NEW YORK — Unlike the WNBA’s other 12 head coaches, Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko doesn’t put together practice plans. He uses another phrase in referring to the Dream’s workouts. He crafts what he calls “progress plans.”
The difference might be a matter of semantics to some, but it reflects the intentionality in Smesko’s approach. Atlanta’s first-year coach views workouts as an opportunity for Dream players to get better. So why not be specific in their purpose and name them accordingly? The goal is to progress after all. Each session has value.
But games are currently Atlanta’s best teacher.
No contest has provided more lessons than the one the Dream played Tuesday night against the New York Liberty. Atlanta led by 17 points with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter, silencing a Barclays Center crowd of more than 15,000 fans eager for anything to cheer about. With a win, the Dream (8-4) would have advanced to the Commissioner’s Cup championship and gotten off to their best start to a season since 2014.
But then?
”We just gave it away,” Dream star Rhyne Howard said.
New York blitzed Atlanta to close the third quarter, and continued its push to open the fourth. After a 24-8 Liberty run, the Dream held just a one-point lead with 5:27 remaining. Their lead…
