Coach Karl Smesko's Atlanta Dream suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Golden State Valkryies in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, on a day when hometown fans snapped up 10,000 tickets in a heartbeat. Fans were expecting a possible championship coronation for Game 6, but instead witnessed a 64-55 loss at the Chase Center as Angel Reese and her teammates faltered again.
The Dream had a host of poor shooting performances during Game 5, including from Reese, who had a strong day on the boards but couldn't back up her confident talk from previous days.
Reese is one of three Dream players who deserve the lion's share of the blame from the tough Game 5 loss, putting the onus on Atlanta to step up its game in time for the next matchup in hopes of winning a championship.
Dream to Blame #1: Angel Reese
Reese is a vocal leader for coach Smesko's team which means she gets the credit when things go well and gets the blame when they don't go well. The fact that she had a forgettable performance shooting the ball for a second straight game is further proof that she needs to put in serious work to make her jump shot passable.
The Dream forward shot 2-for-8 from the field, which won't get it done against a swarming, hungry and opportunistic Valkyries team for the rest of the series. Reese's shooting has been her Achilles heel for quite some time now and it reared its ugly head in a big way in Game 5. She did not attempt a three-pointer on the night, a good thing as the Dream shot an abysmal 29.2% from the field.
Reese had three blocks and eight rebounds, but her shooting once again held her team back. She did make 3-of-4 free throws on the night, but this is the WNBA's biggest stage and the Dream need a star-caliber performance from their most recognizable player, not role player numbers with a side of poor shooting.
Reese set the bar high during the regular season as she led Smesko's team with an average of 18.1 points per game and 10.1 rebounds. She has a burning desire to prove her haters, and her doubters, wrong, but right now her emotions seem to be getting in the way of her performances as she's too amped up and shooting poorly as a result.
Her 44.9% shooting percentage in the regular season is the type of number Smesko needs her to be at, bare minimum. Instead, Reese is reverting back to her old crutch of putting too much oomph into her shots and not enough accuracy, timing and patience.
Dream to Blame #2: Allisha Gray
Gray is on the biggest stage facing top-notch competition which has given her a prime opportunity to shine, but she hasn't been able to live up to her top billing as one of the Dream's best players lately. Gray shot just 4-for-12 from the field and committed three turnovers on another forgettable day at the Chase Center in front of screaming Valkyries fans.
The star Dream guard made just 1-of-4 three-pointers on the night and finished with 10 points, 4.4 below her season scoring average for coach Smesko's team. Gray was just a 25.7% three-point shooter during the regular season, a number that demonstrates how few threes she should be taking. Gray should do a better job of picking her spots and be more patient on offense, letting the game come to her instead of forcing the issue as she has done during this series with coach Smesko's team.
Article Continues BelowDream to Blame #3: Naz Hillmon
Hillmon was the Dream's ninth-leading scorer during the regular season and has tried to pick up the scoring slack with Reese mired in a shooting slump. She got the start for Smesko's team and was a non-factor scoring the ball with two points in 34 minutes of game action.
She added 11 rebounds, but her decision to keep shooting on a night when her shot wasn't going down was a big problem. She finished 1-for-5 on the night, 0-1 from downtown as the Dream fell behind by three at halftime, and by six heading into the fourth quarter.
Guard Jordin Canada also deserves plenty of blame for this game as she shot 5-for-16 from the field, failing to match her regular season points per game total of 15.2. Canada finished with 12 points, a number that simply wasn't good enough on a night when the Valkyries' superior offense stole the show and Reese continued to struggle with the bright lights on her.
Reese, Gray, Rhyne Howard and the Dream have too much talent to go out with a whimper like they did in Game 5. Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes sent a message to her team that the Dream will have to counter in the next matchup. Game 6 is their last chance to make one final stand, and it they have two full days to prepare with the game scheduled for October 29.