The New York Liberty open their WNBA semifinals series against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday in Atlanta. Breanna Stewart and the Liberty bring extensive playoff experience to the matchup, having reached the WNBA Finals in 2023 and 2024. The Dream are making their first semifinals appearance since 2018. Ball security, pace, and interior play are identified as keys to New York advancing.
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The 2018 WNBA semifinals series featuring Breanna Stewart drew considerable attention as a closely contested postseason matchup. Leading two games to none, the Seattle Storm watched their series advantage slip away as the Phoenix Mercury — with Diana Taurasi central to the comeback — levelled the contest and set up a fifth and deciding match.
An unintentional elbow from Stewart left teammate Sue Bird with a broken nose. Griner and Taurasi each converted low-percentage attempts during the contest. A fourth-quarter run by Bird handed the Storm their victory.
Reflecting on that playoff run in the days leading up to Friday's practice, Stewart noted that postseason experience carries real weight, pointing to the need to remain focused on the ultimate objective through the course of a longer series. The Liberty had already dispatched the Minnesota Lynx in a two-game first-round sweep.
Sabrina Ionescu urged her teammates to savour Tuesday night's victory, though she noted the mood stayed measured given that, in her words, the work ahead still outweighs what has been accomplished. That sentiment sets the stage for a best-of-five semifinal matchup between the Liberty and the Atlanta Dream, an opponent making its first appearance at that round since 2018.
Opening tip-off for Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at Atlanta's State Farm Arena. The series has been characterised as a test of athleticism where quickness and physicality carry weight. Jonquel Jones pointed to her team's accumulated experience as a factor.
For the Liberty, a third trip to the semifinals across four years is now on the horizon, while Stewart is set to add a sixth such appearance to her career total. Consecutive WNBA Finals appearances in 2023 and 2024 defined that stretch for New York, with the second of those runs ending in a championship.
Of the three players on the Dream's roster who had previously reached the semifinal round — DeWanna Bonner, Jordin Canada, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough — none had done so while playing for Atlanta.
Extended series formats open the door for coaches and coordinators to test unconventional matchup decisions and coverage schemes they might otherwise avoid. The psychological and emotional dimensions of the sport find more openings to take hold as well.
Stewart drew on her team's experience in high-pressure series, saying the group had learned to manage its emotional state across long playoff runs — and that moving beyond the opening round, though a positive step, had never represented the full extent of what they were aiming to achieve, with the composure on display in each game reflecting a standard the team had set for itself from the start of the postseason.
To close out their regular-season schedule, Atlanta's Dream took back-to-back wins over New York, backed by a pre-game declaration from one player that the roster would bring full effort through every minute of play and that nothing would come cheaply for any opponent stepping onto the court. Because Stewart sat out the second game with knee soreness, the opening contest offers a more grounded picture of what the team might face going forward.
Down three at the break, New York watched Atlanta seize control of the contest once the third quarter got underway. Four turnovers by New York handed Atlanta an opening the Dream converted into six points on the board.
Ball security, tempo management, and the ability to keep pace with the New York Liberty's fast-break style of play are among the variables that will shape how deep a run the team makes. Curbing Atlanta's offensive rebounds and converting defensive glass work into quick outlet opportunities were also identified as factors, and Stewart noted that the opening games of the series would reveal which side executes the tactical adjustments more effectively.