The Atlanta Dream have already punched their ticket to the postseason. Now comes a much bigger question: Are they actually ready to beat the teams they’ll see when they get there?
Atlanta gets about as good a measuring stick as possible Sunday afternoon when the Dream host the Minnesota Lynx, who enter the matchup at 31-8 compared with Atlanta’s 25-14. Both teams have clinched playoff spots, but seeding remains very much in play heading into the WNBA’s FIBA World Cup break.
And after what happened against Portland, I don’t think this could be a better game for the Dream.
Portland Exposed Something Atlanta Has to Fix
Atlanta entered Friday night’s matchup against the Portland Fire having won five of its previous six games. That included a perfect 4-0 West Coast trip and a 99-89 win over Phoenix that officially clinched Atlanta’s playoff berth.
Then Portland punched the Dream in the mouth.
The Fire beat Atlanta 101-83, scoring 50 points in the paint. Rhyne Howard finished with 26 points and Angel Reese produced 16 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, but Atlanta never really took control of the game.
For a team with legitimate postseason aspirations, that’s the kind of performance you don’t simply brush aside.
The good news?
Atlanta doesn’t have to wait long to show us whether it was just one bad night.
Minnesota Is Exactly the Test the Dream Need
If Atlanta had followed the Portland loss by playing one of the WNBA’s bottom teams, a comfortable victory wouldn’t have told us much.
Minnesota is different.
The Lynx come into Atlanta with the best record in the matchup at 31-8, while the Dream sit at 25-14.
This is the type of opponent Atlanta could eventually have to beat if this season is going to become something special.
That’s why Sunday’s game means more to me than simply adding another win to the standings.
I want to see how the Dream respond defensively.
I want to see whether Atlanta can control the paint again.
And most importantly, I want to see how this roster performs against an elite opponent now that the expectations have completely changed.
Earlier in the year, making the playoffs would have represented a successful season.
We’re past that.
Angel Reese Avoiding Suspension Is Huge
There was also some potentially disastrous news coming out of the Portland game.
Angel Reese was initially assessed her eighth technical foul of the season, which would have triggered an automatic one-game suspension. The WNBA later rescinded the technical, leaving Reese available for Sunday’s matchup against Minnesota.
That’s massive.
Reese has become one of the most important pieces of this team, and what she’s done recently has been ridiculous.
She scored a career-high 31 points with 14 rebounds against Phoenix and then followed that by grabbing a WNBA-record 26 rebounds against Los Angeles. That performance also pushed her past the league’s single-season rebounding record.
Then even in the Portland loss, Reese put up another 16-point, 16-rebound double-double.
Atlanta desperately needs that physicality against Minnesota.
And DeWanna Bonner Changes the Equation
There’s another reason Sunday’s matchup is so interesting.
The Dream aren’t entering this stretch with the same roster they had a few weeks ago.
Atlanta added DeWanna Bonner after the veteran reached a buyout with Phoenix and cleared waivers. Bonner specifically had the opportunity to join a contender, and she chose Atlanta.
Think about what that says about where this franchise is right now.
Atlanta has Rhyne Howard.
Atlanta has Allisha Gray.
Atlanta has Angel Reese.
And now the Dream have added one of the most experienced postseason players in the league for the stretch run.
That’s not a roster that should simply be happy to participate in the playoffs.
That’s a roster that should expect to make some noise.
This Game Could Tell Us a Lot About the Dream
One loss doesn’t erase everything Atlanta accomplished during its recent run.
The Dream went 4-0 on their West Coast trip. They clinched a playoff berth. Reese is playing some of the best basketball of her career. Howard continues to look like a player capable of taking over games. And Atlanta just added another veteran weapon for the postseason.
But Portland gave Atlanta a reminder.
Nothing is guaranteed.
Now the Dream get Minnesota immediately afterward, with the game scheduled for 3 p.m. ET Sunday at Gateway Center Arena before the league pauses for the FIBA World Cup break.
A win would send Atlanta into the break having beaten the league’s top team immediately after one of its ugliest losses.
More importantly, it would reinforce something I’ve started to believe over the past few weeks:
The Atlanta Dream aren’t just a playoff team anymore. They have a roster capable of being a problem once they get there.
Sunday is another opportunity to prove it.
