Rolling Liberty set for toughest challenge yet as Dream will put their key advantage to test
ATLANTA — The Liberty’s road game against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday may be their biggest challenge of the season yet. The Dream have three presumed All-Stars in their starting lineup. Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA.Allisha Gray is one of the league’s most electric scorers, averaging a team-high 19.1 points.
Rhyne Howard is an elite two-way wing.And Angel Reese is a double-double machine who’s thrived in Atlanta after being traded out of Chicago.Over the past two weeks, the Liberty have started to look like the team many believed they would be.New York has rattled off five consecutive wins and sits atop the Commissioner’s Cup standings for the East.
The defense has improved as the group continues to build chemistry.But coach Chris DeMarco views the Dream as a “good test” for New York.“It’s a team that really knows their roles,” he said after practice Wednesday.“They do a really good job of playing together.”The Liberty have their work cut out for them. The Dream weaponize transition offense and punish opponents for the smallest mistakes, whether it be a missed shot or an ill-advised pass. The Dream attack with purpose.
Every defensive rebound becomes a potential fast-break opportunity.Every turnover becomes a chance for Atlanta to score before defenses can get set.The Dream lead the league in rebound rate and are second in the league in fast-break points, averaging 11.2 per game.
They’re also second in points off opponent turnovers, recording 18 per game. The Liberty average the fewest fast-break points per game in the league.But they haven’t faced a team quite as good in the open court as the Dream. The Liberty’s offense has to help their defense.“That’s gonna be huge for us,” Jonquel Jones said.
“[Transition offense is] where they really thrive, and so we just got to understand that they’re a team th...