Dream turn up heat early to melt Valkyries in must-win WNBA Finals game - USA Today
ATLANTA ― With their backs against the wall, the Atlanta Dream pulled out their best quarter of the entire series to open Game 6 of the WNBA Finals: 32 points against the Golden State Valkyries in the first 10 minutes.
Golden State scored the first bucket on Thursday, Oct. 29, but then Atlanta was off and running. The Dream refused to let up en route to their 80-69 win, which evened the series at three games apiece and sends the Finals back to San Francisco for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The Dream's defense was stickier. Their intensity was higher than it had been in two games. And their confidence? Through the roof of State Farm Arena as they dropped six 3-pointers and shot a blistering 73% from the floor in the first 15 minutes. The high-fives were back and so were the chest bumps. The pace was much faster for Atlanta, who had fallen in a slumber in Games 4 and 5, lulled to sleep by the Valkyries methodical grind-you-down identity.
"You could definitely tell we got our swagger back," forward Angel Reese said. "First, shout out to the crowd. Being able to come here 12:30 on a Thursday, and so many things going on in the world from school to work to everything else, and we're just super thankful. We fed off their energy."
Speed was on Atlanta's side as it used misdirection to get the looks it wanted, which included pulling Reese out from the basket, making her a facilitator and allowing her to pick her spots when she took shots, and leaning into the athleticism of its guards: Allisha Gray led the group with 23 points, Rhyne Howard added 21 and Jordin Canada 10.
Then, Atlanta spread Golden State out on play after play as the the Valkyries struggled to keep up. The Dream hammered home execution during Wednesday's media availability and made it known that they were confident. The confidence resurfaced in the quality of their shots and the way Atlanta trusted its ability to manipulate Golden State's aggressiveness on defense.
"We needed the best of every single person tonight, and you could definitely see it," Reese said. "Everybody came out super confident. Anybody that got in, the people that were on the floor, it was just an effort that you just could see that they were the best. And I'm just really proud of this group. The punch first that we emphasized on of when we can punch first, we've won every single game."
The Valkyries showed better fight in the third quarter, and a Gabby Williams coast-to-coast steal and score at 6:35 was the loudest the Golden State bench was all game. The team from the Bay was never just going to lay down. It's not in their nature. It was still causing Atlanta miscues and breaking up the Dream's passing lanes. The Valkyries even upped their defensive intensity by picking up players like Gray, Reese and Canada at 94 feet during the third quarter.
Golden State outscored Atlanta 21-17 in the frame to cut the lead to 16. But the Dream remained focused, and after Howard unleashed a huge block of Kiah Stokes in the fourth quarter, they picked up the intensity and the big buckets fell. Gray cashed in a bucket and then Reese secured two massive shots that lifted her confidence. One of those baskets was a 3-ball that sent the venue into a frenzy as Reese celebrated with fans.
"We wanted to make sure we maximized this opportunity. It's win to go home right now, and I think everybody left everything they got, they had out there, and that was what was important to us," Reese said. "We knew shots were going to fall. We knew it was coming because we put so much work in. I'm just really proud of our team for responding the way we did."
Still, Golden State did not go quietly, it pushed Atlanta in the fourth quarter, cashing shot after shot in the paint, nearly asking Atlanta: how bad do you want it? "Chip, chip, chip," the Valkyries proverbially said as they leaned into isolating Atlanta defenders and cut the lead to single digits.
"We feel good," Valkyries guard Veronica Burton said. "Yes, 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 quit. Games (2 and 3) were ugly. We quit. We looked bad, and we didn't quit on this one. We were still in the game."
But, Gray scored one of the biggest shots of her career with less than a minute left to shut the door on a Valkyries' championship, and opened it – loudly – for the Dream's title hopes.
"Championship mentality," Reese said. "We just wanted to get this one, one at a time, and being able to go out and take our chances and go on the road and win one. We needed the opportunity. That's all we needed and we maximized it today. I'm just really proud of this group.
"The job is not done, and I'm looking forward to it. One more."
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