Neither team in this year's WNBA Finals has won a title, so the trophy goes somewhere new. The Golden State Valkyries, in their second season, open the best-of-seven series against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12:30 p.m. at Chase Center, on NBC and Peacock.
Both arrive off semifinal sweeps of past champions. Golden State finished the defending champion Las Vegas Aces with an 87-77 overtime win Friday. Atlanta closed out the New York Liberty 85-83 the same night in New York. The Valkyries are the first expansion team in league history to reach the Finals in their second year, the team said.
The regular season, and why it may not matter
Golden State won all four regular-season meetings, but the last of them came on July 4. ESPN's Michael Voepel noted those games fell during Atlanta's worst stretch, a five-game losing streak. The Dream have lost only once since a win at Las Vegas on Aug. 18 and enter on a franchise-record 10-game winning streak.
Kiah Stokes, who won three titles with the Aces before signing with Golden State as a free agent this year, pointed out that Las Vegas swept the Valkyries in the regular season, too. "It's a clean slate," she said, describing the Dream as physical, strong on the boards and dangerous from outside.
Defense against defense
Atlanta's semifinal was built on pressure. The Dream forced 38 turnovers in the first two games against New York and scored 60 points off them, ESPN's Kareem Copeland reported. During the regular season they ranked third in defensive rating and led the league in steals.
Angel Reese, traded from Chicago in April and named Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 20.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the sweep and scored 22 in the clincher. Rhyne Howard added 21 that night, and Jordin Canada had 19 points and 11 assists. "She's a great leader for us," Dream coach Karl Smesko said of Canada.
Atlanta did it without four-time All-Star Allisha Gray, who missed the last two games with a hand injury. ESPN noted concern about her availability for the Finals.
Golden State leans on depth rather than one marquee player, ESPN's Voepel wrote. Gabby Williams has led the team in scoring in both rounds, averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals this postseason. Aces coach Becky Hammon said after Friday's game that "any of them could have 15 or 20" on a given night because the Valkyries share the ball.
Voepel singled out Stokes, whose assignment inside includes Reese on the glass and Atlanta's guards attacking the paint.