Before Saturday's game, it felt a little reckless to say the Golden State Valkyries still had a shot at salvaging the WNBA Finals. Coming back from a 2-1 deficit in the WNBA Finals isn't easy, and Game 4 was played in Atlanta at State Farm Arena. The stadium was packed to the brim with 17,000 fans supporting the Dream. And for all her denials, Gabby Williams had been playing like her knee was bothering her.
And yet: we're talking about the Golden State Valkyries, the wunderkind of the WNBA. This is a team that was born of an expansion draft, the first to join the league since 2008. Everyone doubted this squad. Everyone thought they didn't have it in them. When Joe Lacob said he wanted a championship in five years, people scoffed. When Natalie Nakase told everyone she wanted a team of shooters, she meant it.
And, it seems, her team may be getting themselves together just in time.
No one was more aware of what they needed to do than each of the Valkyries who had spoken about Games 2 and 3. Kiah Stokes pointed out what Valkyries fans are thinking and saying: the series is a long one. The teams are just passing the halfway point now; theoretically, this could go seven games.
"I think we're still very positive. We know we can fix [it]. A lot of it is dealing with ourselves, so we just got to kind of look in the mirror first and then move forward," Stokes also told reporters via Zoom Thursday.
The Valkyries have always prioritized playing team-first basketball, and that's exactly what they needed to do Saturday. As tough as she is, they can't rely exclusively on Williams to get the job done; everyone needed to dig more deeply than they have before — and they did it. That 67-62 win wasn't a big one, but it was one the team fought hard to achieve.
So now, Golden State will head back to Ballhalla with the series tied 2-2. Those are significantly better odds, and their fans know exactly how important coming out and supporting the team will be. But the Dream beat the Valkyries once at home already, and nothing is guaranteed. It may have taken them a few tries, but it seems the Valkyries may have figured out exactly how to take down the Dream — and now it's up to Atlanta to prove them wrong.
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