The Fever didn’t get the 2025 season they had hoped for. Caitlin Clark barely played, DeWanna Bonner left the team after only a handful of games, and Sophie Cunningham suffered a season-ending injury with a little over ten games left in the regular season. Nevertheless, the Fever made the playoffs with the sixth-best record in the league. That alone is a huge accomplishment for a team that had to deal with five season-ending injuries.
While the Fever may not contend for a championship, they still have a chance to improve on last season’s playoff outing. Last season, the Fever were swept by the more veteran Connecticut Sun. The Atlanta Dream are a tough opponent, but the Fever still have a chance to win one game, especially since they will get to play on their home floor at least once.
Their ability to do that will hinge on big games from two players: Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. The latter has some experience playing well against one of the Dream’s bigs. Last season, Bri Jones was on the Sun and she and Boston spent most of their time on the court guarding each other. Boston played very well against Jones.
Boston had two big games against the Sun while Jones struggled
Aliyah Boston scored a total of 33 points and grabbed 30 rebounds in her first two playoff games. Jones only recorded 12 points and six rebounds over those two games and struggled to guard Boston—something Stephanie White, who coached the Sun last year, is well aware of.
Jones played just over 26 minutes in Game 1 of last year’s first-round series. In Game 2, she only played half as many minutes, as White gave Olivia Nelson-Ododa a shot at guarding Boston.
Boston didn’t always play well against the Sun in the regular season last year, but she really delivered in the playoffs. Jones recorded three big games against the Fever this season. This playoff rematch against Boston is a chance for Jones to prove that she can guard the youngster after all and for Boston to show that last year’s playoffs were only the beginning.
The Fever will need big games from Boston against the Dream’s bigs
Atlanta has a very strong frontcourt. Between Jones, Brittney Griner, and Naz Hillmon, the Dream have consistently strong play in the frontcourt. If Boston can outplay Jones again, like she did last postseason, it will put more pressure on Griner and Hillmon, as well as the Dream’s guards.
Otherwise, the Fever will likely stand little chance of sneaking a win against the Dream. The Dream have the second-best offensive rating and defensive rating in the league. When everyone is playing their best, Atlanta is almost impossible to stop, especially for a diminished Fever team.