Eight years.
That’s how long the Atlanta Dream had been waiting for this moment.
Three straight first-round exits.
Years of rebuilding.
Roster changes.
Coaching changes.
Thirty-win seasons that still left Atlanta wanting more.
Not anymore.
The Dream walked into Washington Wednesday night and beat the Washington Mystics 93-75, completing a 2-0 sweep and advancing to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018. AP News
And while Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 22 points, the player I came away thinking about most was Jordin Canada.
Because when Washington made its final push and cut Atlanta’s lead to two in the fourth quarter, Canada didn’t simply settle the Dream down.
She ended the series.
And what happened over those final minutes might be the clearest example yet of why this Atlanta team feels different.
Washington Had Atlanta Exactly Where It Wanted It
This wasn’t another comfortable playoff game from start to finish.
Washington fought.
The Mystics kept hanging around, and early in the fourth quarter they cut Atlanta’s advantage to just two points. The Washington Post
CareFirst Arena was alive.
Washington’s season was on the line.
Atlanta had already watched the Mystics dominate stretches of the glass again.
And suddenly the Dream were staring at the exact type of moment that has ended playoff runs before.
A young Washington team had momentum.
Game 3 was sitting there.
Atlanta could have tightened up.
Instead?
Jordin Canada took over.
Jordin Canada Was Absolutely Brilliant
Canada finished with:
19 points.
11 assists.
7 rebounds.
3 steals.
That’s already a ridiculous playoff stat line.
But it doesn’t explain what actually happened.
Canada scored 13 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, including seven consecutive Atlanta points during the stretch that finally broke Washington. AP News
The Dream eventually ripped off a 13-0 run.
Game over.
Series over.
Atlanta is going to the semifinals.
That’s leadership.
We’ve talked so much this season about Atlanta’s stars.
Angel Reese.
Rhyne Howard.
Allisha Gray.
And rightfully so.
But Canada might be the player who determines how far this team actually goes.
Because playoff basketball eventually becomes uncomfortable.
The offense breaks down.
Your first option gets taken away.
The crowd gets involved.
Somebody has to organize everything.
Somebody has to make the right decision.
And sometimes?
Somebody simply has to go get a bucket.
Wednesday night, Canada did all three.
This Is Why 300 Assists Mattered
Remember when Canada reached 300 assists during the final week of the regular season?
That wasn’t simply a cool statistical milestone.
We’ve watched her become the connective tissue of this entire offense.
Atlanta has a lot of players who can score.
Canada makes sure everybody gets opportunities.
Look at what happened Wednesday.
Gray scored 22.
Canada scored 19.
Reese scored 15.
Atlanta made 13 threes.
The Dream shot roughly 41% from beyond the arc. Swish Appeal
Atlanta didn’t need one player to score 35.
It needed somebody to control the game.
That’s Canada.
And now she gets an even bigger challenge.
Atlanta Finally Won a Playoff Series
I don’t want to move past this too quickly.
The Dream hadn’t advanced beyond the first round since 2018. AP News
Think about everything that’s happened since then.
Atlanta has gone through multiple eras.
Multiple coaches.
Multiple roster constructions.
There have been promising seasons.
There have been disappointing seasons.
There have been playoff appearances that ended almost immediately.
Even last season’s 30-win team couldn’t get through the opening round.
This team did.
And they didn’t need three games.
Atlanta won Game 1 92-77.
Then went to Washington and won Game 2 93-75. Atlanta Dream
That’s a combined margin of 33 points.
That’s not surviving the first round.
That’s handling business.
And Atlanta Still Hasn’t Fixed Its Biggest Problem
Here’s the crazy part.
The Dream swept Washington while getting absolutely destroyed on the glass.
Washington outrebounded Atlanta 50-31 in Game 1.
Wednesday?
The Mystics won the rebounding battle again, 42-27. Swish Appeal
That’s a 34-rebound deficit across two playoff games.
Atlanta won both.
How?
Turnovers.
Pressure.
Shotmaking.
The Dream forced Washington into 19 turnovers in Game 2 and turned those mistakes into 23 points. Atlanta also recorded 10 steals. Swish Appeal
That’s encouraging and concerning at the same time.
Encouraging because Atlanta has proven it can overcome a massive disadvantage.
Concerning because the next team has Jonquel Jones.
You cannot expect to lose the glass by 15 or 20 every night and keep surviving.
That needs to be the No. 1 focus before Sunday.
Angel Reese Didn’t Need a Monster Game
This is another reason I love where Atlanta is right now.
Reese finished with 15 points and seven rebounds Wednesday. Swish Appeal
Good game.
Not spectacular.
Atlanta won by 18.
That’s exactly what you want.
I’ve written about why Angel Reese has already proven Atlanta should build around her. ATL Sports Zone
But being a franchise player doesn’t mean scoring 30 every night.
It means affecting winning.
And Atlanta has constructed a roster where Reese doesn’t have to carry everything.
Gray can lead the scoring.
Howard can explode.
Canada can take over the fourth.
Bonner can change a quarter.
Reese can dominate the glass.
That’s why this roster works.
Allisha Gray Has Been Ridiculously Consistent
I also don’t want Gray’s 22 points to become background noise.
She scored 22 in Game 1.
Then scored 22 again in Game 2. Atlanta Dream
Forty-four points in two games.
Atlanta wins both comfortably.
That’s exactly what you need from your leading scorer in a playoff series.
Gray isn’t forcing the issue.
She’s not hijacking the offense.
She’s simply producing.
And when your most consistent scorer is giving you 22 while Howard, Reese and Canada are all capable of taking over?
