Valkyries host Dream in winner-take-all Game 7
Both teams are seeking first WNBA championship
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1m agoHow they got here
A quick refresher on how we ended up here. The Valkyries entered the playoffs as the No 2 seed, looking to build on a remarkable second season in which they established themselves among the WNBA’s elite. Their postseason began with a scare against the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings, who pushed them to a deciding third game before Golden State advanced 2-1.
From there, Natalie Nakase’s team found another gear. The Valkyries swept the third-seeded Las Vegas Aces in three games in the semi-finals, completing the job with an 87-77 overtime victory to reach the championship series for the first time. They’ve since traded blows with Atlanta through six games, taking a 3-2 lead before Thursday’s defeat denied them a chance to clinch the title on the road.
Atlanta’s path was more straightforward, at least until the finals. The fourth-seeded Dream swept the fifth-seeded Washington Mystics 2-0 in the opening round before dismantling the eighth-seeded New York Liberty, who had stunned the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round, in three straight games.
That sweep sent Atlanta to their first WNBA finals since 2013, with Karl Smesko’s team chasing the franchise’s maiden championship after previous appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013. The Dream took a 2-1 series lead before consecutive defeats left them facing elimination, only to respond with Thursday’s emphatic 80-69 victory at State Farm Arena.
Now, after 12 postseason games apiece, both teams stand one win from history.
One game, 40 minutes and one first-time champion. After six bruising contests, several thousand cross-country miles and a series that has swung back and forth without either side managing to seize total control, the WNBA finals have come down to a Halloween night showdown in San Francisco. The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will settle everything tonight at Chase Center in the first Game 7 in league history, with a championship neither franchise has ever won hanging in the balance.
The Valkyries return home with a chance to complete a remarkable ascent, having reached the brink of a title in only their second season. Natalie Nakase’s team will have the backing of a raucous sellout crowd at Chase Center, where the atmosphere inside the arena known as Ballhalla promises to be particularly festive on Halloween night.
But Atlanta have no intention of letting Golden State’s fairy tale have its happy ending. Facing elimination at a lunchtime tipoff on Thursday, the Dream rediscovered their offensive touch just as their title hopes were threatening to slip away, boat-racing the Valkyries 80-69 in a game where the final margin barely hinted at the scale of the hosts’ dominance.
Allisha Gray scored 23 points, Rhyne Howard added 21 and Angel Reese delivered her fourth double-double of the series as Atlanta buried six three-pointers in a blistering opening quarter and built a lead that ballooned to 25 points before half-time. Golden State, meanwhile, shot just 31.4% from the floor, wasting a 26-point performance from Gabby Williams.
The WNBA adopted a best-of-seven finals format last year, only for the inaugural edition to end in a four-game sweep. This time, the extended format has delivered the ultimate decider. After six games have left nothing to separate these teams, Halloween night will produce a new champion.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at Thursday’s Game 6.
