Dream seeking highest WNBA playoff spot possible in historic season
Before the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard, the sold-out crowd at Gateway Center Arena already was on its feet, celebrating the Dream’s 87-62 victory over the Connecticut Sun. Fans cheered not just for the win, but for a season that already had become historic.
In his first season at the helm, Karl Smesko has guided the Dream to 29 wins, setting a WNBA record for the most victories ever by a first-year head coach. He surpassed Michael Cooper, the former Dream coach, who tallied 28 wins in his inaugural season with Los Angeles Sparks in 2000.
Smesko — the longtime architect of Florida Gulf Coast’s women’s basketball program — living up to the “Big Wheeze” nickname his players had given him and known for his love of metal music and consistent dad jokes, had accomplished something no one had in nearly three decades. The celebration from his players in the locker room was everything a milestone deserves. Players doused him in a classic water bath, confetti rained down in multicolored streams, and Rhyne Howard figuratively crowned him Coach of the Year as Naz Hillmon announced the historic feat inside their locker room after the game.
But even amid the fanfare, Smesko remained as composed as ever, his focus unwavering. Individual accolades remain secondary. His eyes are already set on the bigger prize, one that he hopes will include a deep playoff run and a WNBA championship.
“Those things (WNBA Coach of the Year honor) don’t have a lot of meaning for me,” Smesko said postgame. “The meaningful part is coming up. Are we going to be the best prepared for the playoffs? Everybody did a lot of work so far this year to get us to where we are. We want to make sure that we have the right finish to a great season.”
If the regular season ended Monday, the Minnesota Lynx, the Dream, the Las Vegas Aces, the Phoenix Mercury, the New York Liberty, the Golden State Valkyries, the Indiana Fever and the Seattle Storm would claim the eight playoff spots, in that order. The Sparks (20-22) trail the Storm by one and a half games as they chase the final postseason spot.
If the postseason started Tuesday, the Dream would open a best-of-three, first-round series at Gateway Center Arena against the Fever, a team that they’ve split the regular-season series with. As the higher seed, the Dream would host Games 1 and 3 in the projected series, while the Fever would host Game 2.
A win against the Fever would line up the Dream for a best-of-five semifinals matchup against either the Aces or the Valkyries. The Aces swept the Dream in the regular season while the Dream defeated the Valkyries in two of the three games in the regular season.
This year’s WNBA Finals marks the first time in WNBA history that it will be a best-of-seven series.
What’s ahead for the Dream?
The Dream will play their regular-season finale against the Sun on Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
After Wednesday’s matchup against Connecticut, the Dream will turn their focus to the playoffs, opening their first-round series Sunday at Gateway Center Arena. The team likely will enter the postseason as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed, depending on how the final week of the regular season shakes out.
Currently, the Dream hold the No. 2 spot after defeating the Sun as well as the Aces not returning to action until Tuesday against the Chicago Sky. If the Dream defeat the Sun on Wednesday and the Aces also take down the Sky and the Sparks in their season finale Thursday, Las Vegas will claim the No. 2 seed, holding the tiebreaker after sweeping the Dream during the regular season series.
With postseason basketball returning to Atlanta on Sunday, all eyes will naturally be on the Dream’s final regular-season game and on how Las Vegas wraps up its schedule to determine which team will enter the doors of what Smesko hopes will be an “intimidating environment” inside Gateway Center Arena.
“I’m not even sure about all the (WNBA playoff) scenarios right now,” Smesko said after Monday’s win. “I think we’ll probably clinch the top three spot, if I’m not mistaken … but we don’t really hold our own destiny. We can win and still be in the third spot. So for us, it’s just about playing the best basketball we can (and) kind of going over special situations and things like that that may occur in the playoffs. … We’ve been playing well. There’s a lot of teams who’ve been playing well at the right time. … I really think this (WNBA) playoffs is going to be must-see TV.”
