The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream three times during the regular season. The most recent of those wins, 88-83, came on July 4, and the opponent waiting at Chase Center for Saturday's WNBA Finals opener has changed considerably since then.
The biggest difference is DeWanna Bonner. Atlanta signed the 6-foot-4 forward to a rest-of-season contract on Aug. 27, after she had played 37 games for Phoenix this season. Bonner is in her 17th season, won titles with the Mercury in 2009 and 2014, and ranks third on the WNBA's career scoring list, according to the Dream.
She is also the league's career leader in postseason rebounds and has played in 98 playoff games.
"Obviously, having DeWanna Bonner is different. The spacing is different," Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said at practice, according to High Post Hoops. Asked whether the regular-season games offered useful lessons, she said they did, "a little bit," but that Atlanta is now "playing with a lot more pace."
What the film can't show
Golden State has never faced Bonner in a Dream uniform. In Phoenix's lone win over the Valkyries this season, she had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, High Post Hoops noted.
Bonner's role grew when four-time All-Star Allisha Gray hurt her hand early in the semifinal series against New York. Gray has had a minor procedure on the hand and is day-to-day, ESPN reported, with her status for Game 1 unsettled.
Atlanta went 9-1 over its last 10 regular-season games, the Valkyries' preview noted, and is unbeaten in the playoffs after sweeping Washington 2-0 and the Liberty 3-0. Golden State's only playoff loss came in overtime against the Dallas Wings in the first round.
Golden State's own changes
The Valkyries have shifted too. They added Aminata Gueye in September, and Nakase gave her real minutes against A'ja Wilson in the semifinals. High Post Hoops wrote that Kayla Thornton appears healthier than at any point this season.
Kiah Stokes, who drew the Wilson assignment, was given Monday and Tuesday off from practice. "I think she needed a rest," Nakase said Tuesday, according to The San Francisco Standard. "I think guarding the MVP is pretty tough." High Post Hoops expects her next assignment to be Angel Reese, the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
Both teams are built on defense. Golden State had the league's best defensive rating in the regular season at 99.1, with Atlanta third at 103.5, according to the team's preview. In the playoffs the order has flipped, with Atlanta first at 102.0 and Golden State second at 104.1.