Atlanta Dream\u00a0<\/p>\n
While not my first pick at the beginning of the season, the Atlanta Dream have compiled a compelling resume throughout the 2026 season. The addition of star rebounder and newly-crowned Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese, acquired through a trade deal with the Chicago Sky back in April, only strengthened an already powerful squad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, the Dream have a chance to take home their first-ever championship. They were one of only two teams to sweep their opponent in the first round of the playoffs, eliminating the Washington Mystics on Sept. 30 to earn a semifinals bid against the New York Liberty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Dream entered the series against the Liberty matchup on a seven-game winning streak, including two wins against the latter on Sept. 21 and Sept. 23. Atlanta also heads into the game with a well-rounded lineup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reese led the league in rebounds throughout the regular season, tallying 12.1 boards per game and 1.8 steals per game, showcasing her defensive prowess. Teammates Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray have the ability to be lethal threats on offense, being a combined five-for-nine from downtown during the Dream\u2019s final outing against the Mystics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Point guard Jordin Canada has also earned her laurels in the 2026 season, being a threat who can not only score, but also dish out upwards of seven assists on any given night, helping feed her teammates the ball. This talent was evident in both games against Washington, where Canada dished out 10 and 11 assists, respectively, earning a double-double in both games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the Dream dropped their playoff series against the Indiana Fever in 2025, 2-1, the 2026 squad is looking at more favorable matchups, with a chip on their shoulder to boot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Reese can continue to grab every rebound that flies in her general vicinity and Howard, Gray, and Canada can keep up a good tempo on offense, there\u2019s no reason why this team shouldn\u2019t give any opponent a run for their money, especially in a season where anything can happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Besides, seeing a team like the Atlanta Dream triumph and hoist the championship trophy for the first time in their 18-year history would be a cool experience. If this team can muster up a few more gritty wins, it just might happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Las Vegas Aces<\/p>\n
Since Becky Hammon became the head coach for the Aces during the 2022 season, she has shown time and time again that she knows how to coach a winning team. Within a year of her hiring, she took the team to their first WNBA championship. Then she did it again in 2023 and 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Aces know how to win, even when they may not have the most dominant season. Prior to their first semifinal game against the Golden State Valkyries this year, they sat at a 31-13 record, third in the WNBA, just behind the latter. While the Aces\u2019 record has decreased in recent years from their dominant 2023 season, when they lost only 6 games, a downward season for the Aces is many teams\u2019 dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u2019ja Wilson, three-time WNBA MVP award winner and frontrunner for the honor in 2026, heads the star-studded team. Wilson is undeniably one of the best players in the league, holding the league record for points scored in a game. Throughout the three-game series against the Fever, Wilson averaged 31 points per game and totaled 6 blocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wilson is not the only offensive standout on the team. Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray are also consistently ranked as some of the best offensive performers in the league. Mix that all together, and you have a recipe for a championship team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coming from Iowa, we know defense wins games. Wilson has also been praised for her ability to defensively lock down a team. The center averages 11.7 rebounds per game and consistently leads the league in blocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Aces and Valkyries set at a 3-0 record this season. But with NaLyssa Smith out, the Aces will have to fight harder in the next few games than they have before, but if Gray and Young can continue their strong offensive presence, as they have, there is no doubt they can bring their team to a fourth title in five years, especially if their offense remains paired with the defensive prowess of Wilson.<\/p>\n
Back-to-back championships by some of the league\u2019s most iconic players is the perfect storyline; the Aces are ready to be the stars. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Atlanta Dream\u00a0 While not my first pick at the beginning of the season, the Atlanta Dream have compiled…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":873602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-873601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=873601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/873602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=873601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=873601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=873601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}