The Dream didn’t get the playoff-clinching win they wanted Wednesday night against the Las Vegas Aces.
Two nights later, they made sure there was no doubt.
Behind a balanced offense and a raucous home crowd, the Dream rolled past the shorthanded Dallas Wings 100-78 on Friday at Gateway Center Arena, punching their ticket to the WNBA postseason.
The berth marks the Dream’s 11th in franchise history, its third straight and the first under first-year coach Karl Smesko.
The Dream have surged down the stretch, winning 10 of their past 13 games to climb to third in the league standings behind only the Minnesota Lynx and the Aces.
For Smesko, who arrived in Atlanta after 23 seasons at Florida Gulf Coast University, the playoff berth validates the roster built by general manager Dan Padover and the vision of a team built to compete now.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
“I thought, if healthy, we had a team (roster) that could compete with anybody,” Smesko said after Saturday’s win against the Liberty. “If you have that type of team, you should get wins along the way and hopefully be in a good position once the playoffs come.”
The Dream (25-14) have fought through injuries, including a lingering right hamstring issue that has sidelined starting point guard Jordin Canada. The team still managed to pile up signature wins across the league.
They’ve beaten six of the top eight playoff teams at least twice that include the Lynx, Liberty, Mercury, Seattle Storm, Golden State Valkyries and Indiana Fever.
“It just shows our resiliency,” Dream forward Brionna Jones previously said. “It’s the next person up, no matter who’s out.”
That resilience has translated on the road, as well. Since July 11, the Dream have won 12 road contests, 13 counting the WNBA Canada Game, where they were technically the home team.
However, the Dream lost all three contests against the Aces. And Smesko isn’t interested in taking a victory lap.
“If you have high goals, you’re not going to be breathing easy at any point,” Smesko said about the Dream earning a postseason berth with Friday’s victory. “The stakes just get higher and higher. … There is no time to (say), ‘Hey, great, we’re in the playoffs.’
“We had expectations to be in the playoffs,” he added. “We have higher expectations than that. We have the possibility to do it (win a WNBA title). There is no letting your mind wander. … It’s what do we have to do? How can we get it done? What’s possible at this point? How can we make the most out of the time we have together before the playoffs start?”
Now, with a playoff spot secured, the focus shifts to seeding.
If the postseason started Saturday, the Dream would host the Indiana Fever in a best-of-three, first-round series. The teams split the regular-season series, and the Dream would hold home-court advantage, hosting Games 1 and 3. The Fever would host Game 2.
Here potential first-round playoff matchups after Friday’s games:
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx (30-8) vs. No. 8 Golden State Valkyries (19-18)
- No. 2 Las Vegas Aces (26-14) vs No. 7 Seattle Storm (21-19)
- No. 3 Atlanta Dream (25-14) vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever (21-18)
- No. 4 Phoenix Mercury (24-14) vs. No. 5 New York Liberty (24-15)
Rhyne Howard, the Dream’s centerpiece and three-time All-Star, echoed the same urgency of Smesko.
“We clinched (a playoff berth), but still that doesn’t mean our spot can’t change,” Howard said postgame. “We don’t clinch the spot. You clinch a place in the playoffs, and we have to take care of business, finish it out, and make sure that we’re trying to have the best outcome possible (for seeding).”
What’s ahead for the Dream?
The Dream return to action Monday against the Connecticut Sun at 1 p.m., the first of five remaining regular-season games as they chase the best possible playoff seed.
- Sept. 3 — vs. Los Angeles
- Sept. 5 — vs. Los Angeles
- Sept. 8 — vs. Connecticut
- Sept. 10 — at Connecticut
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