The Atlanta Dream have clinched the No. 2 seed in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs. The Dream, who finished the regular season with a franchise record 23 wins, will enjoy a double-bye into the Semifinals and will start play with Game 1 Sunday, August 26 at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Atlanta picked up a franchise-best 10th road win of the season in its win against the Las Vegas Aces Sunday. Tickets for the Atlanta Dream’s 2018 Playoff home games are on sale now. Fans can call 877-977-7729 or visit www.atlantadream.net to purchase tickets.
This season marks the third year of the current WNBA playoff format, as the top-eight teams in the league, regardless of conference, qualify. The first two rounds consist of single-elimination games, while the semifinals (Seattle vs. TBD, Atlanta vs. TBD) and WNBA Finals are best-of-five series. The top two teams in the league receive first and second-round byes, while the third and fourth-seeded teams earn a first-round bye and host second-round games.
2018 Playoff Dates
Round/Format Date ____ ____ Location Time
Semifinals (Best-of-Five): Starts Sunday, Aug. 26 McCamish Pavilion 3:00pm
WNBA Finals (Best-of-Five): Starts Thursday, Sept. 6 TBD TBD
Atlanta Dream Head Coach Nicki Collen was named the AP Coach of the Year, the Associated Press announced Tuesday. The first-year head coach led the Dream to a 23-11 regular-season record. Her team clinched the No. 2 seed in the WNBA Playoffs and earned a double-bye into the Semifinals.
“I am incredibly humbled to be named AP Coach of the Year,” Head Coach Nicki Collen said. “When I accepted the position in Atlanta I knew how important it was to hire a great coaching staff, and I am lucky to work daily alongside Mike (Petersen), Darius (Taylor), and Zach (Cooper). I inherited a group of players who were hungry for success and have been easy to coach and I thank them for their belief in a rookie head coach.”
Finally, Atlanta Dream guard Tiffany Hayes was named AP First-Team All-WNBA, the Associated Press announced Tuesday.
The seven-year veteran has enjoyed a career-year, earning WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week three times and WNBA Player of the Month (July). Hayes led the Dream in scoring, averaging 17.2 points and recorded 12 games with at least 20 points this season.
We’ll see you at McCamish Pavilion!
-TPR Team