The Atlanta Dream are moving on in the WNBA playoffs, but not without a quick lesson in sportsmanship from a veteran teammate.
After sweeping the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night, Dream stars Angel Reese and Allisha Gray were spotted waving to the crowd at CareFirst Arena. It was a playful, if not slightly cheeky, gesture directed at the home fans who had just watched their team get eliminated.
Veteran forward DeWanna Bonner, a two-time champion and six-time All-Star, was having none of it. She immediately grabbed both players' hands and pulled them down, sending a clear message: keep it classy.
The moment was a small blemish on an otherwise dominant performance by Atlanta. In Game 1, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combined for 48 points to lead the Dream to a 92-77 victory. Game 2 was a more balanced effort, with every starter scoring at least 10 points. Jordin Canada sealed the deal with 13 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, securing a 93-75 win and a spot in the semifinals.
“We definitely see the maturity in our team. I think last year, we would get big leads and then we would lose them, and then, we would lose the game,” Canada said postgame, via USA Today. “And I think this season, we really put an emphasis on making sure we’re doing the things that we need to do to close out games.”
Next up for the Dream is a semifinal showdown with the New York Liberty. Despite being the No. 8 seed, New York is no pushover. They swept the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round, with stars Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu leading the way.
“It feels good, we understand who we are as a team,” Jones said. “We’re not listening to outside noise, we understand that we can do a lot of great things. We feel like we can play with anybody and beat anybody. That’s the mindset we have moving forward. It feels good to make history. It had to be done for us to advance. It’s nice to say it’s been accomplished, but we have a lot of work to do.”
The Dream will need to bring their A-game against a Liberty squad that has been fueled by outside criticism all season. Reese, who has been at the center of ongoing debates about her impact on the league, will be looking to prove her doubters wrong once again.
Game 1 between the Dream and Liberty is set for this Sunday. It's a matchup that promises plenty of drama, both on and off the court.
