Golden State won Game 1 of the WNBA Finals 68-64 on Saturday while shooting 32.1% from the field and 7-33 from three. The offense was as ugly as it gets. It was a chance for the Dream to make a huge statement to start this series and put the Valkyries on their heels, but they blew it. Now they're in trouble.
Atlanta fans will want their offensive struggles acknowledged, too. They shot 33% FG and 4-25 from outside. But the difference is identity. The Valks are built to live in the basement, and they want you down there with them. Natalie Nakase is a madwoman, and she cares not for offense. She wants to make her opponent's lives miserable, and her players thrive in that style.
Golden State can win a game played in a phone booth
The Valkyries led for less than 20% of this game. The Dream had a stranglehold on the lead for much of the contest. ATL was up 22-14 after the first quarter, outscored GS 17-9 in the third, and shot 18-21 from the free-throw line to Golden State's 11-16. Every surface-level number suggests Atlanta should have won.
They didn't because Coach Nakase's squad doesn't need the game to be pretty. The Valks like it when the game is short on possessions and long on stops, and that's exactly what they got. To Atlanta's credit, they tried to push the pace but couldn't convert attempts into buckets when it mattered most.
Atlanta scored eight points in the fourth quarter and went 2-20 from the field to end the game. The Valkyries took the quarter 17-8, closed on a 7-0 run, and held the Dream scoreless over the final three minutes. After letting Angel Reese get loose early, Golden State shut her water off in the second half. Reese scored all 14 of her points in the opening two quarters.
None of this should be surprising. This is the same team that posted the league's best defensive rating and net rating in the regular season. The Valkyries won 22 of their last 27 games. Grinding isn't a bad night for them. They live for it.
The NBA broadcast noted that the Game 1 winner takes the series around 70 percent of the time. Golden State also swept all three regular-season meetings with the Dream, so that's four straight now. Game 2 is Monday in the same building. Atlanta may have just spent its best road shot of the series.
Gabby Williams' knee is the only real variable left
The prize acquisition of the offseason scored 26 of her team's 68. No other Valkyrie reached double figures. She was scoreless in the first quarter, dropped 16 in the second, and then dragged them home in the fourth. Clutch free throws and defense are nothing new for Gabby Williams, as she's come up huge all year, all playoffs, and did again in Game 1.
She also got tangled with Jordin Canada on a box-out during her own free throws, and a trainer had to check her out when she was on the bench for a timeout. If she's fine, Atlanta is in serious trouble, because Golden State just won a game where Tiffany Hayes couldn't finish easy looks at the rim, and the whole team shot the three-ball like their eyes were closed (21%).
Neither of those will hold for seven games.
If Williams is hurt, the Dream have more life, but it'd still be a steep hill. I don't see Nakase letting an injury become the reason her team's effort dips, especially with a title on the line. But Atlanta played well enough to win on Saturday and lost anyway. That's the worst kind of loss there is, and it often leaves the series loser wondering "what if?" in the end.
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