Some things are easier said than done.
The Golden State Valkyries carried a lot of pressure into Game 4 of the 2026 WNBA Finals. Down 2-1 and playing in hostile territory at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, the Valkyries had to find a solution and find it fast.
After two straight dominant victories, the Dream were riding high. Angel Reese was ready to be crowned queen of the WNBA. The Valkyries' offense was stuck in mud. The chance of making history as the fastest expansion team to win the championship was slipping away.
The challenge was twofold. First, Golden State had to determine the correct formula to take down the high-flying Dream. Head coach Natalie Nakase likes to say that all the answers are in the film. Could she and her coaching staff find those answers in time?
Once they had a gameplan, the second step was much more difficult: execute the plan. Could they take a strategy and impose it onto the basketball court, earning a much-needed win to even up the series?
For one game, the answer was yes.
The Valkyries solved the Dream in Game 4
While the final score was not indicative of a blowout, the Valkyries were in control for the vast majority of Game 4. They came out with an intentional game plan and executed it brilliantly. Once again, their 3-point shots were not falling (4-for-25 on the night, a mere 16 percent), but this time that didn't doom them.
In Games 2 and 3, the Dream feasted on Golden State turnovers: 19 in Game 2, 17 in Game 3. They turned those turnovers into easy offense on the other end, attacking the vaunted Valkyries' defense before it was set.
In Game 4, the Valkyries adjusted their offensive approach to limit the turnovers. Against a team with historically good ballhawks, they weren't able to completely eliminate them, but the intentionality showed. Golden State had only 9 turnovers on Saturday and gave up just eight points off of turnovers, down from 22 points in Game 3.
The second step to the plan was to stop Angel Reese at all costs. The Valkyries not only deployed Kiah Stokes strategically on Reese, continuing the center's defensive dominance in this series, but they also pre-rotated help onto Reese at the catch point and slammed bodies into her on the glass.
In Game 2, Reese went for 30 points and 16 rebounds. In Game 4, she dropped an efficient 21 and 12 in a blowout victory. In Game 4, she had just eight points, nine rebounds and a whopping 6 turnovers, going 2-for-12 from the field. Nothing was easy for her, and her teammates were unable to pick up the slack.
Can the Valkyries replicate the formula?
Now Golden State knows the formula for defeating the Dream: carefully limit turnovers, and aggressively send help to Angel Reese. Easy peasy, right?
Unfortunately for Nakase and the Valkyries, the head coach on the opposite side will be making plans of his own. Karl Smesko has proven himself one of the best coaches in the WNBA this season, and his adjustments and strategies have been top notch. He won't just be relaxing by the pool when his team arrives back in San Francisco.
Can the Dream come up with a response? Can they find a way to get Reese easy touches, as they did in previous games? Can they speed up the Valkyries' offense so that they start giving the ball away once more?
Golden State certainly isn't done either. Nakase and company will look for new vulnerabilities to attack. And if their 3-pointers finally start falling, they will be on the fast track to a 3-2 series lead.
The Valkyries have cracked the code. Now they have to execute it.
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