Nia Coffey #12 of the Atlanta Dream shoots the ball during the game against the Las Vegas Aces on August 1, 2023 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)

Who to root for, what games to watch, and homecourt advantage on the line 

By W.G. Ramirez 

It’s been five years since the Atlanta Dream made the playoffs and in the home stretch of the 2023 campaign, the Dream (15-13) are playing for more than just making the postseason. 

By padding the win column over its final 12 games, and getting some help along the way, Atlanta’s passionate and loyal fan base has a chance to see its team host at least one series. 

While the league’s top three teams – Las Vegas (25-3), New York (22-6) and Connecticut (21-7) – might be hard to catch, the Dream are in a battle for the WNBA’s fourth seed, which has outsized value over the fifth seed. 

The top four teams host a best-of-three series in the opening round, and Atlanta heads into Thursday night’s matchup in Seattle sitting fourth overall in the WNBA standings. But just barely. Dallas, Minnesota and Washington are all within two games of the Dream.  

It would certainly benefit the Dream to open with two games in Atlanta, where they recently hosted their 10th sellout of the season. It was the fourth consecutive sellout for Atlanta, where the Dream have become accustomed to performing in front of an electric atmosphere that can be quite alarming for their guests. 

The Dream, who have won eight of 14 at home and outscored their guests 84.9 – 83.6 there, will play six of their 12 remaining games in Atlanta. Along the way, they’ll host four of the aforementioned contenders. They’ll also visit three of them. 

“We just have to take it one day at a time, making sure that we understand what our game plan is and make sure that we’re very consistent with what we bring to each game,” Nia Coffey said. “I think if we stay focused on what our goals are for that day, that’s what really keeps us grounded” 

Sitting fifth is Dallas (15-14), which is in hot pursuit just one-half game back from the Dream. Surprisingly, Minnesota (14-15) has shrugged off a 4-9 start by winning 10 of 16 and are charging hard in sixth place, just one and one-half games behind the Dream. 

Minnesota and Dallas play one another two more times, while the Dream visit the Lynx in Minneapolis on Sept. 1, and close out their season by hosting the Wings on Sept. 10. 

Behind Minnesota sit Washington (13-15), Chicago (12-16) and Los Angeles (11-18), all three of whom the Dream play in the final weeks of the season. 

Fortunately for the Dream, they have a collective 13-7 record against the nine teams they’ll face over the last 12 games this season – 6 of which they have winning records: Seattle (1-0), Los Angeles (2-0), Chicago (3-0), Indiana (2-1), Minnesota (2-0) and Washington (2-1). 

Atlanta is 1-1 against Phoenix and has yet to beat Las Vegas (0-2) or Dallas (0-2). 

DREAM GAME TO WATCH: Several remaining games stand out for Atlanta, such as Saturday in Los Angeles, which is the first of back-to-back days, before playing in Las Vegas on Sunday. A lookahead could prove costly. But there may be none more important by the time Sept. 1 rolls around when the Dream visit surging Minnesota. The Lynx will be coming off their back-to-back games against Dallas, a home game vs. the Liberty, and a trip to Washington before hosting the Dream. And if the Lynx are still hanging around, this could be a chance for Atlanta to serve a knockout punch. 

OTHER GAMES TO WATCH: It’s the back-to-back between Minnesota and Dallas on Aug. 22 and 24 that appears to be crucial for the Dream. A split would be ideal, as neither the Lynx nor the Wings would gain anything from the two games. They would help cancel one another out around the same time the Dream are in the midst of a three-game homestand against Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. 

PLAYER TO WATCH: Everyone is familiar with what the Dream have in All-Stars Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Cheyenne Parker. In addition, Nia Coffey’s contributions speak for themselves, at both ends of the floor. But Aari McDonald’s presence since returning to the lineup has been, and will be important, for the Dream in the home stretch. In her first five games of the season, McDonald averaged 6.0 points per game. Since returning on July 20, she has provided an uptick in production with 8.0 ppg. She ranks fourth on the team this season with 7.2 ppg. and is tied for third with 3.0 assists per game. 

But for a team loaded with role players, it’s more than stats that have become important when it comes to McDonald’s presence on the floor. 

“It’s just her energy and just her activity,” Coffey said “It’s very distracting, and that really helps too because since she’s defending that point guard position, they’re supposed to be leading their team and getting to their spots and getting the ball to the right people at the right time, and the right spaces. And she pushes people off of their mark, she slows people down, so it really junks up their offense, so her intensity and her activity is super important for our defense.”