Atlanta teams face final games
Local franchises hold mixed records in decisive postseason contests ahead of Saturday's WNBA championship match.
By Marco Alvarez ·
The Atlanta Dream play the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7 on Saturday.
The winner takes the WNBA championship. The Dream won the previous game at State Farm Arena on Friday night. They defeated the Valkyries 80-69. The Dream led early in that game and held off a late push from Golden State. The team has never played a Game 7 in the WNBA Finals. The Finals became a best-of-seven series only this year. The Dream were swept in their previous three appearances in the shorter format.
History offers mixed signals for Atlanta teams in decisive games. The Braves have a record of 4-7 in one-game elimination matches since moving to Atlanta. This count includes the 2026 Wild Card Series. The team lost the 1991 World Series Game 7 to the Minnesota Twins. The Braves also lost the 2020 National League Championship Series Game 7. They won three other Game 7 contests in the 1990s. The team lost four decisive Game 5s in division series. These losses occurred between 2002 and 2004.
The Atlanta Hawks have a 10-5 record in decisive Game 5 and Game 7 matchups. They won a Game 7 in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Hawks lost two other conference semifinal Game 7s. One of those losses came in 1988 against the Boston Celtics. The team has a 9-2 record in series-deciding first-round games. The Atlanta United soccer team is 1-1 in decisive first-round playoff games.
Coach Karl Smesko of the Dream stated the team has a great opportunity. He said the players expect to play great on Saturday. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. on USA Network. The Atlanta Falcons are tied for first place in the NFC South. They share a 3-4 record with the Carolina Panthers. The Braves exercised club options for Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. on Thursday.
Ernie Johnson Jr. will leave the broadcast booth after this season. Former Falcons coach June Jones died at age 73. The Hawks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-111 on Thursday. Onyeka Okongwu scored 29 points in that win. The team snaps a three-game losing streak with that result.
