With their 92-82 Game 1 win in the semifinal, the Atlanta Dream have now beaten the New York Liberty three times in a row. The Dream swept their final two matchups against the Liberty in the regular season before carrying that momentum into the first round of the postseason and now into Game 1 of the semifinal.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
For WNBA broadcaster Robin Lundberg, the one thing that makes the Dream particularly difficult for the New York Liberty to handle is their defense.
“That defense from the [Dream] gave them a lot of trouble,” Lundberg said in a reaction video he shared after the game. “Angel Reese is the, I guess, head of the snake in that sense, but really Jordan Canada is a good defense. They’re top to bottom a good defensive team.”
The first half of the game was actually an extremely tight affair that featured 14 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than six points. The Liberty headed into the locker room with a narrow 40-37 lead, despite a major setback for Atlanta when star guard Allisha Gray left the game permanently due to a left-hand injury.
However, the second half belonged completely to Atlanta. The Dream came out firing in the third quarter with a devastating defensive press. They recorded nine steals and outscored New York 32-15 in the frame, turning a three-point deficit into a comfortable 14-point cushion. New York mounted a run in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta’s defense held firm to close out the 10-point victory.
In total, Atlanta’s relentless pressure forced New York into 21 total turnovers, and they turned those giveaways into 32 points, matching the all-time WNBA playoff record for the most points scored off turnovers in a single game. Liberty star Breanna Stewart was, in fact, quite clear about the difference the turnovers made, speaking in her postgame press conference.
“Live ball turnovers made the difference,” Stewart said. “We couldn’t get a basket until pretty late in the third. We know what Atlanta likes to do. Similar situation to what happened to us at home where they just came out and raced it down our throats. We need to be better.”
As Lundberg pointed out, Angel Reese was right at the center of this defensive brilliance. Alongside her 17 points, the newly crowned WNBA Defensive Player of the Year finished with a spectacular defensive stat line of four steals and three blocks. This combined total of seven “stocks” tied the Dream’s franchise record for a playoff game.
Jordin Canada, in the same vein, also caused absolute havoc on the perimeter, recording a game-high and playoff career-high five steals, which ignited the Dream’s transition offense in the second half.
This Atlanta Dream defensive intensity has been a major part of the Dream’s game all season. No team averaged more steals or forced more total turnovers than Atlanta during the regular season. They were second in the WNBA in Defensive Rating, trailing only the Minnesota Lynx, second in the WNBA in total rebounding, and fourth in points allowed per game.
These defensive qualities were also quite evident in the final two regular-season games against the Liberty as well. In the September 21 game, which ended in a 95-84 win for the Dream, Atlanta forced 11 Liberty turnovers while committing only six giveaways of their own. The next game, an 83-65 win, was even more dominant.
The Dream’s perimeter pressure completely overwhelmed the Liberty, forcing 20 turnovers while recording 12 steals as a team, all while once again turning the ball over just six times themselves. The absolute pinnacle of their defensive effort came in the second quarter, where the Dream suffocated the Liberty’s offense entirely, holding them to a staggering seven points in the period as they outscored New York 23-7 to blow the game wide open.
It is therefore clear that the Dream’s defensive showing in Game 1 of the semifinal was not a one-off. The Atlanta Dream will be looking to deliver another defensive masterclass in Game 2. The question now is, can the Liberty find a way around the Dream’s suffocating defense?