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ATLANTA – The Atlanta Dream have played in three games so far this season, and each one has come down to the final minutes. In their first matchup against the Indiana Fever, they got the best of them on the road after Nia Coffey blocked Natasha Howard's shot. The Dream escaped that game with a one-point win.
In tonight's rematch, it had the same vibes as the last game, but the Dream were not able to execute down the stretch, losing 81-76. There were some good things that the Dream did in this game. They held Caitlin Clark to only 11 points, and it was the first time in her WNBA career that she hadn't made a 3-pointer. Rhyne Howard finally got it going on offense after a slow start in the first two games. Despite the poor shooting overall, they were able to lock in defensively and stay within striking distance.
But when it was time to strike, the Dream weren't able to make enough plays. Missed shots and turnovers doomed the Dream toward the end of the game, and their defense fell short at times. With a 1-2 start to the season, there's no panic, and head coach Karl Smesko is highly optimistic about what this team can accomplish.
“This is completely on me,” Smesko said after the game. “We haven’t spent enough time on defense, I think there are a lot of things we haven’t spent a lot of time on, but this is the [WNBA]. You get two weeks, you play some games, you can forget about practice, then there’s the next game. I’m trying to stay real deliberate. What I envision is this being one of the better teams in the league very soon.”
The Dream are showing the makings of a quality team, and as the season continues, they'll get better when it comes to late-game execution while also perfecting Smesko's system.
Dream still learning each other early in the season
Not only is Smesko optimistic about what the Dream can do when they learn the system, but the players are as well. Brionna Jones has played well since joining the team, but she knows they can get better as a team.
“As we’ve gone through the first three games, we are getting a little more comfortable,” Jones said. “There’s still room to grow in that area, but we have to play off of each other, the way the offense flows. We have to know each other and know where we want our spots. As we move forward, we’re just going to get better and better at that.”
Howard had her best shooting night of the season so far, and the hope is that everybody can get on the same page, but it's going to take time.
“Everybody’s come from different things,” Smesko said. “I’ve had different post players, and Bri’s had different guards. The best thing about it is that we’re learning a new system together. It’s not like half of us know it and half of us don’t. I think that’s what is really making it easier. We’re either getting it or we’re lost, but we’re on the same page at the end of the day.”
With two games in the next three days, the Dream won't have much time to get together and iron out some of the kinks they need to, but in due time, things will improve.
