WNBA playoffs results, takeaways: Dream ‘old head’ leads them to semifinals for 1st time since 2018

The hardest game in any series is the close-out game, and it’s the one this current Atlanta Dream core hadn’t yet figured out how to win.

Facing a boisterous Washington Mystics home crowd and dealing with a tight whistle and foul trouble for Rhyne Howard and Angel Reese, the conditions were ripe for an upset by the lower seed to send the best-of-three series back to Atlanta. Instead, with the minutes of two All-Stars limited, the Dream turned to a third. The old head of the group Allisha Gray was the steadying force Atlanta needed to keep Washington at bay and lead the Dream to the semifinals for the first time since 2018 with a 93-75 first-round WNBA playoff win.

Gray, a 31-year-old playing her 10th season, finished with a team-high 22 assists and four steals, adding three assists compared to one turnover. Atlanta built an early lead, and every time the Mystics cut into the margin, Gray was there to stem the tide.

She was automatic off of offensive rebounds, attacking the compromised Mystics’ defense on the resets. She scored from distance, making three 3s, had her jumper going from the midrange, and was able to consistently get to the rim. It sometimes felt as if the Mystics forgot she was left-handed, as Gray kept getting to her strong hand on her drives to the basket.

Washington closed the deficit to one possession at 65-62 in the fourth quarter. From there, Gray had her fingerprints all over a 13-0 run to re-establish control. She drew two defenders on a two-player action with Naz Hillmon and fed the open Hillmon for a layup. She stole the ball from Kiki Iriafen on the next possession and spearheaded the transition offense and then drew a charge on Sonia Citron, leading to a Rhyne Howard jumper.

It was hard for either team to establish a rhythm in a game that featured 53 fouls, but Gray was poised and able to execute throughout. Three straight years of losing in the first round has given the Dream the knowledge of what it takes to succeed in this environment. They finally had the experience to pull through.

The victory positions them against the No. 8 seed New York Liberty, whom they’ll host on Sunday.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, WNBA

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