Aug 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Aliyah Boston Reveals Indiana Fever's Path to Playoff Success vs Atlanta Dream

Originally posted on Indiana Fever on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 3:48 PM ET

It's no secret that the Indiana Fever have a tough task ahead of them in facing the Atlanta Dream in the first round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs.

Atlanta finished the season with a 30-14 record, which was enough to secure them the No. 3 seed in the playoffs (the No.2-seeded Las Vegas Aces finished with the same record but had the tie-breaker over Atlanta). And given that the Dream have two elite guards in Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, combined with twin towers Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones in the post, this squad is a nightmare matchup for every WNBA team.

The Fever and the Dream faced each other four times during the 2025 WNBA regular season: on May 20, May 22, June 10, and July 11.

The two sides split the series evenly at 2-2, with the Dream winning 91-90 on May 20, the Fever winning 81-76 on May 22, the Dream winning 77-58 on June 10, and the Fever winning 99-82 on July 11.

Past games aside, this playoff matchup will look completely unique. Not only have these two teams not played each other in over two months, but the Fever's active roster looks a lot different than it did earlier in the year because of injuries.

Aliyah Boston Assesses Fever vs. Dream Matchup

The Fever will need to rely on three-time WNBA All-Star center Aliyah Boston to be a force in the post during this playoff series. And Boston addressed several aspects of this imminent matchup when speaking with the media on September 13.

"Just looking at Atlanta's roster top to bottom, they're just pretty big. And so I think for us, just making sure that we keep that ball movement and we hone in on our defensive principles that we've been emphasizing the entire year," Boston said when asked about how the Fever will adapt to the challenges that the Dream bring, per the Fever's YouTube channel.

Boston was then asked about what challenges Atlanta presents defensively, and said, "Honestly, I think for us, it's not even focusing on that part of it. It's just about keeping the ball moving. We know they're gonna be up in the pass lanes, they're gonna be super aggressive. So for us, just matching that physicality offensively as well, and getting to our spots."