The playoff race is officially over with the Atlanta Dream clinching the final spot. They’ll face off against the New York Liberty, who they beat last night, in hopes of moving on to the next round. The Washington Mystics won’t be seeing the playoffs this season, even with their comeback from last place. They fought well against the Indiana Fever, but that loss against the Liberty on Tuesday sealed their fate. Can Atlanta make any moves this postseason, or will it be a one and done run for the team?
Atlanta Dream defeat New York Liberty
One might be impressed that the Dream managed to beat the first-place Liberty 78-67. However, it wasn’t a very impressive win when you look at the statistics and who Liberty played. It was mainly a bench game with top stars playing 25 minutes or under. Only one starter, Jonquel Jones, played for 30 minutes. It’s clear that the team did not want to risk injury when they already had the first spot and the best record solidified. This made the game a lot easier for Atlanta.
The Dream’s lead scorers last night were Naz Hillmon with 13 and Rhyne Howard with 13. Following them were Tina Charles and Allisha Gray, who both had 10. As one can see from the scoring, it wasn’t a good game for the Dream. There is no shot of them beating New York when they’re at full strength in the playoffs.
In just 16 minutes, Breanna Stewart had 16 points. Atlanta won’t be able to cover Stewart for a full game. The center is deadly down low, and she can also hit from the three-point line. Sabrina Ionescu didn’t have the best game scoring-wise, but she had seven assists in her 25 minutes played. The point is, when this team locks into playoff mode, the Dream will be facing off against one of the best rosters in the league, and it most likely won’t go well for them.
Washington Mystics defeat Indiana Fever
Unlike the Dream, Washington was facing off against an opponent that had a great scoring night. A lot of bench players were in for the Fever, but they were still on point scoring. Kristy Wallace cashed in 17 points, more than any of the Dream starters had. NaLyssa Smith followed with 16 points. The rest of the team had 10 or fewer points, but there was clear cohesion. A lot of the starters at least played 20 minutes and were kept to low numbers, thanks to decent defense from Washington.
Bench player Sika Kone led the charge with 20 points, which led to a 92-90 win. Ariel Atkins and Emily Engstler both had a big night with 17 each. The Mystics played better than the Dream, which is why it’s unfortunate to see them go home. They did lose a key game this week, but it was against a Liberty team that was actually trying to win in order to get the best record of the season. New York taking their foot off the gas against Atlanta would be the real dagger for Washington.
The playoff picture for the Dream
Now, Atlanta will be left to face the Liberty once again in the hopes of having a shot at moving on to round two. This won’t be so easy as the Liberty are a juggernaut team. It would take some sort of team injury and a miraculous game from the Dream for them to win. Yesterday was the only time they beat New York this season. They did come close in the third game against them, but that was due to a powerhouse game from Allisha Gray and a solid showing from Tina Charles. Both of them played great basketball but still couldn’t get the job done.
It will be interesting to see how these playoffs shape up, with the Las Vegas Aces chasing a third title in a row and Caitlin Clark looking to end her rookie year with a trophy. A lot of the teams will be hungry for the chip this season. Can the Atlanta Dream keep up?