The Atlanta Dream are in the midst of a semifinal matchup against the New York Liberty, but before then, Angel Reese was honored with the Defensive Player of the Year award. It's been a big season for Reese on that side of the ball, and as much as the stats prove it, anybody can watch and see the impact that's made. She's made the Dream one of the best defensive teams in the league this season, and it's one of the reasons why they've made it this far in the postseason.

Reese knows that her play is the reason for winning the award, but she's never stopped short of giving praise to her teammates when it comes to her success.

“I knew that I was going to be put on a pedestal of being able to play with great players,” Reese said. “When you play with great players, they push you every single day to your potential. I'm just so grateful for my teammates. I'm grateful for my coaches every single day. We have fun. We have hard conversations. They're just there for me all the time. I'm just thankful for it because you rarely get that opportunity. I haven't had that in a while, and being able to be here in Atlanta, I'm just grateful to my sisters in the locker room.”

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The Dream have pushed each other to become the best versions of themselves this season, and it's shown specifically on defense. Reese was No. 3 in steals per game, but Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada were the two players ahead of her on the list. Throughout the year, Reese has said that any three of them could've won the award, and she wants to get their names engraved on the trophy.

“We kind of had a little thing going on in the locker room about who can get the most deflections and steals, so we talk about that after every game. It just shows how we challenge each other,” Reese said.

The Dream are going to need that same level of defensive intensity against a veteran team like the Liberty. They've already taken a 1-0 lead in the series, and their defense was a big factor.