ATLANTA — What Angel Reese learned in her first WNBA Finals appearance is that long streaks always go by quickly. What is done is done, and what is to come is up for grabs.
Down 3-2 in the series, and potentially with 40 minutes to go, she and her Atlanta Dream teammates gathered before the film sessions to discuss what it meant. They needed to regain confidence after two defeats marred by offensive misfortunes. They emphasized that everyone could become a superstar, but everyone was needed.
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At the end of the day’s film and one last practice before a must-win Game 6, they said they felt good about returning to Atlanta Dream basketball. They immediately proved the truth of this speech.
“You can definitely say we have our composure back,” Reese said.
The Dream’s offense came out of its funk and overwhelmed the Golden State Valkyries’ suffocating defense in Game 6 Thursday, a jolt for the West Coasters settling in with their breakfast for a 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT tipoff. The 80-69 victory was more dominant than the final score indicated; the Dream led by 25 points with three minutes remaining in the half.
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That forced the first Game 7 in league history, and the Bay Area is gearing up for the Halloween contest that will be “Boohalla,” a play on its home crowd’s nickname of “Ballhalla.”
Atlanta’s 32 first-quarter points were the most by either team in any quarter in this Finals and accounted for at least half of its total output in each of its three series losses. The 32-15 advantage was the largest in any first quarter in Finals history.
Valkyries forward Gabby Williams called it “unacceptable” from Golden State, with the lack of pressure on the ball and aggression being the biggest initial downfalls.
“They did a good job today of setting the tone from the start,” she said. “Obviously we didn’t.”
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The Dream won each of their three games by double digits, while the Valkyries defense held Atlanta to a season low in each of the Dream’s single-digit losses.
“When we can strike first, we’ve won every game,” Reese said.
Everything after that first shot was just window dressing, a continuation of the Dream’s postseason party at State Farm Arena. The sold-out crowd of 17,099 barely registered the Valkyries’ late comeback attempts until there was nothing left to do but notice. Golden State fought back to within 11 with 2:36 to play — a dangerous spot for the Dream against a team accustomed to late comebacks. They trailed by 11 again at 1:56, but missed three 3-point attempts on a steal and two offensive rebounds.
Still, Golden State chipped away at the lead to close at eight, and eventually the Dream ended the threat. Reese penetrated to attract a defender and kicked it out to Allisha Gray in the corner. Gray drained it with a screen from DeWanna Bonner to extend their season by another 40 minutes.
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The Dream didn’t need Reese to provide the elite offensive play of their previous victories. She missed finishes at the rim (5 of 18) and turned it over six times for the second time in this final. But with 15 points and 14 rebounds, she now has four double-doubles in six games.
“It was just a mental mindset that I could go out there and try to lead the team the best I could, no matter how ugly it might be,” Reese said. “As long as we got the win, I just wanted to do whatever it took.”
A 3-pointer by Reese in the second quarter made the victory almost inevitable. The Dream is 16-0 when she makes one, and that’s an area she came into the game wanting to maximize. Early in Game 5, she passed up an open look from the 3, bypassing the team’s go-ahead, coach Karl Smesko reiterated Wednesday that he included Reese.
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She won them this time, missing two early before scoring in the second quarter to take a 42-19 lead. By the time she reached her second, the Dream led 74-55 with 5:43 left as fans began to clear their Halloween schedules. She bounced around the court before he even entered, a rather subdued reaction from Reese that the crowd more than made up for.
The entire team shot from deep, a refreshing feat in a series of defensive tasks. They were 6 of 8 from 3 in the first quarter, with four of five starters making at least one. Rhyne Howard and Gray, playing with the pinky and ring fingers of his shooting hand taped after minor surgery, each went 2-for-2.
By the end of the game, they were 13 of 30 (43.3%) and just as good inside the arc (14 of 32, 43%). This is only the second time a team has eclipsed the 40% mark in the series. The other was Atlanta in a Game 3 win (49.3%). In a game played evenly elsewhere – neither managed as many turnovers or points – the 3 points were the difference.
“It’s been frustrating for all of us not being able to shoot well,” Reese said. “I always told the girls, ‘It won’t rain forever,’ and we were able to maximize that moment today. And the sun came out a little more today and gave us the opportunity to see Game 7.”
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As much confidence as the re-emergence has instilled in the top offensive team, the Dream has been there before. They were 40.9 percent from 3 in the Game 3 win and 49.3 percent overall, allowing Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase her favorite thing: bad defensive game film to study and re-evaluate. Atlanta shot worse than 34% in each of its losses and was 14 of 74 from 3.
And the Valkyries won the second half, 43-35, playing at a slower pace to almost burst the city’s dream bubble. Williams led all scorers with 26 points despite another ineffective day (8 of 22) and found her way to the line (7 of 8). It was the first time in the series that Golden State attempted more free throws. Laeticia Amihere, a lower bench option since a promising start in Game 1 as a backup defender for Reese, has been a spark in place of Kiah Stokes.
Nakase again lamented his message, rhetorically asking the entire audience if communication with his players was foggy. She knew the Dream would prove hopeless. And they did.
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“We just didn’t get it done,” Nakase said of his team’s lack of defensive pressure early in the game, which ultimately decided the match. “Do you see how frustrating it is? It’s frustrating when we just haven’t done it.”
Point guard Veronica Burton insisted the Valkyries didn’t come into Game 6 thinking they had two chances at the chip. Yet it looked like that. While Williams, who lit a fire under the Valkyries to reel off back-to-back wins to take the series lead, responded sharply to questions, Burton made it clear their body language on the podium in the face of a disconcerting defeat and what they actually felt heading into the final match were two different things.
“At the end of the day, we feel good,” Burton said. “Yeah, we lost. It was a bad game for us. We had a terrible first quarter, but we cleaned it up. We found a way. We didn’t give up. Games 2 and 3 were ugly; we gave up, we looked bad.”
The question is whether the Valks will be able to carry this style across the country again. The league’s longest season is officially coming to an end. There won’t necessarily be many tricks or surprises between teams that know each other so well. And now the franchise’s first championship is up for grabs.
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