Don't count out Atlanta Dream, even after Commissioner's Cup loss to Liberty
NEW YORK — Unlike the WNBA's other 12 head coaches, Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko doesn't put together practice plans. He uses another phrase in referring to the Dream's workouts. He crafts what he calls 'progress plans.'
The difference might be a matter of semantics to some, but it reflects the intentionality in Smesko's approach. Atlanta's first-year coach views workouts as an opportunity for Dream players to get better. So why not be specific in their purpose and name them accordingly? The goal is to progress after all. Each session has value.
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But games are currently Atlanta's best teacher.
No contest has provided more lessons than the one the Dream played Tuesday night against the New York Liberty. Atlanta led by 17 points with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter, silencing a Barclays Center crowd of more than 15,000 fans eager for anything to cheer about. With a win, the Dream (8-4) would have advanced to the Commissioner's Cup championship and gotten off to their best start to a season since 2014.
But then?
'We just gave it away,' Dream star Rhyne Howard said.
New York blitzed Atlanta to close the third quarter, and continued its push to open the fourth. After a 24-8 Liberty run, the Dream held just a one-point lead with 5:27 remaining. Their lead officially evaporated 91 seconds later. The Liberty pulled ahead with 1:56 left and wouldn't do what the Dream did, and give anything away. New York, instead, did what title-winning teams do. The final margin: Liberty 86, Dream 81.
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'When you're playing a championship-level team on the road, you just gotta keep going at them,' Smesko said. 'You're not trying to hold on. You got to go win the game.'
Add that to the list of Tuesday's lessons for the Dream, who have a first-year WNBA coach, revamped roster (with offseason acquisitions Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones highlighting the group), and an overhauled style of play. Smesko said pregame Tuesday was his group's 'ultimate test,' at least so far.
For a while, the Dream looked like they would pass with little drama involved. Yet, the result eventually reinforced that while Atlanta can compete with the WNBA's top teams, there is still much for it to learn to truly leap into the league's upper echelon.
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'I think we showed what we're capable of,' Smesko said. 'Now can we do it for four quarters and finish these games off?'
Of course, there are still plenty of positives worth drawing from, coming out of Tuesday and Atlanta's first dozen games of the season more broadly.
After finishing last season 12th in offensive rating, the Dream are much-improved on offense under Smesko — no surprise, considering his reputation as an offensive wizard over two-plus decades at Florida Gulf Coast — and are third in points per 100 possessions. Star guard Allisha Gray has been in career-best form and averaged 21.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in May. For her efforts, she earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month, and on Tuesday became the first Atlanta player since 2018 to win multiple Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards.
'She's been aggressive. She's been smart. She's been very good on both ends of the floor,' Smesko said before Tuesday's loss. 'She's just been one of the best players in the league.'
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It's hard to argue with his claim, even after Gray's 14-point, five-assist performance on 5-of-12 shooting from the field in Atlanta's defeat.
Gray, a two-time All-Star guard, isn't alone as an impact player. Jones opened the season with four consecutive double-doubles, tying a franchise record. Her frontcourt partner Griner climbed to second on the WNBA's all-time blocks list. Howard has not only set a franchise record with nine 3s in a game, but she also became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 300 career 3s. After recording nine assists against the Liberty and playing all but 47 seconds against the Liberty, Howard already has more nine-plus assist games (two) this season than she had in her prior three years (one).
Despite their second-half struggles against New York, the Dream have gotten used to pummeling opponents in the third quarter and held a plus-33.1 net rating in the period entering Tuesday's action.
That's all why the sting of their most recent loss isn't cause for grave concern.
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'I think we have the potential to be one of the best teams in the league if we have the right attitude. These setbacks are gonna happen,' Smesko said.
After three first-half turnovers, the Dream had 10 in the second half, which led to New York getting out in transition. Smesko said that Atlanta's ball movement got sticky in the final 14 minutes. The Dream's pace slowed and shots got tougher (they shot 29.4 percent in the fourth quarter compared to 45 percent for the Liberty).
New York center Jonquel Jones scored all 10 of her points in the second half, and guard Sabrina Ionescu became the first player this season to score 30 points in consecutive games. She finished with a game-high 34 points. Smesko said New York was more aggressive in their ball-screen defense down the stretch. For that, he took responsibility for not coming up with better answers.
Howard tossed out other lessons, too.
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'The little details and things (matter), crashing the boards and getting rebounds or running the plays correctly, just communication things,' said Howard, who finished with 13 points and four turnovers. 'Making sure that we're taking advantage of everything that they're giving us.'
Some of those fixes might sound simple. But for the Dream, playing in high-leverage games is still a relatively new experience. Atlanta made the postseason in each of the past two years, but it hasn't won a playoff game since 2018. Winning has always been the goal, but hosting a playoff round in September hasn't looked as achievable in recent seasons as it does this June.
Smesko is there to help change that. General manager Dan Padover calls him a 'teacher,' first and foremost. Forward Naz Hillmon said, 'All coaches think that they're really big on teaching but he breaks every single thing down, which I think is just so important.'
Griner added: 'Instead of just telling us what to do, he's like, 'Wait, do you actually understand why we're doing it?' He makes sure the why is clear.'
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That approach is partly why Tuesday was not a significant cause for concern and instead a reminder of what could be.
'We know what happened in the past, and we want to break that,' Griner said.
The Dream will look to continue making strides. That's the plan, after all.
'We're gonna have to figure out a way to get better,' Smesko said. 'But at the same time, I recognize how much progress we've already made.'
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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