At the end of August, the Atlanta Dream had won five of six games, including four on the road, and were closing in on hosting the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Within two weeks they beat defending champion Las Vegas and top-seeded Minnesota, with star Angel Reese recording her single-season record 29th double-double. They looked like one of the league's best teams, then the season paused for 17 days for the FIBA World Cup.
Reese and teammate Rhyne Howard headed overseas to compete for Team USA, while Atlanta reserves Isobel Borlase and Sika Kone made their way to Berlin. The rest of the roster met up in Boca Raton, Florida, about 45 miles north of Miami, for a mini training camp during the second weekend of the break. The Dream returned to win 10 of 11 games since the break, including Monday's Game 2 victory that tied the best-of-seven WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries.
The trip was far from a vacation. The team held some of its most intense practices of the season at Florida Atlantic University, scrimmaged against male practice players, and held daily film sessions focused on the defensive principles that made them one of the league's best units. With Howard and Reese abroad, other players stepped up and got more playing time.
Veteran De Wanna Bonner, a 17-year veteran who joined Atlanta on Aug. 27 after a contract buyout with the Phoenix Mercury, used the camp to integrate into the team and learn coach Karl Smesko's system. Te-Hina Paopao said the trip brought the group closer, and Bonner added that the team has been locked in since.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing