Liberty, Dream Set for WNBA Semifinal Showdown.
New York and Atlanta will meet Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals, with both teams entering the best-of-five series after impressive first-round performances. The Liberty are making their third semifinal appearance in the past four seasons. New York is looking to return to the WNBA Finals and compete for its second championship in three seasons.
Breanna Stewart said Friday that playoff experience can be important during a longer series, particularly when it comes to maintaining focus and avoiding emotional swings.
New York swept the Minnesota Lynx in the opening round, becoming the first No. 8 seed in WNBA history to eliminate a No. 1 seed. The Liberty will now face an Atlanta team making its first semifinal appearance since 2018. Atlanta swept the Washington Mystics in the opening round to earn its first playoff series victory since 2016. The Dream added veteran DeWanna Bonner in late August, giving a young roster additional postseason experience. Bonner has appeared in 100 playoff games, the most in WNBA history. Atlanta also features Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Angel Reese, who was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Dream's defense will be one of the biggest challenges for New York. Atlanta led the league with 9.1 steals per game during the regular season and turned those takeaways into 18.1 points per game. That production increased during the first round, including 27 points off turnovers in Game 1 against Washington and another 23 in the series-clinching game.
Atlanta's ability to pressure passing lanes and create transition opportunities will be a major factor against the Liberty.
The teams also have recent familiarity with one another. New York and Atlanta met in the final two games of the regular season with the No. 4 seed at stake, and the Dream won both games. Stewart did not play in the second meeting as New York prepared for the postseason. Both teams have downplayed the importance of those regular-season results, though the games gave each side recent film to study heading into the semifinal series.
Dream Move Into State Farm Arena
Atlanta will host the first two games of the series at State Farm Arena, the home of the Atlanta Hawks. The Dream played six regular-season games at the arena, which seats more than 17,000 fans. Their usual home, Gateway Center Arena, has a capacity of roughly 3,500.
Atlanta also hosted its first-round opener against Washington at State Farm Arena.
The Dream will now look to take advantage of the larger venue as they begin their first semifinal appearance in eight years. Game 1 between the Liberty and Dream is set for Sunday.
