SAN FRANCISCO -- Angel Reese has said throughout the playoffs that her third season has been the most enjoyable and fulfilling of her WNBA career. That assessment didn't change after the Atlanta Dream lost to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday.
"This is the most fun I've had with a group. It's the most competitive team I've been part of," Reese said after the Dream's 68-63 loss at Chase Center. "And just because we didn't win today doesn't mean that we won't be champions in the future."
Reese, who was drafted by the Chicago Sky in 2024 and spent her first two seasons in the Windy City, was traded to Atlanta in April. She reached the playoffs for the first time this year and made the most of it, coming within one win of a title.
What Reese said about the future makes sense: Atlanta has all of its current starters signed for next season. Though the Dream might look to increase their depth, Reese said she feels very good about the talent in Atlanta and the way she thinks she improved under coach Karl Smesko.
"When individually you get better in the offseason, you get better collectively, and you can see that Karl puts a lot of work in," Reese said. "I'm sure he's going to see all of us this offseason, and I'm honestly looking forward to another year under Karl and his development and his system."
Saturday wasn't the best statistical night for Reese or Rhyne Howard, who, along with Allisha Gray, were the Dream's top three scorers this season. Reese was 3-of-7 from the field, finishing with eight points, while Howard was 3-of-14, including 0-of-7 from behind the arc, for six points. Gray had 16 points but was 5-of-16 from the field. Point guard Jordin Canada had the best night for Atlanta, with 18 points and five assists.
In all of their Finals losses, the Dream were held to fewer than 65 points, a big change for a team that averaged 91.3 points during the regular season. Atlanta's point totals and shooting percentage in its Finals losses tell the story: 64 points on 33% shooting in Game 1, 62 points on 33% shooting in Game 4, 55 points on 29% shooting in Game 5 and 63 points on 38% shooting in Game 7.
Contrast that with their three victories: 79 points on 34% shooting in Game 2, 97 points on 49% shooting in Game 3 and 80 points on 44% shooting in Game 6. The Dream were particularly effective in the first half of Game 6 in Atlanta on Thursday, when they looked the most like their regular-season selves on offense.
"When you're playing a great defensive team and it's just a lot of isolation, rather than working together to create shots, it just never worked for us in the series," Smesko said. "That was probably our biggest weakness in the series. I really thought after Game 6, especially that first half and how we were playing offensively, that it would carry over to today. There really were just too many empty possessions."
Combine that with an amazing night by Golden State's Gabby Williams, who had 30 points, and the Dream fell short.
This was the Dream's fourth appearance in the WNBA Finals. They were swept in the first three -- 2010, 2011 and 2013 -- but this year, Smesko's second with the organization, they came close to bringing a championship to Atlanta.
Next season, the Dream will play all their home games at State Farm Arena after making their home base at the much smaller Gateway Center Arena since 2021. The franchise, which began in 2008, had played at State Farm before that, and now the arena really appears to be the right size for them. They held all of their playoff games there this season.
The team's success and the individual popularity of Reese have elevated the franchise enormously.
"I'm really proud of the year that I had," Reese said. "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. I love the coaches. I think it also sucks because our fan base back home poured into us so much this year, and we really wanted to do it for them. But we're forever grateful, and like I said, we'll be back."