Dream Coach Karl Smesko Addresses Referee’s Costly Mistake in Loss to Fever

The Atlanta Dream were eliminated by the Indiana Fever after a two point loss.

Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko coaches his team in the second quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

What was projected to be a deep playoff run for the Atlanta Dream ended in heartbreak against the Indiana Fever following an 87-85 loss in Game 3 that eliminated Atlanta in just the first round.

The game came down to the final seconds. Atlanta led throughout much of the game until a fourth-quarter comeback by the Fever had the team trading leads with every shot. The Fever took the lead with 7.4 seconds left, forcing Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko to call a timeout to regroup with his team and stop the Indiana momentum.

After the initial timeout, the Dream made a critical error and turned over the ball via a steal by Lexie Hull to give Indiana both possession and the lead with seconds left.

Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko reacts to a call during the game against the Las Vegas Aces during the second half at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Smesko Wanted Another Timeout

Smesko tried to remedy this error with another timeout to freeze the clock, but it didn't take.

"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," Smesko said (via WNBA). "That's just unfortunate."

Even without the crucial timeout, the Dream still had several chances throughout the game. Atlanta's defense has been the signature strength. Although on Thursday night, the Dream found themselves overpowered by the Fever offense and could not execute their own offense to match.

"We saw chances to get drops and make plays after to win the game, but that was definitely frustrating, but we had different ways we could have won the game," Smesko said.

He continued, "Unfortunately, we had some empty possessions where we were kind of just staring at the ball rather than executing our offense. These are important possessions, you need to keep the pace up, you've got to do things to break down the defense.”

The Future of Atlanta

THANK YOU DREAM FANS! 🅰️ Thank you to our fans for an incredible 2025 season! #DoItForTheDream | #SoATL pic.twitter.com/4u2AKBZmMp

— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) September 19, 2025

Atlanta's season may have ended sooner than expected, but there is a bright future ahead with Smesko in charge. Atlanta's 31-win season is not only a massive turnaround from a dismal 15-25 record in 2024, but also set a record for the most wins by a first-year head coach for Smesko.

"Just the organization as a whole, I mean, it's in a great direction," Allisha Gray said. "Just with Karl, he has so much faith in us, and we proved a lot of people wrong this year. A lot of people didn't expect us to play as well and be in the position that we are in, so I just credit "Big Wheeze" (Karl Smesko) for the turnaround."

The Dream's first championship has to wait at least another season, but Karl Smesko and the Dream will be sure to come back swinging.

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