The Atlanta Dream have matched their record from this point last season, being at 12-9 through their first 21 games. Questions have now begun to surface about whether the Dream are truly making progress despite an improved roster and significantly higher expectations heading into this season.

Head coach Karl Smesko, however, does not believe the current record tells the full story. While admitting that one particular trend has been “really frustrating” losing to the Golden State Valkyries three times this season, set against the backdrop of a troubling five-game losing streak, he remains firm in his belief that this team is better than the results currently suggest. 

“I really don’t think there’s a huge difference,” he said in the postgame press conference following the Valkyries game, as seen in a post shared by sports reporter Wilton C. Jackson. “I think we have a really good team this year. We’re on the wrong side of a streak here. Obviously, we’re disappointed that Golden State got us three times. That’s really frustrating. We definitely wanted to get one tonight, but you know they’re a really good team, and you have to go beat them.”

The Dream’s most recent game ended in an 88-83 loss to the Valkyries. For coach Karl Smesko, the major inhibiting factor that cost them the game was a combination of giving too much away and missing a good percentage of open shots. It’s a trend that has become the defining problem of this losing run. But it is something he believes the team is capable of correcting before the All-Star break. 

“We just haven’t been able to overcome it against the really good teams,” he said. “So we’ll get back to work. We got five games until the All-Star break. I expect us to play really well.”

Their next game is against the Seattle Storm. A win would not only end the five-game losing streak, but it would also provide the kind of momentum reset this team clearly needs right now.

Karl Smesko says Atlanta Dream’s losing streak isn’t drastic, believes one hot shooting night can spark turnaround

For coach Karl Smesko, navigating this five-game losing run is not yet a cause for panic. In his assessment, the margins have been small, minor details here and there that have tilted results against them, even while the team has been playing with genuine effort and quality. 

“I don’t think it’s like anything drastic,” he said. “It’s just a play here, a play there, a call here, a call there. There’s a big difference if you’re up in the last minute where they got to foul you as opposed to being down two and suddenly you got to foul them or whatever the situation may be.

“But we’re playing really hard. Unfortunately, we’re not shooting it very well. I think that’s taken its toll a little bit, but I think we’ve got a good chance here.”

For Smesko, the turnaround to fix this losing slide does not even require any dramatic overhaul. All it needs is just one game. 

Hopefully, that one game is their next one against the Seattle Storm. The streak has to end somewhere. And for the Dream, sooner is considerably better than later.