COLLEGE PARK, GA – This Atlanta Dream team has been different than the others, and they proved it in their 78-62 win against the New York Liberty. With the win, the Dream broke the franchise record for wins in a season, as the last time they were close to this many wins was in 2018.
Since then, the Dream have been trying to capture that success, and in the past two seasons, they've gotten close with postseason appearances. Unfortunately, they've been swept in the first round both times, but this year it feels like things will be different if they get there.
Allisha Gray and Naz Hillmon have been with the Dream for the past three seasons, and they've lived through the ups and downs. After the game, they both spoke about the energy around this season and how they envision the future.
“It’s been a successful one,” Gray said. “We still have room for improvement and still have a ways to go, and I feel really good about the direction we’re going.”
“We’re trying to make Atlanta a championship team, a place to be,” Hillmon said. “And obviously, it starts right now during the regular season. We do look at these wins and pride ourselves on them because it’s been a tough season. Every team has been great from top to bottom. You can lose any night, but I feel like we’ve done a great job of figuring out ways to win regardless of who is on the floor. It’s a step in the right direction, and it’s ordering our steps in what we want to do.”
The Dream have had a lot of good things going for them. They have an MVP candidate in Gray, a Sixth Player of the Year candidate in Hillmon, a potential Coach of the Year in Karl Smesko, All-Stars in Rhyne Howard and Brionna Jones, and a team that has been one of the best on both sides of the ball.
When you have all of that working together in your favor, you get the results that the Dream have been able to produce.
Dream control game from the start against Liberty
The Liberty came into the game without their top two players in Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, and the Dream took advantage from the beginning. They had a 21-point lead at one point in the first half, and everything was clicking on both sides of the ball.
“Offensively, the ball wasn't sticking; we were moving it from side to side just like we planned. We got into actions quickly,” Smesko said. “I give New York credit; most of the possessions we scored on, they defended the first action well, the second action well, and on the third or fourth action, that’s when we got our shot.”
The second half was much of the same until midway through the fourth where the Liberty cut their deficit down to 11 points. It was the next play where things started to get back into the Dream's favor when Gray went to the free throw line, split both, and Hillmon came to save the day.
“The biggest play of the game was Naz Hillmon’s offensive rebound and getting it to Allisha. I think everybody took a deep breath once that 3-point play happened. That was a huge play in the game,” Smesko said.
From there, the Dream's lead only increased, and they were able to get another win under their belt. The Dream are still the No. 2 seed in the standings, and as the stretch of the season continues, every win is going to get more important.
