Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream fell one win short of their first WNBA championship on Saturday, losing 68-63 to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7 of the Finals at Chase Center.
Atlanta coach Karl Smesko came under fire from Dream fans for his late-game decisions, particularly Reese's limited involvement in the fourth quarter while Rhyne Howard continued to struggle.
Reese finished with 8 points on 3-for-7 shooting, 12 rebounds and 4 turnovers in 33 minutes. She did not attempt a field goal in the fourth quarter, scoring her only point of the period from the free-throw line with 18.6 seconds remaining.
One fan argued that Smesko had overlooked the adjustment Atlanta needed: "The adjustment was always Angel Reese! IT WAS ALWAYS ANGEL REESE. Point-Center Reese. Get her as many ON BALL & OFF BALL screens as she needs. Get her freed up as much as you can. … And y'all keep telling me Karl Smesko is this fine coach. … Karl Smesko is the primary reason I picked GSV to be champs in the first place."
Nekias Duncan of Yahoo Sports noted that the three-time All-Star recorded 74 half-court touches in Game 6 but just 31 in Game 7, including only six in the final quarter, shining a spotlight on Reese's glaring lack of involvement.
Another fan also took aim at Smesko: "Atlanta Dream head coach let Rhyne and Alisha [Gray] do whatever in that second half, despite Angel Reese being the team's ace. Also did nothing to slow down Gabby Williams. Very poor coaching job by Karl Smesko and his Dream staff. Just completely outcoached."
With Atlanta trailing 49-46 and 7:44 remaining, Smesko substituted Jordin Canada for Reese. The forward returned at the 6:06 mark, replacing Howard.
Considering how things panned out on the night, one Dream supporter called for a coaching change : "Karl Smesko needs to be fired. The momentum changed after benching Angel Reese but you steadily keep Rhyne in and everybody else who actually deserves to be benched out on the floor. I hope Angel Reese leaves Atlanta Dream."
Howard played 38 minutes but finished with 6 points on 3-for-14 shooting, including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. She also contributed 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
A basketball trainer offered a shorter assessment: "Karl Smesko, this is so fireable bro."
One supporter had several complaints : "For the 2nd year in a row, Karl Smesko allowed Rhyne Howard to shoot them out of a game. He saw JC puttin on a legacy performance and benched her. Benched his DPOY in critical moments. Yet, Rhyne Howard played 38 minutes."
Reese had been more productive earlier in the series, totaling 51 points and 28 rebounds across Games 2 and 3. However, she struggled over the final four games, shooting 12-for-45 from the field with 38 points and 19 turnovers.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Defensive Player of the Year expressed gratitude toward her teammates during the postgame press conference.
"It's tough, especially with a good group, a great group, that I've honestly had the honor to battle with all year," Reese said .
The Dream reached the Finals in Smesko's second season as head coach but fell short of the franchise's first championship. Atlanta's next opportunity to compete for the title will come after an offseason in which the team must decide how to build on its playoff run.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
