Dream Take Control: Atlanta Stops Liberty's Momentum in Game 1

The New York Liberty made history in the opening round.

The Atlanta Dream weren't impressed.

Atlanta opened the WNBA semifinals with a 92-82 victory over New York on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series and delivering an immediate response to the Cinderella story that had captured the postseason.

New York entered Atlanta riding high after becoming the first No. 8 seed in WNBA history to eliminate a No. 1 seed.

But the Dream presented a different challenge.

And one quarter changed everything.

Atlanta Takes Over After Halftime

New York led 40-37 at halftime.

Then Atlanta exploded.

The Dream outscored the Liberty 32-15 in the third quarter, transforming a three-point halftime deficit into control of Game 1.

New York had handled nearly everything Minnesota threw at it in the opening round.

Atlanta found something different.

Pressure.

The Dream forced New York into uncomfortable possessions, attacked mistakes and prevented the Liberty from establishing the same rhythm that helped produce their historic first-round sweep.

By the time New York attempted to respond, Atlanta had already changed the game.

Atlanta Wins Without Allisha Gray

The victory becomes even more impressive considering what happened before halftime.

Allisha Gray left the game after suffering a left-hand injury and did not return.

Losing one of its leading scorers in the opening game of a semifinal series could have changed everything for Atlanta.

Instead, the Dream got stronger.

DeWanna Bonner and Jordin Canada combined for 48 points, providing the offensive production Atlanta desperately needed after Gray went to the locker room.

Rather than allowing the injury to derail the afternoon, Atlanta responded with its best quarter of the game immediately after halftime.

That's the type of response championship contenders need in October.

Gray's status now becomes one of the biggest questions surrounding the series.

But Atlanta already proved it can survive adversity.

Sabrina Scores, But New York Can't Find Enough

Sabrina Ionescu did her part.

She finished with 27 points, giving New York the type of scoring performance it needed from one of its stars.

It wasn't enough.

The Liberty couldn't consistently overcome Atlanta's pressure or match the Dream's second-half offensive surge.

That's a significant change from the opening round.

Against Minnesota, New York dictated the series.

The Liberty won both games convincingly and turned the No. 1 seed into the first major casualty of the postseason.

Atlanta wasn't interested in becoming the next chapter.

The Dream entered the semifinals having won two of three regular-season meetings against New York.

Game 1 looked like a team that understood exactly how it wanted to attack the matchup.

Cinderella Isn't Over — But Atlanta Has Control

New York's postseason run isn't finished.

This is a best-of-five series.

One loss doesn't erase what the Liberty accomplished against Minnesota, and it certainly doesn't eliminate a roster featuring Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Ionescu.

But Game 1 changed the conversation.

After the first round, everyone was asking how far the No. 8 seed could take this.

Atlanta provided the first answer.

Not without a fight.

The Dream are attempting to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013, and Sunday's performance showed why Atlanta earned home-court advantage in this matchup.

Even without Gray for the second half, the Dream didn't retreat.

They attacked.

Game 2 Just Became Bigger

New York has already shown it can handle postseason pressure.

Now it has to show it can respond to a postseason punch.

Atlanta leads 1-0.

Game 2 remains in Atlanta.

And suddenly, the Liberty face something they never experienced against Minnesota: playing from behind in a playoff series.

The Cinderella story isn't finished.

But for the first time this postseason, someone else is controlling the dance.

The Dream have the lead.

Now New York has to answer.