Angel Reese helped the Atlanta Dream secure their first WNBA Finals berth since 2013 by delivering a 22-point, nine-rebound performance in an 85-83 Game 3 victory over the New York Liberty on October 9. The win completed a three-game sweep in the best-of-five semifinal series, sending the Dream to the championship round for the first time in 13 years.
This marks Reese’s first WNBA postseason appearance after being traded to Atlanta in April from the Chicago Sky. Despite her rookie playoff status, Reese showed poise and determination throughout the series. Nearly a year earlier, on October 11, 2025, she had tweeted “Manifesting the finals,” and after Friday’s win, she acknowledged the moment with emotion. “I manifested this. When I came to Atlanta, I knew that I was getting,” Reese said. “This team has poured so much into me. We poured so much into each other. I posted and tweeted (on) 10/10/25 that I was manifesting the Finals and this is my moment. I'm supposed to be here. I thank God for this moment. And I'm just so thankful.”
Reese’s stat line in the decisive game included 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting, six free throws made without a miss, three assists, two blocks, and one steal across 37 minutes. Her contributions came despite the Dream missing Allisha Gray for the second straight playoff game due to a finger injury. Atlanta received scoring from multiple players, with Rhyne Howard adding 21 points, including four 3-pointers, along with two rebounds, one block, and one steal. Howard said of Reese, “We brought in Angel (Reese), dog. We're going to follow her. She's going to follow us. Having her has helped us get to this point. And so obviously she's been our anchor. She's been the one that's bringing that fight out in us, but we've got her as far as experience goes.”
Across the 2026 postseason, Reese has averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. During the regular season, she set WNBA single-season records for most rebounds (521) and double-doubles (32). Her journey to the Finals contrasts with watching from home just a year earlier. Reese recalled watching the 2025 Finals Game 4 between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces, a game that completed the Aces’ sweep. “I've sat at home for the last two years and watched it,” she said. “I kept saying… 'Just give me one game in the playoffs. Give me one game in the playoffs.' And having an opportunity to come to Atlanta, them wanting me in Atlanta and being able to push me every day to help me get to this very moment, it's really a shout out to them.”
Reese’s college background includes leading LSU to its first national championship in 2023. She has championship experience but the WNBA Finals remain new territory. “I belong here,” she said. “I wanted to help this team and do whatever it takes, not just to get out of the first round, not just to get out of the semis, but to make it to the Finals and win a championship. The job is not done.”
Veteran leadership on the Dream includes two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner, who posted 13 points and 13 rebounds in Game 3 and holds the record for most playoff games played in league history. Jordin Canada, also a two-time champion, recorded 19 points and 11 assists with no turnovers. Reese described the advice Bonner and Canada have shared. “One thing about DB, she keeps it real and she keeps us humble,” Reese said. “And you need that in the locker room, especially for myself, this is my first time ever going to the finals and we were all happy. And then she was like, 'Y'all, I've been to the Finals and got swept before. You can't get too high.' And I'm like, 'Wait, but this is my first time.' But you need that. You need those tough conversations in the locker room because we aren't satisfied. We want more.”
Canada added, “The biggest thing is you can't get too high, get too low in this moment. You have to stay level and stay steady and we have to manage our emotions.”
Tensions flared in the second quarter of Game 3 when Reese and Liberty forward Jonquel Jones received offsetting technical fouls after a physical exchange. Reese was denied at the basket, then pushed by Jones as momentum carried her out of bounds. The two exchanged words before being separated. Reese acknowledged the moment. “I have my highs and my lows. It'll definitely get to a moment like that where I'm on my high and then I'll come to the bench and be like, 'Manage our emotions,' and the team is looking like, 'You saying that?' So that was one of those moments right there.”
The technical marked Reese’s second of the postseason, placing her two fouls away from an automatic one-game suspension under WNBA rules. A player receives a one-game suspension upon their fourth technical foul in the playoffs, with fines and further suspensions for additional fouls.
The Dream now await their Finals opponent after advancing from the semis for the first time since 2013. Reese’s promise to help Atlanta contend for a championship moves the franchise into uncharted territory after more than a decade.
According to Yahoo Sports.
