After an all-out sprint between the Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky to capture the No. 8 seed, the Dream (15-25) snuck into the back end of the 2024 WNBA playoffs on a photo finish. They bested the New York Liberty (32-8) on Thursday to secure their berth, and have since been rewarded with a hasty rematch.
The Dream are looking for their first playoff win since 2018. Last year, they were shut out in the first round by a No. 4-seed Dallas Wings team who went quiet in the semifinals. The previous four years, Atlanta failed to qualify for the postseason. The Liberty have their eyes on a bigger prize. Since losing in the 2023 WNBA Finals, New York has been out for vengeance.
The latest playoff format has only been used for two years, but eighth seeds have yet to win a game—let alone a series—against top seeds. Atlanta survived a bumpy regular season, but making history is a different monster. The New York Liberty are a different monster.
Can Atlanta find an edge?
Atlanta is streaky, but they haven’t shown enough to project themselves as competitors in the face of a generational Liberty roster. The Dream started the year at 7-9 before wilting under an eight-game losing streak. They’ve dropped winnable games to unimpressive opponents, and routinely struggled to compete with playoff teams. Atlanta has a 5-17 record against teams over .500 this season.
The Dream champion a respectable defense, but their counter attack is nonexistent. It’s impressive they’re seeing the postseason at all, with the league’s second-worst offense. While Atlanta only shoots 30.8 percent from behind the arc, many of their struggles are rooted in a lack of needle-moving interior play. Guards Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray can keep pace with the league’s best scorers, but 35-year-old center Tina Charles has lost a step when it comes to post physicality. Her face-up game is as pure as ever, but the Dream need to put pressure on Jonquel Jones in order to force Liberty defenders to help. Without feeling threatened inside, the Liberty can stay locked to shooters, minimizing opportunities for high-quality shots.
Sniffing out potential playoff X-factors on the Dream is puzzling. Jordin Canada had a phenomenal year, but she’s…
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