Angel Reese’s dominance in Games 2 and 3 wasn’t enough to save the Dream. Yet efficiency, not volume, determined the series. In Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, Reese became the youngest player in WNBA history to drop 30+ points and 15+ rebounds in a Finals game. She then followed it up with a 21-point, 12-rebound outing in Game 3, becoming the first player in league history to record a double-double in each of her first three career Finals games. The Dream were leading the Finals 2-1 at that point, and all seemed to go their way.
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However, they ended up losing 4-3 to the Valkyries, and Sophie Cunningham highlights one aspect of Reese’s game that she believes had a role to play in the series outcome. When Drew Hanlen pointed out that the reason Angel Reese was dominant in Games 2 and 3 of the WNBA Finals was that she made her layups and was efficient from the field, Cunningham agreed.
“[She was looking dominant] because she was making her layups…She was dominant because she was making these [layups],” Cunningham said on the No Hesitation podcast.
“She was killing it, and she was literally looking like the MVP because of the consistency of her making her layups. Like, she gets these shots all the time. She is tall. She is strong. Like, she gets, she gets these shots, but it’s just if the focus is there to finish the shots. And so, like that’s always been the name of the game for her. And I’m not saying anything; no one has been said,” Cunningham added.
Hanlen also pointed out that another aspect of Reese’s game hurt Atlanta, especially in transition.
“And a lot of times, the other thing that I noticed is when she misses these [layups], there are a lot of times when she is complaining at the ref; she got a couple technicals, a couple times where she just doesn’t get back in transition.
So I think that’s something that has to fuel her this summer, like, I have to make these layups. Like, I know I’m working hard on my three. I know I’m working hard to improve my free throw, but it comes down to layups because I get them. I just got to make them. They’re right there,” Hanlen said.
Indeed, Cunningham and Hanlen are not the only ones pointing out the gaps in Reese’s performances in the Finals, especially in the last four games.
Cunningham’s comments come after Dave Portnoy, who recently made some blunt remarks on Angel Reese, especially after seeing her conduct after Game Three of the Finals, where she was seen making a disrespectful gesture towards the Valkyries players and bench.
“Now, Angel Reese, she had a very famous moment. I believe it was game one [Game 3, actually; Portnoy corrects himself later] where she’s saying, ” You guys are bums; you’re this small, you can’t play with me, just going bananas.” And she had a monster game one [three], by the way; this game, this is when they took the two-one lead,” Portnoy said on the ‘Wake Up Barstool podcast.
“She is a very loud talker when things are going well… [People are] comparing Angel Reese to Hank Aaron….They’ve been on the team one year, and then the wheels fell off…”
“In the last three losses that they had, she didn’t show up at all. Not even a little bit, not even a tiny bit. So you didn’t go around, and she made the finals, congrats, but she lost them in the finals….You don’t have to be an Angel Reese hater to acknowledge it. She was a disaster in their losses, a total no-show.”
After dominant outings in Games 2 and 3, Reese failed to impact the game in her team’s favor as the Dream suffered the Finals defeat. In Game 4, Reese could only score eight points, going 2-for-12 from the field, and in Game 5, she managed just seven points, shooting 2-of-8 from the field. The Dream lost both of these games. Even in the deciding Game 7, Reese managed just eight points, on 3-of-7 shooting from the floor, and failed to make an impact on the game’s result.
While they may have lost this series, Reese still maintains a positive outlook on this Atlanta squad. And unlike Portnoy, Cunningham offered a direct, technical assessment of Reese’s performance rather than personal criticism. So not everyone’s taking aim at her.
Reese Still Hopeful About Atlanta Dream’s Future
Losing the Finals in a closely contested seven-game series is tough. Especially when you were leading 2-1 at one point. So while this season may not have ended the way Reese would have liked, she still has a positive outlook for her team’s future.
“Just because we didn’t win today doesn’t mean that we won’t be champions in the future,” Reese said.
“I’m really proud of the year that I had. I’ve done a lot of great things this year, but I wouldn’t be able to do it without this group. I love these girls.”
Reese finished the season as the league’s leading rebounder, averaging 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
However, with Reese recently announcing a six-month break, it remains to be seen how the next season will shape up for the Atlanta Dream. As none of Atlanta’s major players are out of contract this offseason, the Dream will look to make a deep run in the postseason once again next season. However, it remains to be seen what Reese’s involvement will be with the squad, given her recent announcement.
Fans will only hope that Reese can come out of her break stronger and ready to bring that elusive title home.
