Heartbreak at home: Dream’s season ends with narrow playoff loss to Fever
The belief never wavered inside the Dream locker room. When few outside the franchise thought they could finish among the WNBA’s top four teams, first-year coach Karl Smesko and his players carried their own conviction. They played with urgency, chasing the idea that a championship run was possible.
The Dream entered the postseason with a historic number of regular-season wins but little playoff experience, the third least of any of the eight teams in the field. Still, they spoke with confidence about making a deep run.
That belief faced its greatest test Thursday night. After stumbling in Game 2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Dream returned home with their season on the line. One game. Forty minutes. Win, and the Dream would reach the semifinals. Lose, and a year of promise would end on their own court.
The Dream fought to keep their season alive. But when the final minutes arrived, the Indiana Fever seized the stage. The No. 6 seed closed strong, stunning the third-seeded Dream 87-85 at Gateway Center Arena. Fans sat in disbelief as the clock expired.
Smesko, sitting in the postgame news conference with three-time All-Star Allisha Gray and point guard Jordin Canada, leaned into reflection. The loss cut deep. The Dream’s season of belief and breakthrough had ended, not with a championship chase, but with a painful reminder of how narrow the margin can be in playoff basketball.
“We’re here to bring a championship to the Dream, and you know it’s going to be delayed,” Smesko said postgame. “It’s not going to be denied. But right now, it hurts a little bit because I had so much belief in this team. … I’m just really disappointed for our players. I know the work that they put in. I know how much they wanted this, and for it not to work out is always painful.”
With the loss, the Dream will have to wait another year to earn a berth in the WNBA semifinals. The last time the Dream played in the semifinals was in 2018.
Turning point for Dream
Clinging to a two-point lead early in the fourth, Gray found a crease along the baseline and converted a reverse layup to put the Dream up by five, 78-73. But with Indiana needing an answer, the Fever received one from Aliyah Boston in the paint. A couple of possessions later, after the two teams exchanged baskets, Brianna Turner cleaned up a putback at the rim tying the score at 80-80.
However, the Dream found life when Brionna Jones registered a bucket at the rim and Rhyne Howard drilled a left-wing 3-pointer, giving the team a five-point lead and bringing a standing ovation from fans as they waved their gray towels in excitement in the arena.
But, Howard’s 3-pointer marked the final points of the season for the Dream.
With 2:32 remaining in regulation, Indiana answered with a 7-0 run. Boston knocked down a jumper on the low block, Lexie Hull drove for a strong finish at the rim, and Boston capped the surge with a putback off an assist from Odyssey Sims that all but sealed the Fever’s victory.
Howard missed a 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play in the contest. When Smesko was asked about Howard’s shot selection, he defended the Dream star, who finished 2-of-8 from deep on a team that shot 6-of-23 from beyond the arc in the contest.
“We trust Rhyne to make good decisions,” Smesko said. “I do think, like, especially in the fourth quarter, we started to slow down. We were at our best when we were pushing the pace. … It’s kind of a natural reaction, but it’s something that, you know, hopefully we can learn from.”
Then, with seconds remaining, and one final chance, Jones secured the ball and launched a jump shot but missed, ending the Dream’s season and sparking a line of rejoicing from the Fever’s bench.
“We had some empty possessions where we were kind of just staring at the ball rather than executing our offense,” Smesko said. “… You need to keep the pace up. You got to do things to break down the defense. … We played great defense and have a breakdown at the last second, and they (Fever) took advantage of it a couple times. … Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the last basket when we had an opportunity.”
Canada agreed: “I think we just got stagnant,” she added. “… We weren’t moving the ball, we were taking a lot of bad shots, and we were kind of also rushing, as well, instead of taking our time and executing offensively. And then we had some timely turnovers that they executed, that they capitalized on. … What’s delayed is not denied. Atlanta will be back. I guarantee that.”
Kelsey Mitchell set the tone, pouring in 24 points while adding two rebounds and an assist. Sims pushed the pace, scoring 16 with eight assists, three steals and two rebounds. Boston anchored the interior, recording her 18th double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Natasha Howard added 12 points and six boards, while Lexie Hull’s energy rounded out the attack as she finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Trailing by seven at the half, the Fever came out in the third quarter and threw the first punch, putting together an 8-1 run capped by a strong finish by Boston in the paint to tie the game at 57. Needing to break the Fever’s rhythm, Naz Hillmon delivered a huge 3-pointer before Gray added a triple a few possessions later to give the Dream a 63-57 advantage.
Five consecutive points from Rhyne Howard helped put the Dream up by eight, 69-61. Mitchell silenced the Dream run with a strong finish at the rim plus a free throw to bring them within five. A free throw from Boston brought Indiana within two before Canada drove to the rim and converted on a contested layup to give the Dream a 73-69 lead heading into the fourth quarter. By the end of the third quarter, the game featured 10 ties and six lead changes.
Key players in loss
Gray did everything she could to keep the Dream’s season alive. The three-time All-Star powered her way to 19 points and 12 rebounds, recording her third double-double of the season. She wasn’t alone. Canada controlled the floor with poise, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double this season. Howard found her rhythm with 16 points, while Jones added balance inside with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.
