Angel Reese Sees Bright Future for Dream After Game 7 Loss

Dream Fall Short in Game 7

The Atlanta Dream fell short of their first WNBA title on Saturday, dropping Game 7 of the WNBA Finals to the Golden State Valkyries by a score of 68-63 at Chase Center in San Francisco. Despite the loss, forward Angel Reese expressed confidence in the team.

Reese said after the game that just because they did not win today does not mean they will not be champions in the future. It was her third season in the league and her first with Atlanta after being traded from Chicago in April. She stated that this season was the most fun and competitive of her career.

Offensive Cold Spells in the Finals

Offensive struggles plagued the Dream throughout their Finals losses. Atlanta averaged 91.3 points per game in the regular season, but Golden State held them below 65 points in all four losses.

In Game 7, Atlanta shot 38 percent from the field. Jordin Canada led the team with 18 points and five assists. Allisha Gray added 16 points, while Reese scored eight points. Rhyne Howard struggled, finishing with six points on 3 of 14 shooting. Golden State guard Gabby Williams led all scorers with 30 points.

Coach Karl Smesko noted after the game that relying too much on isolation play hurt the team. He felt the offense had too many empty possessions during the defeat.

Building for Next Season

Atlanta has reason to remain optimistic for next year. All of the team starters are signed for next season under Smesko, who completed his second year with the organization.

This was the fourth WNBA Finals appearance for the franchise, which started in 2008. Atlanta was previously swept in the Finals in 2010, 2011, and 2013. Winning three games in this series marks the furthest the team has ever gone.

The Dream will shift all home games to State Farm Arena next season after making their home base at Gateway Center Arena since 2021. Reese shared that she looks forward to another year developing under Smesko and believes the group will be back.