The Dream’s Finals loss sparked something beyond typical postseason criticism. A heartbreaking defeat often leaves the entire locker room searching for answers, but for the Atlanta Dream, the aftermath of their Game 7 loss to the Golden State Valkyries extended beyond the final buzzer. The Dream’s historic run ended in the WNBA Finals, but online harassment directed at players has given one Dream player a reason to speak up.
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“My first time back on here since playoffs started and sad to say that nothing has changed,” Jordin Canada wrote on Threads.
“Talk about heartless, rude, insensitive, etc… majority of you need to look yourselves in the mirror fr. It blows my mind that as fans yall CHOOSE to say the hurtful and cruel things out loud and on here… Thank God I know GOD and peace 🤞🏾.”
Canada’s words come after an emotionally charged Finals series for the Dream. She led the team in scoring for Game 7, finishing the contest with 18 points but struggling with efficiency, hitting just six of her 15 shots. She also logged five assists and two steals. The Dream as a whole shot poorly in Game 7, making only a third of their shots and only six of their 30 threes.
Despite all of that, they were close to winning it all. Atlanta entered the half with a six-point lead and looked like they were in control of the series decider. However, Gabby Williams owned the second half, logging 28 points in that period and hitting big shots to help Golden State secure their first championship in franchise history, earning Finals MVP honors.
Online reaction to the Dream’s postseason didn’t stop with the final result. Angel Reese received major criticism throughout the series for her exchanges with the Valkyries’ bench, culminating in a moment when she threw a ‘too short’ gesture at Golden State’s Amanita Gueye during Game 3. Those moments resurfaced after Golden State won the title.
Reese, meanwhile, was visibly emotional when she addressed the media after Game 7. The forward, who logged eight points and 12 rebounds, focused on her teammates and the experience instead of the result.
“They changed my life, and I’m just so grateful for them, and I’m so thankful for them,” she said.
“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.”
Canada was sitting next to Reese on the podium in that moment, and seeing the online pushback against her teammate must have played a part in her current comments.
Canada herself expressed belief that the group would be able to return to the Finals in the future.
“Nobody wanted us here, and we got here on our own, as a team, as a unit, and everybody that’s in that locker room, we have been saying that’s all we need,” she said.
“We didn’t get the end result that we wanted, but at the end of the day, what’s delayed is not denied, and I do believe this team will be back for years to come… We’re going to reflect, obviously. Everybody is going to take their time to reflect on the game, but at the end of the day, we battled. We fought, and we did everything that we could.”
This is not the first time Canada has publicly called out the fanbase for their negativity and comments. Back on August 21, just after the Dream beat the Los Angeles Sparks 124-88, Canada took to Threads to speak about the criticism levied against her in a game where she managed to score just nine points.
“Everyday I come on here and I see the nonsense that yall spread. Normally, I keep to myself and let yall have it but today I just gotta say….yall really some clowns and it shows. 🤡”
Canada’s latest post adds a new perspective to the Dream’s difficult night. While the players will eventually turn their attention towards what comes next for them, her post is a reminder that the criticism of a team’s performance doesn’t have to become personal attacks on the people on the hardwood.