Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 10

Atlanta Dream Reach First Finals Since 2013 After 85-83 Win, Completing Angel Reese's Manifestation

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 10

Atlanta Dream Reach First Finals Since 2013 After 85-83 Win, Completing Angel Reese's Manifestation

Q: Did the Liberty choke away their title hopes, or did Jordin Canada's elite championship poise simply outclass New York in crunch time?

It was more Atlanta’s composure than a Liberty collapse, though New York clearly contributed to its own exit. Calling it a pure choke ignores the pattern of the series. Atlanta did not steal one chaotic game; it swept New York and repeatedly won the decisive stretches. In Game 3, the Dream were missing Allisha Gray again, yet still got 22 points from Angel Reese, 21 from Rhyne Howard and a game-shaping 19 points and 11 assists from Jordin Canada. That is not a fluke finish. It is a team executing under pressure. Canada was central to that execution. Her go-ahead 3-pointer, tempo control and decision-making reflected the championship experience Atlanta has leaned on all postseason. Web reporting around the series described her as the Dream’s “head of the snake,” and her earlier games back that up: 25 points in Game 1 and 23 in the Game 2 overtime win. In late moments, she looked steadier than New York’s backcourt. Still, the Liberty did leave openings. Their recurring turnover issues were a major reason Atlanta controlled the series, and in Game 3 they could not finish a comeback despite 26 points apiece from Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart. Stewart’s missed tying jumper with 9.9 seconds left became the final image of a team that had enough talent but not enough clean late-game execution. So the fairest read is this: New York fell short in key moments, but Atlanta — and especially Canada — earned this more than the Liberty gave it away.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 10

Atlanta sealed its first WNBA Finals berth since 2013 with an 85-83 Game 3 win over New York, finishing a semifinal sweep and giving Angel Reese her first shot at a league title.
Reese drove the clincher with 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, then pointed to a 2025 post predicting a Finals run and said, "I manifested this."
The Dream now carry momentum into a best-of-seven championship series against Golden State, which advanced after knocking out A'ja Wilson's Las Vegas Aces.
Game 1 is set for Oct. 17 at Golden State, where Reese — this season's Defensive Player of the Year — will try to help Atlanta win its first WNBA championship.