The Atlanta Braves aren’t the only Atlanta sports team heading into postseason play.
The 5th seeded Atlanta Dream is kicking off their campaign for a WNBA championship this Friday when they take on the Dallas Wings in an away series that determines who moves on in the playoffs. This will be their first playoff berth since 2018.
The Dream will have their best players leading the charge. Look at these numbers for the Dream’s top players this season…
| Points Per Game | Rebounds per game | Assists per game | |
| Rhyne Howard | 17.5 | 4.9 | 3.5 |
| Allisha Gray | 17.1 | 4.9 | 3.1 |
| Cheyenne Parker | 15.0 | 6.7 | 1.8 |
| Dream (Whole Team) | 82.5 | 36.1 | 18.6 |
| Opponents | 84.0 | 35.7 | 18.9 |
The top three players on the team, Howard, Gray, and Parker, account for nearly half the points per game of the whole team. The Dream needs them to produce those kinds of numbers or better in order to top their rivals in Dallas. The Dream has been keeping up with their opponents’ collective record, falling only very slightly behind in PPG and Assists per game. Look for supporting performances from Dream players like Aari McDonald, Nia Coffey, and Danielle Robinson. Breakout efforts from them or anyone else could make the team even more formidable. They will also have to contain the Wing’s biggest scorer, Satou Sabally, who can put points on the board quickly.
The Dream will need to step it up against the Wings. They had not beaten the Wings in the three times they met this season. Worse, they have a 2-13 record against the WNBA’s top four teams, Dallas, Connecticut, New York, and Las Vegas.
The first of the three-game series against the fourth-seed Dallas Wings at the College Park Center in Dallas Texas starts Friday, September 15 with a 9:30 PM ET tip. Game 2 is September 19, and, if necessary, Game 3 on Sept 22.