The Atlanta Dream are going back to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013 after edging the New York Liberty 85-83 in Game 3 on Friday to complete a semifinal sweep of the defending champions.
In a building that has tormented visiting teams, Atlanta stayed composed through a tight fourth quarter, answering every New York run and protecting the ball in the final minute. The two-point margin matched the closeness of a series in which the Dream’s depth repeatedly told late in games.
New York, which entered the postseason carrying the expectations that come with a title defence, could not find a final stop when it needed one. The Liberty’s home crowd pushed them through a late rally, but Atlanta made its free throws and forced a contested look at the end.
The sweep marks a milestone for a franchise that lost Finals appearances in the early 2010s and has rebuilt since. Reaching the championship round again, and doing it by knocking out the reigning champions in their own arena, gives Atlanta both rest and momentum before the Finals begin.
Atlanta now awaits the winner of the other semifinal and will open the Finals as the team nobody wants to face: confident, deep and unbeaten in this round. Game dates for the championship series will be confirmed once the second finalist is known.
Rest may prove as valuable as the win itself. While the other semifinal plays on, Atlanta can heal minor injuries and prepare at home, advantages that compound quickly in a short championship series.
For New York, the loss ends a title defence that never quite found last season’s rhythm for long stretches. The Liberty still boast one of the league’s strongest rosters, but the sweep will fuel an offseason of questions about matchups, health and how a champion responds when the league’s improving middle class catches up.
