The Atlanta Dream may have fallen one game short of their first WNBA championship, but their Finals defeat could prove to be the beginning of something bigger. After pushing the Golden State Valkyries to the first Game 7 in WNBA history, the Dream have a foundation to build upon, and according to one ESPN veteran, the team could have enough fuel to make another title run next season.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Surj”I’d put Atlanta as the odds-on favorite to win next year,” ESPN anchor Cindy Brunson said during an appearance on the Her Hoop Stats podcast.
“Now they’ve had a taste. They know what it’s like. They know they’re gonna have [State Farm] Arena behind them… They packed it, even in the middle of the day, matinee. We’re here, 10 toes down… That whole deal of having a big that can dominate in the post might prove problematic for Golden State down the road. I really like Atlanta to use this as one of those moments. We’re not gonna be the Buffalo Bills, right? We’ve been to the finals four times, and we have come up empty. I see them putting this as mission one. We’re gonna win this thing in [2027].”
To Brunson’s point, the Dream saw massive support from the city during the postseason. The Dream, who usually play at Gateway Center Arena, moved their playoff home games to State Farm Arena after seeing massive demand that their 3,500-seat home venue just couldn’t fulfill.
There was some precedent for the postseason interest in Atlanta. The Dream had sold out five of their six regular-season games at State Farm Arena, and it repeated in the playoffs. The team sold out every single playoff home game, including the contentious Game 6 of the Finals.
Due to a scheduling conflict with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks that ran until days before the game took place, Game 6 was scheduled for 12:30 pm ET on a Thursday. According to a report by CBS News, the game saw more than 17,000 fans in the stands, with more than 10,000 tickets sold within the first hour and a half of availability.
What makes this stand out is the fact that Atlanta is set to play all 25 of their regular season games at State Farm Arena next season, which gives them a chance to build upon the support they experienced during their postseason run.
This was Atlanta’s fourth appearance in the WNBA Finals, with them being swept in each of their series in 2010, 2011, and 2013.
The Dream also have the motivation of knowing just how close they came. After all the back-and-forths in Game 7, including a Gabby Williams takeover in the second half, the Dream only lost by five points. That resilience has Brunson convinced that this group can return stronger.
Brunson is also not counting on Golden State to repeat. She explained that the Valkyries’ lack of size could become a problem against a team with dominant bigs, and cited Atlanta rookie Madina Okot, who will enter her second season in 2027, as a key factor for the Dream to swing the matchup in their favor against Golden State.
Within the organization, there is a belief that they can return to the Finals next season. Both Angel Reese and Jordin Canada expressed that sentiment in their postgame interviews following Game 7.
“It’s tough, especially with a good group, a great group, that I’ve honestly been a head on it to battle with all year,” Reese said.
“They changed my life, and I’m just so grateful for them. It is tough in the moment, but we’ll be back. I always say delayed, not denied, and this is only year three. They got a lot more years left, too. But I’m just really grateful that I got to go to war with this group, and I would do it again, all over again.”
Only time will tell if Brunson’s prediction comes true, but one thing is clear: next season, the Atlanta Dream will be looking to finish the job.