Dream Coach Laments 'Frustrating' Referee Mistake After Playoff Loss to Fever

Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko was not happy about referees missing a timeout call in the final seconds of his team's playoff loss to the Indiana Fever.

Jul 30, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko reacts against the Dallas Wings during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The No. 3-seeded Atlanta Dream were eliminated from the 2025 WNBA playoffs after their 87-85 defeat to the Indiana Fever on September 18.

While the Dream were winning for most of the game, Indiana stormed back late in the fourth quarter and took a one-point lead on a layup by Aliyah Boston with just 7.4 seconds left to play. From there, Atlanta called a timeout to advance the ball and hopefully get the final shot of the game.

But the play head coach Karl Smesko had drawn up during the timeout didn't immediately get a player open, which led to Dream star Rhyne Howard having to make a pass into traffic that was stolen by Lexie Hull. This steal allowed Indiana to run the clock down to 1.2 seconds before Odyssey Sims got fouled, and ultimately sealed the upset win for Indiana.

LEXIE HULL GAME-WINNING STEAL.

FEVER ADVANCE TO THE SEMI-FINALS.pic.twitter.com/5IWaDIOnrS

— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) September 19, 2025

While it couldn't be seen on the ESPN broadcast of the game, there were several accounts from journalists that Smesko was adamantly trying to call a timeout while Howard was looking for someone to pass the ball to before that fateful turnover, but the referees didn't hear or see him in time to act on it.

Karl Smesko Speaks About 'Unfortunate' Final Sequence in Dream Loss vs. Fever

Smesko, Jordin Canada, and Allisha Gray spoke with the media after Thursday's defeat. And at one point, Smesko was asked about that possession that ultimately led to Hull's game-sealing steal.

"I mean, I was screaming 'timeout' as loud as I could. Jumping up and down. You know, it's loud in here, the officials didn't hear it, and unfortunately, we turned it over a couple seconds later. That's just unfortunate," Smesko said, per the Dream's YouTube account.

May 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko reacts in the first half against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Smesko then added, "We still had chances to get stops, and make plays after that to win the game. But yeah, that was definitely frustrating. But we had other ways that we could have won the game."

This is obviously not how the Dream were hoping the 2025 season would end. That said, Smesko, his coaching staff, and Atlanta's entire roster deserve a lot of credit for the campaign they produced. This Dream team finished the 2024 regular season with a 15-25 record and were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs.

Therefore, their winning percentage improved from .375 last year to .682 this season, in what was Smesko's first season coaching the team. This is a big reason why he received votes for 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year.