Another poor shooting night didn't sink Atlanta in its first WNBA Finals win. Karl Smesko said his Game 1 fixes worked: Golden State got fewer second chances, and "even though we didn't shoot it great again, our shot quality was better, our pace was better."
"I think I let the team down last game by only getting 2 shot attempts. And that was on me." Angel Reese answered with 30 points and 16 rebounds in Atlanta's first-ever WNBA Finals win. Coach Karl Smesko gave her "a couple more breaks" to keep that intensity going.
"Angel had a great first half. We didn't get her the ball enough." Dream coach Karl Smesko on Angel Reese after the Game 1 loss to Golden State. He said Atlanta drifted into too much one-on-one play in the second half instead of going back to her.
Atlanta's Allisha Gray (hand) is a game-time decision. Karl Smesko: "Everything's trending in the right direction, but when the starters are announced at 30 minutes, we'll know for sure." No word on a minutes limit. He called it go or no-go, the doctors' call.
DeWanna Bonner's versatility lets Atlanta use different lineups, Dream coach Karl Smesko said pregame, and her range is meant to pull the Valkyries' defense out from the basket: "She not only shoots the 3, but shoots it from very deep."
Jordin Canada's speed is step two of the Dream's plan against the Valkyries, coach Karl Smesko said pregame. Step one is keeping them from rebounding their own misses. Then the edge is "having somebody like Jordin who can really push the pace."
Allisha Gray went through a workout before Atlanta's game on Oct. 9 but was ruled out "in the interest of caution," Dream coach Karl Smesko said pregame. "She's been making good progress since her injury," he said, adding he had no other information.
"I'm more heavy metal, but it's more like the jazz, just being able to play off other people and know what you should do next. That's how she plays." Atlanta coach Karl Smesko on DeWanna Bonner, a two-year target who he says helped fuel the unbeaten run since the FIBA break.
No timeline on Allisha Gray, so Atlanta leans on rookie Isobel Borlase, 21. "I don't think we win either of the last 2 games without the production we got from Izzy," Karl Smesko said; he wants it through the Finals. Angel Reese also credited DeWanna Bonner.
"We couldn't resume the drill until I made the 2 in a row." Angel Reese said Atlanta coach Karl Smesko stopped a camp drill until she hit two straight threes in front of the team. Smesko said the staff "changed her shot like completely" and expects more growth next offseason.
Allisha Gray, in a soft cast after Atlanta's win, will be listed day-to-day. Asked if she'll be back this season, Karl Smesko said he hopes so but has no further information. In her place, Jordin Canada said, Isobel Borlase gave "huge minutes, some timely buckets."
Naz Hillmon "played a ton of minutes and just was fantastic," Dream coach Karl Smesko said after the overtime win over New York, citing her defense and extra possessions. Late in the fourth he designed a play for her to cut if the defense left her, and she scored at the rim.
"I told her to throw it in the backcourt and I'm gonna run around as fast as I can out there." Angel Reese, on what she told DeWanna Bonner before Atlanta's final overtime inbound. Coach Karl Smesko had expected New York to call timeout and advance the ball. It didn't.
DeWanna Bonner shifted positions in Atlanta's Game 1 win over New York and guarded MVP-level players. Karl Smesko: "She moved positions in this game where she hasn't even been practicing really at that position." Jordin Canada said Bonner also lit into the team at halftime.
Atlanta's third-quarter surge in an eight-game win streak starts before Karl Smesko reaches the locker room. He said his players settle halftime adjustments themselves: "When I start talking about adjustments, I can tell they've already talked about the same adjustments."
Naz Hillmon played 37 minutes and guarded Breanna Stewart in Atlanta's Game 1 win over New York. Karl Smesko: "Naz only, I think, took 2 shots ... she had the best plus-minus on the team." Allisha Gray went down in the game; Smesko had no update on her status.