It took the Atlanta Dream 13 years to get back to where they are today. As the only team in the league yet to suffer a loss in the postseason, Angel Reese and Co. have secured their place in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013. And to get there, Atlanta defeated the New York Liberty in their five-game semifinal series, taking down the very team Breanna Stewart led to a championship in 2024.

The Liberty fought to extend their postseason run at Barclays Center on Friday. And while, for a few seconds, it looked like they might just survive, Sabrina Ionescu committed a personal foul with 6.2 seconds left on the clock, sending DeWanna Bonner to the free-throw line. Bonner converted both shots to give Atlanta a four-point lead. So despite having home-court advantage, New York fell to the Dream, 85-83.

As Atlanta ends its semifinal run unbeaten, here are some standout moments from a game that will haunt Stewart and her teammates.

Tensions boil over in heated semifinal clash as Angel Reese gets into it with two Liberty stars

With two wins over the Liberty already, the Dream had no plans to let their foot off the gas on Friday. And that competitive fire was on full display as Atlanta eliminated New York from the playoffs.

But as the Dream secured their spot in the Finals, Reese found herself at the center of two heated exchanges that added even more drama to an already tense semifinal series.

The first came in the second quarter when Sabrina Ionescu was called for an offensive foul after making contact with Atlanta’s Isobel Borlase while setting a screen for her teammate, Marine Fauthoux. Reese immediately stepped in to defend Borlase and started exchanging words with Ionescu as players from both teams gathered around them. Rhyne Howard moved Reese away from the Liberty guard, while Jonquel Jones stepped between the players in an attempt to calm things down.

That exchange also drew criticism from the broadcast as one commentator argued that Reese’s reaction warranted a technical foul.

“That should be a T. That should be a T,” the broadcaster said, pointing to Reese’s continued verbal exchange with Ionescu after the whistle. And the tension did not end there.

Just minutes later, with possession of the ball with Atlanta, Angel Reese drove toward New York’s basket, only for Jonquel Jones to meet her at the rim and swat her shot out of bounds. This play led to a heated moment between both the stars as cameras caught them exchanging some words. However, this time, the officials assessed a double technical foul to both players.

This technical marked the second tech of the postseason for Reese and will cost her a $500 fine under WNBA rules. That also means the 24-year-old is now just two more postseason technical fouls away from receiving an automatic one-game suspension.

Still, it was Angel Reese and the Dream who had the final laugh.

Atlanta Dream make Angel Reese’s finals manifestation a reality

“Manifesting the Finals>>>” Reese wrote on X back in October 2025. Nearly a year later, the Dream forward has turned that wish into reality. So as the Dream completed a three-game sweep with an 85-83 win on Friday, the double-double Barbie made sure to remind everyone that this was exactly what she had envisioned.

“I manifested this,” she said after the game in an interview with ESPN. “When I came to Atlanta, I knew what I was getting. This team has poured so much into me – we pour so much into each other. I posted and tweeted 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.”

In a game where New York was desperately trying to secure a win, Reese and Rhyne Howard led the way with 22 and 21 points, respectively, as Atlanta looked to finish the job without Allisha Gray, who remained sidelined with a finger injury. Howard set the tone early with 11 points in the first quarter, while Reese added 10, including two three-pointers, to help Atlanta establish control.

New York, however, refused to let its season end quietly. After trailing by 12 early in the third quarter, the Liberty stormed back behind Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, taking a 68-66 lead into the fourth. However, Atlanta responded when it mattered most as they held New York without a basket for more than six minutes during a crucial stretch to rebuild their advantage late in the game.

The Liberty still had one final chance. After an Atlanta turnover left New York trailing 83-81 with 17.7 seconds remaining, Stewart missed a contested layup with nine seconds on the clock. Sabrina Ionescu then fouled DeWanna Bonner, who converted both free throws to seal the 85-83 victory.

As the game came to an end, ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou captured Breanna Stewart’s reaction as the Liberty star left the court with a towel around her head.

“Breanna Stewart left the floor at Barclays with a towel around her head. This is the first time in her career she has been swept in the WNBA playoffs.”

It is also worth noting that the Dream are now 13-0 this season when Angel Reese makes a three-pointer, as Atlanta remains unbeaten this postseason and is now four wins away from a championship.

Liberty stars address Chris DeMarco’s uncertain future after playoff exit

This season has been a turbulent one for the New York Liberty, and their playoff exit has now only intensified the scrutiny surrounding their head coach Chris DeMarco. The 2024 champions entered the season with hopes of making another deep run, but inconsistency and late-game mistakes ultimately caught up with them against the Atlanta Dream. So with New York’s season over, uncertainty has begun to surround DeMarco’s future with the franchise.

His job with the team came into question on Wednesday, when a massive blunder from the coach proved particularly costly. The Liberty failed to use their reset timeout in overtime, which forced Breanna Stewart to attempt a difficult 32-foot shot. Stewart missed that shot, and the Liberty fell 2-0 against the Dream.

Although the officials incorrectly told Stewart that New York had no timeouts remaining, the coaching staff still had a responsibility to track the situation and recognize the mistake in real time.

So mistakes like that have only added to the criticism surrounding DeMarco’s first season as a WNBA head coach, leaving questions about his future with the franchise. And those questions found their way to Stewart, Jones and Ionescu during their post-game interview.

The Liberty stars were asked whether they wanted him to return next season and while all three acknowledged that the decision was not theirs to make, Ionescu offered little certainty about what lies ahead.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said, as per Alexa Philippou.

Stewart, meanwhile, spoke at length about the season that got away. She pointed to the team’s inconsistency and the missed opportunity to build on its championship success, making it clear that the Liberty needed to be prepared from the opening tip rather than relying on their ability to find their rhythm later.

“This is not like cramming for a test. You gotta be ready to go from the jump,” Stewart said.

Now, whether these shortcomings ultimately affect DeMarco’s future remains to be seen, but there has been no clear indication from the franchise that it intends to part ways with him.

Angel Reese shares heartfelt message for her mother

As Atlanta celebrates a long-awaited return to the WNBA Finals, Reese had another reason to cherish the moment. The 24-year-old has spent the season helping Atlanta make history, but behind her success has been a mother who stood by her through the highs and the darkest moments of her journey.

So during her postgame interview, Reese took a moment to reflect on everything her mother has done for her, opening up about the sacrifices she made while raising Reese and her brother largely on her own.

“Being a single mom, raising me and my brother kind of by herself. Our grandparents were very helpful, but she did a lot of work on her own, and for me to repay her by living through her, living through me and being able to just support me and show up, that’s all I ask for,” Angel Reese said. “Support me, show up, and love me, and I’ll give you the world. That’s just her. That’s just who she is. She’s not very hard on me, but she’s very loving, and she’s very caring.”

“She’s really proud because she know the dark moments that I’ve been through. I can pick up the phone at 3:00 in the morning, call her crying, and she’s just been there for me. And I’m just so thankful to have a mom like that. That’s just constantly just being there for me, and I don’t take it for granted.”

This heartfelt message offers a glimpse into the support system behind Reese as a clip of her hugging her mom after the game on Friday makes the rounds on the internet.

Atlanta will now face the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals, with Reese and her teammates four wins away from bringing the franchise its first championship.