That’s a very difficult team to game-plan against.
Rhyne Howard Is Affecting Games Even Without Scoring 26
Howard gave Atlanta 26 points and five steals in Game 1.
She didn’t need another 26 Wednesday.
That’s the point.
I’ve argued before that Rhyne Howard belongs in the conversation among the WNBA’s elite two-way players. ATL Sports Zone
A playoff series like this is why.
Washington has to account for Howard every possession.
Her shooting stretches the floor.
Her length creates turnovers.
Her presence changes what Washington can do defensively.
Atlanta isn’t asking Howard to rescue it.
It’s asking her to be part of a machine.
Right now, that machine is rolling.
Now Comes the REAL Test
And this is where things get fun.
Atlanta’s semifinal opponent is officially the New York Liberty.
New York just made WNBA history by becoming the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed, sweeping Minnesota in the opening round. New York Post
So I’m not interested in hearing that New York is a typical eight seed.
They’re not.
Breanna Stewart.
Sabrina Ionescu.
Jonquel Jones.
Championship experience.
A team that clearly believes it can beat anybody.
Liberty co-owner Joe Tsai even said after the Minnesota series that he believes New York is the “best team in the playoffs.” New York Post
Okay.
Prove it against Atlanta.
Because the Dream have plenty of reasons to feel confident too.
Atlanta Won the Regular-Season Series 2-1
This is where the matchup gets fascinating.
New York beat Atlanta 104-90 on June 11.
Then came September.
Atlanta went to New York and won 95-84.
Two days later?
Atlanta beat New York again, 83-65. StatMuse
Atlanta won the season series 2-1.
And the two victories happened during the final week of the regular season.
That’s recent.
The Dream already know they can beat New York.
They’ve done it with offense.
They’ve done it with defense.
They’ve done it at Barclays Center.
That’s not a guarantee Atlanta wins the semifinal.
Far from it.
New York just eliminated the No. 1 seed for a reason.
But there’s a massive difference between respecting an opponent and fearing one.
Atlanta has absolutely no reason to fear New York.
Jonquel Jones Is Now the Biggest Problem
Here’s what I would spend the next few days obsessing over if I’m Karl Smesko.
Jonquel Jones.
Jones just finished New York’s clinching victory over Minnesota with 21 points and 13 rebounds. New York Post
And Atlanta just got outrebounded by Washington by 34 across two games.
That’s the flashing red light.
Brionna Jones is unavailable.
So how does Atlanta handle New York’s size?
Reese obviously has a huge responsibility.
But this is where I want more Madina Okot.
I’ve written about why Okot may eventually become an important piece next to Reese. ATL Sports Zone
Well…
Eventually might be Sunday.
Okot doesn’t need 25 minutes.
Atlanta just needs enough size and physicality to prevent Jonquel Jones from owning the series.
Naz Hillmon matters.
Sika Koné might matter.
Bonner at the four matters.
Everybody has to rebound.
Because if Atlanta gives New York the same second-chance opportunities it gave Washington?
The Liberty are considerably more capable of punishing them.
Atlanta Has Home Court — And This Time It REALLY Matters
This is another massive piece of the matchup.
Atlanta is the No. 4 seed.
New York is No. 8.
The semifinals are best-of-five.
Game 1: Sunday in Atlanta.
Game 2: Wednesday in Atlanta.
Game 3: Friday in New York.
Game 4, if necessary: Sunday in New York.
Game 5, if necessary: back in Atlanta on October 14. USA Today
Read that again.
Atlanta gets the first two games at home.
And if this thing goes five?
The deciding game is in Atlanta.
That’s enormous.
The Dream spent the final weeks of the regular season fighting for home court.
Now they’re cashing in on it.
Atlanta Is Four Wins From the WNBA Finals
That’s the sentence that changes everything.
We’re done talking about whether the Dream can win a playoff series.
They just did.
We’re done talking about whether this team is better equipped for the postseason than last year’s group.
It just proved it.
Atlanta is now in the final four.
Four wins separate the Dream from the WNBA Finals.
And I don’t think that’s some unrealistic dream anymore.
Atlanta finished the regular season by winning 13 of its final 15 games. Then it swept Washington. New York Post
That’s 15 wins in the last 17 games.
New York is hot.
Atlanta is hotter.
New York has stars.
Atlanta has stars.
New York has championship experience.
Atlanta has home court.
New York believes it’s the best team left.
Good.
Because Atlanta has spent the last month building a pretty convincing argument of its own.
This Is What Atlanta Has Been Building Toward
This season stopped being about making the playoffs a long time ago.
Thirty wins changed that.
Angel Reese changed that.
Howard’s historic season changed that.
Gray’s consistency changed that.
Canada’s playmaking changed that.
Adding Bonner changed that.
And Wednesday night finally changed the one thing Atlanta hadn’t been able to change:
The postseason result.
The first-round wall is gone.
Atlanta broke through it.
Now there’s nothing theoretical about this anymore.
The Dream are four wins from the Finals.
They have home-court advantage.
They’ve already beaten their semifinal opponent twice in the last two weeks.
And they have a point guard who just looked at an elimination game getting uncomfortable and decided she was going to end it herself.
That’s why Jordin Canada’s fourth quarter mattered so much.
It wasn’t simply 13 points.
It was composure.
It was leadership.
It was a player recognizing the moment and taking control of it.
That’s what championship teams eventually need.
Wednesday night, Atlanta had it.
Washington is gone.
New York is next.
And for the first time in a long time, Atlanta isn’t simply happy to be here.
The Dream have a legitimate chance to reach the WNBA Finals.
Now go prove it.
