Just like that, the Dream’s dream season came to a screeching halt Thursday night.
“Well, obviously, just a devastating ending to a great game,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “I give Indiana a lot of credit. They fought all the way to the last seconds, and unfortunately, they were able to make the final play.”
After fighting their way to the top of the WNBA, earning the third seed in the playoffs and doubling their win total from a season ago, the Dream lost to the Fever, 87-85.
The Dream committed too many mistakes, allowing the Fever to score 15 points off 14 turnovers. Then they struggled to find the pace that allowed them to set a WNBA record for points in the paint in a half.
“I do think, especially in the fourth quarter, we started to slow down, and we were at our best when we were pushing the pace,” Smesko said. “And it’s kind of a natural reaction, but it’s something that, hopefully we can learn from. Unfortunately, there’s no more opportunities to learn for this year. And our goal this year was to win the championship.”
After scoring 40 points in the paint and making 56% of their overall field goals in the first 20 minutes, the Dream’s frenetic offense just came to a halt. The ball stopped zipping around the perimeter like it did in the first half and the Dream just couldn’t seem to capitalize on their possessions.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
“I think we just got stagnant,” Dream guard Jordin Canada, who finished with 18 points and 10 assists, said. “We weren’t moving the ball like we were in the first half. And that’s basically it, to be honest, I think we just got stagnant.
“We weren’t moving the ball. We were taking a lot of fast shots. We were kind of also rushing as well, instead of, like, taking our time and executing offensively, and then we had some timely turnovers that they executed, that they capitalized on.”
So, when their season came to an end after Fever forward Lexie Hull picked off an inbound pass, the Dream felt the sting of coming up short.
“Right now, it’s kind of deflating because we definitely were expecting that we would have the ability to advance,” Smesko said. “And I give Indiana all the credit. They took care of the ball. They got to the foul line. They stayed in the game, and then they made the plays at the end to be able to move on. So I give them a lot of credit, but we’re here to bring a championship to the Dream, and it’s going to be delayed. It’s not going to be denied. But right now, it hurts a little bit because I had so much belief in this team.”
While Thursday’s loss hurts, Dream guard Allisha Gray feels optimistic that the team will continue to move in the right direction. After finishing last season eighth in the WNBA and bringing aboard a brand new coach, some did not have high expectations for the Dream.
“Just the organization as a whole,” Gray said. “I mean, it’s in a great direction on just with Karl, he has so much, faith in us, and we proved a lot of people wrong this year. A lot of people didn’t expect us to play as well and be in the position that we are in.
“So I just credit Big Wheeze (Smesko) for the turnaround of the team. Because, I mean, he did a great job this year and brought the vision, and we believed in it as players. I mean, it sucks that the season ends, but I wouldn’t pick another group to be around. I just love this team a lot, and they’re great people to be around.”
Canada echoed Gray’s and Smesko’s sentiments.
“Like we said, I think a lot of people didn’t expect us to be in this position,” Canada said. “I think the resiliency of this team, the competitive nature of this team, has shown day in and day out throughout the season. We continue to battle, we continue to fight. We have the intensity. And yeah, I love being around this team as well.
“I think we were all bought into coach’s vision and the coaching staff and the organization as a whole, and what we want to accomplish here. And like coach said, ‘What’s delayed is not denied.’ Atlanta will be back, I guarantee that. But yeah, it just sucks to be in this position. But you know, everything happens for a reason, and so we’ll learn from this and we’ll continue to grow.”
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