the Fever’s past 10 games, they rank second in scoring, third in field goal percentage and fourth in assists. Since the All-Star break, Indiana has climbed to fourth in points, fifth in shooting efficiency, third in 3-point percentage and second in offensive rebounds, numbers fueled in large part by Mitchell’s all-around brilliance.
Limiting Aliyah Boston’s impact
Boston is more than just a steady force around the rim. Sure, she finishes efficiently in the paint, whether muscling inside or cutting to the basket. However, her vision also makes her especially dangerous. Boston’s 3.7 assists per game rank second among active Fever players, trailing only Odyssey Sims, and her ability to pass out of double teams keeps Indiana’s offense flowing.
On the glass, the three-time All-Star is a problem. She ranks sixth in both offensive and total rebounds and seventh in defensive boards, fueling a Fever squad that leads the league in second-chance points alongside Howard. That sets up a heavyweight battle with the Dream, who pace the league in both defensive and total rebounds. The Dream will need to crash hard to prevent extra possessions. The good news for the Dream? Since the All-Star break, Indiana has sat at the bottom of the league in defensive rebounds and finished 11th overall for the season.
Dream’s bench production
All season long, Smesko has hammered home the message to his reserves to stay ready at all times. That mindset could prove decisive in the playoffs. While opposing team scouting reports zero in on Howard, Gray and Jones, the Dream’s depth has quietly been a weapon. Timely sparks from Maya Caldwell, Nia Coffey and Brittney Griner could tilt the first-round series, giving the Dream the boost they need to advance. The Dream’s bench chipped in 19.2 points per game this season, edging Indiana’s reserves at 18.1, and those extra buckets might be the difference against the Fever.
