Dream wrap up first WNBA Finals berth since 2013 with sweep of Liberty — SkimNews
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- Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85-83 on Friday night, completing a three-game semifinal sweep to reach their first WNBA Finals since 2013 and remaining unbeaten this postseason
- Angel Reese scored 22 points and Rhyne Howard added 21 — with Howard posting 11 and Reese 10 (including two 3-pointers) in the opening quarter — to power the fourth-seeded Dream past New York
- Breanna Stewart missed a contested layup with nine seconds left, and DeWanna Bonner hit two clutch free throws at 6.2 seconds to seal Atlanta's win after the Dream turned it over leading by two
- Reese, acquired in an offseason trade and named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, absorbed the scoring slack with leading scorer Allisha Gray sidelined by a finger injury suffered in Game 1
- Atlanta will face the winner of the Las Vegas-Golden State semifinal in the WNBA Finals, which tip off Oct. 17, with the franchise still needing four wins for its first championship
- Jonquel Jones and Stewart each scored 26 for the Liberty, whose title defense ended as a No. 8 seed one round after pulling off a first-round upset of top-seeded Minnesota
Why it matters: Atlanta's first Finals trip in 12 years caps a perfect postseason run by a No. 4 seed that hasn't lost a game, and the Dream are now four wins from a first championship in franchise history. Reese's dual role as Defensive Player of the Year and 22-point scorer validated an offseason trade that has clearly altered Atlanta's ceiling.
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