The WNBA semifinals are officially here, and only four teams are left standing. The Eastern Conference side of the bracket pits the No. 4-seed Atlanta Dream against the No. 8-seed New York Liberty, and man, this series is gonna be a barn burner. We’re talking about two squads with clear paths to the WNBA Finals, and it all kicks off Sunday in Atlanta at 2 p.m. ET on ABC.
Angel Reese is the Dream’s Defensive Machine, But Can She Score Enough?
Everything for the Dream starts and ends with Angel Reese. She’s the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, and she’s gonna have her hands absolutely full trying to slow down New York’s bigs and keep them out of the paint. If anyone can neutralize Jonquel Jones, though, it’s Reese. We’ve seen these two go at it before, remember that September 21 game where the Dream dropped the Liberty 95-84? Reese and Jones were scoring over each other, jawing back and forth, hitting that “Too Small” celly. That’s the kind of energy we’re talking about. But Reese can’t just play D. She put up 14 points per game in that first-round series against the Mystics, which was enough against an inexperienced Washington squad. She’s gonna need more, way more, against this Liberty team. Reese isn’t alone out there, though. Rhyne Howard has to be a three-level scorer and flat-out wreak havoc on the Liberty defense. And then there’s Allisha Gray. She’s gotta keep her offensive numbers up, hitting her regular-season average of a team-high 19 points per game. On the other end, she’s got the unenviable task of trying to slow down Sabrina Ionescu. No easy matchups this deep in the postseason, right? The good news for Atlanta is they know they can win. They took the season series 2-1, with both of those victories coming in the final two games. Plus, they’ve got home-court advantage for game one, so they should be feeling good about being in the driver’s seat.
The Liberty Didn’t Just Beat the Lynx, They Demolished Them
If the New York Liberty were supposed to be scared of the Minnesota Lynx in the first round, they sure as heck didn’t show it. They came out looking like the No. 1 seed, making Minnesota look like a team that was just lucky to be there. And that’s what happens when you get the full Breanna Stewart experience. We’re talking 34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. That’s a stat line for the ages, and it reminds you why Stewart is still one of the best players in the league. This isn’t your typical No. 8 seed. The Liberty have championship pedigree, and they’re playing with serious confidence right now. They’ve shown they can absolutely dominate, and if they bring that same fire, Atlanta’s gonna have its hands full.
This is gonna be a heavyweight battle. Game 1 on Sunday is going to set the tone for everything. Can Angel Reese and the Dream pull off the home win with that gritty defense and balanced scoring, or will Breanna Stewart and the Liberty continue their dominant run? The stakes couldn’t be higher: a trip to the WNBA Finals is on the line, and you know these teams are leaving it all on the court.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
Leave a Reply