“Any team in front of us should be scared because we're ready, and we're gonna continue to put our foot forward every day, watch film, get together and figure ourselves out.”
Angel Reese said this during the postgame press conference on July 4, after the Atlanta Dream dropped their fifth straight game, and their third against the Golden State Valkyries. She was referring to the near future with five games ahead before the league entered the All-Star break.
She added that adversity builds character in the locker room, and that the team were having tough conversations while also taking accountability and figuring themselves out.
Since then, the Dream have re-established what Atlanta Dream basketball looks like. They finished the regular season as the fourth seed with a 30-14 record. They were the only team to sweep the playoffs, defeating the Washington Mystics in the first round and the 2024 champions New York Liberty in the semifinals.
Now, the same team they couldn't get past in the regular season is standing in their way as they try to finish the job and clinch a franchise-first WNBA championship.
Championship Culture Isn’t Easy
“It’s not supposed to be easy. Championship culture is not supposed to be easy,” Reese said after that same five-straight-game loss.
The road wasn’t easy, but now, since October 25, 2026, the Dream are two wins away from bringing the city a title.
In Game 1 of the Finals against the Valkyries, the Dream suffered a five-point loss (68-64) at Golden State. It was their first loss in 10 games, and they shot 33% from the field, letting their offensive talent falter under their opponents’ defensive pressure. The same defensive pressure the Dream are known for.
Reese managed 14 points and 12 rebounds, but even the double-double meant little without a statement win, especially after she went scoreless and took only three shots in the second half.
She said she didn’t feel aggressive enough in the second half and took ownership of her part in the loss, vowing to improve in the next game.
Game 2 was a different story.
“Going into the locker room, the first person I made eye contact with was Angel, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I like this look. I like this look,’” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “She was just fantastic, on both ends of the floor. Just a superior performance.”
Taking a 79-65 victory, Reese finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds to anchor the Dream's first Finals win in franchise history.
She said she let the team down in the last game and wanted to make her mark in this one.
“Yeah, I was hungry. I wanted one. I think we let one [game] slip away, and you can’t do that, especially on the road where this is a good environment and a good team, and we all came together and were pissed,” Reese said after the game.
“We felt disappointed, we felt embarrassed, and we didn’t like the outcome of that last game, and we didn’t want another one to slip…I wanted to make sure I was ready, and on my toes, and whatever the team needed tonight, I was willing to do, and that’s just what the outcome was.”
Her teammate, Jordin Canada, who had 10 assists in that game and a jaw-dropping logo shot that ignited the Dream’s second-half run, also spoke about the impact Reese had on her teammates.
“Angel is such a generational talent. Just to see her thrive in the finals has been really special to watch, and you can just see that she wants it really bad,” Canada said. “She’s such a competitor, and we feed off of her energy. And so I think tonight she set the tone for sure, and it just trickled down through the whole team.
Canada also added that Reese was keeping the team confident throughout the game and demanded the ball be passed to her.
“And we gave her the ball, and she went to work. And that’s why she ended up with a 30-piece. So just to see her in this moment, on such a high stage, and just, you know, executing and doing what she needs to do for our team is just really special to watch.”
The team then returned to Atlanta, where they expected another form of ignition.
The Calm Before the Storm
The “calm” wasn’t so much a feeling, as Atlanta came out with the ferocity and intensity they brought back with them from Game 2. The fans, celebrities and city felt the imprint the Dream left on Wednesday night in their 97-71 win to lead the series 2-1.
Calm was the emotion the city felt after seeing how close their team was to bringing home the title. The Dream were two wins away, and their dominant home performance made their chances look promising.
The Dream, however, have been practicing to manage their emotions. Not getting too high or low. They celebrated small wins, but turned the page the next day to look ahead to what’s next.
They knew they were only halfway there.
“The job is not done. That’s what’s going through my mind,” Canada told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Again, you don’t want to get too far ahead … We still understand that we have two more games left. It’ll be a battle. Golden State is a very good team. We know they’re going to come out tomorrow with a lot of energy, so we have to match that energy.”
Match the energy; the Dream did not.
“As Long as We Stay Together”
Looking to extend their series lead to 3-1 before heading back to Golden State, the Dream couldn’t pull off the win, falling 67-62 to the Valkyries.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase changed up her starting lineup to add defensive pressure, making the Dream’s offensive opportunities harder and limiting Reese to eight points and nine rebounds.
Though Dream guard Rhyne Howard put on a better offensive performance, the team’s overall energy was diminished as they couldn't find a rhythm or flow in their style of play.
The Dream came back from a 16-point first-half deficit, but they struggled to finish at the rim, find confidence in their shots, and return to the identity they had re-established in Game 2.
The Valkyries had the same frustrated look in Game 3 and made the adjustments.
Now the question is: will the Dream falter under the pressure as they return to their opponents’ environment, or will they, too, make physical and mental adjustments?
Nakase commented ahead of Game 4 (in reference to the Dreams’ strategy) that when you win, you don’t have much to change. She might take that advice into Game 4 after her recent win, but the Dream will have to regroup and find the mental mistakes they made (besides missed free throws and uncharacteristic turnovers) that took them out of the game before it started.
History has a chance to repeat itself.
The Dream lost Game 1 by five points on Saturday with lackluster energy, then came back strong in the next two games on Monday and Wednesday. They lost Game 4 by five points the following Saturday and will face off for Game 5 on Monday before returning to Atlanta for an automatic Game 6.
Both teams have taken a game on the road and are looking to make history by clinching a championship title.
It will come down to who wants it more with the final chess move, and who can mentally endure this long series under pressure.
Reese said the road to a championship wouldn’t be easy, and now she’s living through the scenario in real time after the ups and downs she and the Dream have been through to get here.
The key to managing the rest of the journey is what Reese says has brought them this far.
“Yeah, staying together. As long as we stay together and get back to our identity, we’ll be fine.”
