By Shayna Rubin
Just two years into the franchise’s existence, the Golden State Valkyries are still introducing themselves. To the WNBA, and to the Bay Area. The Valkyries’ introduction quickly turned into its arrival, as the lavender-clad franchise is in the WNBA Finals, four wins shy of a title and coronation — much earlier than expected.
A roster pieced together with players discarded by other teams is so bound by a collective identity that it has taken historic performances, overtime stunners and grind-it-out upsets to beat them in any game this year.
The Atlanta Dream are the last hurdle. They’re a team that Golden State swept 3-0 in the regular season, but one that has grown tremendously since their last matchup on July 4.
The Valkyries have a defense that disrupts even the most star-studded and accomplished teams in the league, but the Dream present perhaps their trickiest challenge yet: a multifaceted offense and a top-ranked defense that can go toe-to-toe with Golden State’s unit.
“A defensive-minded Finals, which is great,” head coach Natalie Nakase said. “So for us, we’re still trying to thrive for our four quarters. I think we’re about three quarters of really good, intense defense, and so just can’t wait for game day to show to see if we can perform four quarters.”
Here are the keys to watch heading into the Finals, which start with Game 1 on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Chase Center.
Veronica Burton vs. Jordin Canada:
The Dream may be without one of their best scorers in Allisha Gray, who underwent a minor procedure on her hand after injuring it during Game 1 of the semifinals against the New York Liberty.
Whether she plays, the Dream can score on a variety of levels — from 3-point distance, off second-chance opportunities and on-ball — but the key may lie at the point of attack with Dream guard Jordin Canada, who emerged as a key scorer beyond the arc while also taking advantage of Atlanta’s spacing that created open driving lanes.
The Valkyries’ strength defensively has always been at the point of attack, derived from Burton and Gabby Williams’ ball pressure. Statistically, Burton’s defensive impact shows in the numbers when she’s on or off the court. The Valkyries boast a stingy 96.7 defensive rating when Burton is on the court in 44 regular season games, according to hoopsjunkie, which drops to 103.5 when she’s off the court. The 6.8-point gap is one of the larger ones in the WNBA.
Burton and Williams collaborate to muck up screens and force much more stagnant half-court offensive possessions for the other team. Canada directs Atlanta into a dynamic offense with multiple threats — Rhyne Howard is dangerous from distance, averaging 8.8 3-point shots per game, while Gray and Canada can capitalize on space and score off the dribble.
If Burton and Williams can contest up top without fouling and prevent any need for help defense, they could hold Atlanta at bay.
The Angel Reese factor:
Reese is a main driver of the Dream’s feisty defense because she can wrangle rebounds like few others. That doesn’t just mean cleaning up on defense — Reese is a master of creating second-chance opportunities on the offensive boards, another main source of scoring for this Dream team.
“She just has a knack for the ball,” center Kiah Stokes said. “She has great hands, great timing. I just feel like wherever the ball is going, she’s going to be right there. It’s one of her specialties. I think that’s what got her to an elite spot in her career. And then obviously her offensive game has taken leaps, so we can’t really discount that, either. But, really, just trying to keep her off the glass as much as possible.”
The Valkyries have stated clearly the priority against Reese: get physical and box out.
That’s easier said than done. Stokes showed it’s entirely possible when she took on the Las Vegas Aces’ 6-foot-4 A’ja Wilson in the semifinal. She collected 21 rebounds in the first two games and helped Golden State win the rebounding battle in each of their three victories for the sweep. Six-foot-four Aminata Gueye tag-teamed with Stokes effectively from off the bench to give Golden State some size in the series.
Kayla Thornton was also essential in the rebounding game last series and may be an X-factor against Reese. The Valkyries’ defensive rating with Thornton on the court is stingy, too: a 95.9 rating on against a 103.0 rating with her off in 44 regular-season games.
Burton does the little things that will also help. She’s able to defend multiple positions and get physical under the rim, which could present another challenge for Reese.
The biggest difference between the Dream on July 4 and now? Veteran DeWanna Bonner.
The Dream signed her on Aug. 27 after the Phoenix Mercury bought out her contract. There’s a Warriors connection there; former director of basketball operations Nick U’Ren now serves as the Mercury general manager and negotiated the buyout specifically to put Bonner into free agency, where the 39-year-old could sign with a contender in what might be her final season or close to it.
And she has been just the presence Atlanta needs in this series. Bonner, a two-time champion, adds more length to complement Reese’s rebounding and scoring. She’s averaging 13.2 points per game and 6.4 rebounds in the playoffs.
“The biggest difference is DeWanna Bonner,” Williams said Wednesday. “On and off the court. I can imagine how much she’s talking in the locker room about what it takes to win. I think the championship experience is going to give Atlanta a different type of boost.”
Valkyries have Gabby Williams:
A title seemed far out of reach for the Valkyries without a bucket-getter — a player who could take the ball with a game on the line and score at near will.
Williams has been that player, consistently taking her calling card as a two-way player to the next level.
Against both Dallas and Las Vegas, Williams glided into the closer role. Her 17-foot jump shot gave the Valkyries their ultimate lead after erasing a 16-point deficit against the Wings.
She scored eight points in overtime in a deciding Game 3 against the Aces, including a step-back midrange shot that served as the dagger.
She averaged 14.4 points per game in the regular season, leading the Valkyries. In the playoffs, that average bumped to 22.7 points per game.
What’s fueling this ascent? Williams has said a few times: Golden State’s belief that she could.
“They just believe in me here,” Williams said on Tuesday. “It’s really it. I know it’s not respected as much here, but I’ve played on big stages before. I played in the Olympics, I’ve played for championships, so I know what it feels like to play big games. Just now, our culture is great here and we have other champions. We have WNBA champions. Kiah has won three times, KT (Kayla Thornton) has won, (Cecilia Zandalasini) has won, so we know how to get it done.”
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