The New York Liberty seems to have lost the plot right at the business end of the league. While they were a constant at the number two position, New York has now slipped down to the fifth. And with Sandy Brondello sharing some ‘doubtful’ Breanna Stewart news, the Liberty are at risk of slumping further. And one of the main reasons for Liberty’s slump has been the Atlanta Dreams’ meteoric rise.
Squaring off recently against the Liberty, the Atlanta-based franchise secured a 78-62 victory. And with it, they have taken Liberty’s second spot on the table as well. Meanwhile, much to their fans’ elation, the Dream also established a new franchise record.
Atlanta Dream Getting Their Fans’ Dreams Up This Season
Dream has been in some phenomenal form this season. With their current win over the Liberty, they now have 24 wins to their name. And this is quite a special achievement for the team. Atlanta have now set the franchise record for registering the maximum number of wins in a single season. However, as the team celebrated, the race for who will be the Coach of the Year this season has intensified.
Surely, with Atlanta performing like a probable championship contender, a lot of credit goes to head coach Karl Smesko. What is more impressive about his coaching is that Smesko is coaching in the WNBA for the first time this year. In his first go, the Dream’s head coach has managed to lead his team to a top seed.
Naz Hillmon says she doesn't feel enough noise has been made about Karl Smesko for Coach of the Year. pic.twitter.com/SKXi0WHifK
— No Cap Space WBB (@NoCapSpaceWBB) August 23, 2025
And that’s not all. Under the supervision of Smesko, the likes of Allisha Gray are having the best years of their career. However, despite Smesko’s impressive CV, Natalie Nakase is another coach who will be a close contender for the award. Nakase has taken full ownership of her work. While she has highlighted the ongoing WNBA officiating issues, she has also made sure that her team stays right on track. And much like the Atlanta head coach, Nakase is a first-timer in the WNBA and is making the race for the award quite interesting. Meanwhile, after reaching the top three, Smesko does not want things to get out of control.
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Karl Smesko Urges Atlanta Dream To Keep The Focus Intact
This year, more than 50% of the franchises appointed new head coaches. While everybody wanted to make a mark, Smesko was a rarity who excelled in his first year. The team has gone through a roller coaster season so far. After the initial 11 games, Dream emerged as a strong defensive side. Owing to their fine run, they entered the top three.
Unfortunately, things did not go well afterwards. The team lost the plot and had a slump mid-way. But that is when Smesko put stress on the offense and got Atlanta up and running once again. However, now that they are in the top three again, Smesko does not want any further mishaps.
Speaking about the same recently, the Atlanta head coach said, “Well, hopefully the fan base sounds like they’re enjoying themselves. So, you know, hopefully we can keep it going and keep getting better. I think most people can see that, when we have it really going, we’re a top-level team in the league. But the thing is, to be able to do that consistently is the next step. Like, and that’s really the challenge because these games come up so fast,” Smesko said. Surely, a lot of things seem to be going right for the franchise. Now, it remains to be seen how well they can carry forward their fine form.