Dream crush Liberty to set franchise record for wins in a season, maintain hold on No. 2 seed

The Atlanta Dream kept the good times rolling Saturday afternoon, as they crushed the New York Liberty, 78-62, to set a franchise record for wins in a season and maintain their hold on the No. 2 seed. Now 24-13, the Dream have won nine of their last 11 games. 

Introduced as an expansion franchise in 2008, the Dream had more WNBA Finals appearances (three) than 20-win seasons (two) entering 2025. Their previous record was 23 wins in 2018, which also happens to be the last time they won a playoff game. 

It must be acknowledged that the WNBA increased the number of games in the season to a record 44 this summer -- 10 more than the 34 that were played in 2018 when the Dream set their previous mark. That does not take away from how well they've played, however, especially over the last month or so. 

Dream's 20-win seasons

After two consecutive first-round sweeps, the Dream decided to make major changes in offseason. They brought in Karl Smesko as coach and signed Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones to boost their frontcourt. While they were widely expected to return to the playoffs and be better than last season, no one expected them to be in second place in late August. 

Saturday's victory over the reigning champion Liberty epitomized how they've found success this season despite not having players perfectly suited to Smesko's 3-point heavy attack. 

The Dream launched 38 3-pointers, and though they only made 10 of them, they still outscored the Liberty by 12 from behind the arc. They also grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 21 points, and only turned the ball over five times. And while their 12 free throw attempts weren't anywhere near their most in a game this season, they still outscored the Liberty at the line by two. 

That formula, combined with another strong defensive showing -- against a Liberty team without Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, it must be said -- is how the Dream led by as many as 26 and won by 14 despite shooting 39.5% from the field. 

For the season, the Dream have the second-best offensive rating in the league (106.6), despite the fact that they're seventh in field goal percentage (43.9) and seventh in 3-point percentage (33.3). They've achieved that by buying into Smesko's 3-point heavy system, crashing the offensive glass, getting to the foul line and taking care of the ball. The Dream are second in 3-point attempts per game (27.9), third in offensive rebounding rate (31.7%), third in free throw rate (.298) and third in turnover rate (16.6%). 

It remains to be seen if that formula will work in the playoffs, but it's been more than good enough in the regular season. At 24-13, the Dream are in second place and have the easiest remaining schedule in the league. The Las Vegas Aces, who have won 10 games in a row to climb into third place, are the only team currently in playoff position that they still have to play. Their other opponents are the Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks (twice) and last-place Connecticut Sun (three times).