The Atlanta Dream had been in some quality form in the regular season. After suffering a mid-season crisis, the Dream played like a champion outfit. One man who made the most contribution in transforming the squad was head coach Karl Smesko. After the Dream surged to the top three, Smesko stressed that the team must find consistency. Likewise, coming to the playoffs, Dream was the hot favorite against the Indiana Fever.
And much to the expectations, the Dream did cruise to victory in Game 1. Unfortunately, things took a drastic turn once the team arrived at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Losing the game in an unexpected manner, Smesko recently had some defiant statements to make.
Karl Smesko Believes Atlanta Dream Can Turn Things Around
Facing the Fever in Game 2 was a very tight game. With end-to-end action flowing, things looked utterly competitive for the Dream. As the likes of Lexie Hull and co. reigned supreme, Atlanta fell to a shock defeat with the stat line reading, 77-60. Coming to the post-game presser, the Dream’s head coach was questioned a lot. But he remained calm, praised Stephanie White’s team, and also exuded confidence in his squad.
“I give Indiana a lot of credit. We knew they’d come out, be competitive. They’ve been resilient all year, and they were very good today. They made us pay for our mistakes. I got a lot of confidence in this team. I truly believe we’ll play our best game of the series next game,” Smesko said.
Surely, the loss would hurt the team dearly. After a fine regular season run, the Dream had the opportunity to close things out in Game 2. While that did not happen, Atlanta will have to put their best foot forward as it gears up for Game 3. Meanwhile, speaking about the Dream’s head coach, he has had a fine run thus far. Putting his faith in his players, Smesko recently praised Brittney Griner’s return from injury. Meanwhile, as the playoffs came near, Smesko pointed out one secret ingredient behind the team’s sudden upgrade.
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Karl Smesko Shares Recipe For The Atlanta Dream Upgrade
The Dream clinched a number 3 seed in the playoffs. Thanks to their 30-14 record in the regular season, the team has been cited as a champion prospect. Looking at all the rosy vibes, it is certain that Smesko is a very happy man at the moment. Ahead of the playoffs, the Dream’s head coach was asked about what made Atlanta transform drastically mid-season. And Smesko’s answer was pretty simple. He said that his team had a bond of mutual trust between the coach and the players.
“I think there just needed to be some trust developed between coaches and players. They’re always wanting to know, are you going to be consistent, are you going to follow through with this? Is this really what you want?” said Smesko.
Surely, the formula seems to work for Atlanta. And as they stand at a crucial point in the league, once again, it is the players’ talent and mutual trust that might just do the trick.