The Golden State Valkyries are three games into the franchise's first-ever WNBA Finals run. They've done this in only their second year of existence; that's the kind of story that sounds made up until you see it in real life. In a lot of ways, the Valkyries have already won as much as they need to this season. But, like any sports team in the history of professional sports, they want more.
And they should. The idea of winning the WNBA Championship is tantalizing; pulling off something like what the Valkyries are focused on is unheard of.
But if the team isn't careful, they're going to end up falling into the same trap the Las Vegas Aces so often do.
It's not always helpful or justified to bring up one team when writing about another, but in this case, the two teams share a trait they need to work on: when the going gets tough, they tend to heap responsibility for a win on one player. For the Aces, that player is Wilson.
It's clear why: A'ja Wilson is the best player in the league. She actually is capable of winning whole games by herself, but it comes at a mental and physical cost; relying on the enormous skill of one player is also not a good strategy in the long term. Wilson may be the best, but the entire Aces roster is stacked. The team gets its best wins when it plays as one.
The same is true of the Valkyries, who have been putting a lot of pressure on Gabby Williams. Like Wilson, it's understandable: Williams seems built for it. But she's still one person, and the Valkyries also play their best basketball when they play together, and tap into one another's strengths.
We didn't see that in Game 3 of the team's series with the Atlanta Dream. Williams led the team in scoring for the fifth time (out of nine games). That's cool, but it's also dangerous: the Valkyries are known for shooting. Natalie Nakase loves to prioritize shooters. Golden State knows how to get the ball in the basket; Williams knows how to get the ball in the basket, but she can't do it alone.
The Valkyries knocked the Aces, who came into the 2026 WNBA Playoffs as the defending champions, out of contention in part because they played seamlessly. If they want to stand a chance in the face of a mighty Atlanta Dream, they need to find a way to do that again.
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