The WNBA is set for a historic day on Saturday, hosting a Game 7 for the first time in league history. As the final fight for glory moves to Ballhalla, the spotlight has shifted to one star, who stands in a unique position. According to ‌a former NFL star, Angel Reese has positioned herself to take the biggest hit, despite leaving her arch-nemesis Caitlin Clark way behind in postseason success.

“I hate to say this. Angel has more to lose than to win in this game right here. If Angel wins, Angel wins. She wins. Congratulations. If Angel loses, she loses with ‌four straight terrible games because the only way they’ll lose is if she plays bad,” ex-NFL player Emmanuel Acho said on the Speakeasy podcast. “You went, and you failed off the back of four straight bad games. The haters will be louder than the praisers.”

For starters, this is not the first time that Acho has linked the Dream’s success directly with Reese’s performance. After the Game 5 loss, he called out Reese for her back-to-back poor performances and highlighted that her team “lives and dies” with her, and whether Atlanta has a title will depend on Reese.

Given how much responsibility Reese shoulders, the Dream fall with her. But a few intangibles make Acho’s points valid, at least in terms of what narrative would dominate if things go bad for Atlanta and Reese. She is one of the most talked-about players in the league, but she is also one of the most hated ones on social media. Her bad performance and Atlanta’s loss will give unwarranted validity to the haters, and the noise will be proportionate.

She struggled in Game 1, scoring just 14 points on 45.5% shooting. She went scoreless in the second half, and the Dream lost. The “ATL Barbie” was outstanding in Games 2 and 3, and the Dream looked like they would wrap up the series in five games. But Reese’s had nightmarish struggles in Games 4 and 5, and with her suffered Atlanta.

She had 15 points in Game 6, as much as she did in Games 4 and 5 combined. But Reese still struggled. She missed 13 of her 18 shots, and the Dream still won. In terms of her offense, Reese couldn’t get over her struggles, and that’s where Acho’s claim didn’t stand the test. 

As we suggested after Game 5, even if Reese struggles on the scoring end, the Dream is loaded enough to win the game, and the Dream star can impact winning. Angel Reese just has to change her strategy; she did exactly that in Game 6. In the win, she had 6 assists, the most in a game in this Finals. Reese turned facilitator, and Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray handled the scoring.

Irrespective of what the result holds for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, it doesn’t change the fact that, in terms of success, she has achieved more than her arch nemesis Caitlin Clark. Angel Reese has won the NCAA title, that too defeating the Fever star in the championship game. Clark went titleless in college and hasn’t moved beyond the second round in the WNBA postseason. But more success didn’t give Reese the respect that was due to her.

Now, she is near the mountaintop before Clark or any of the young stars like Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Cameron Brink and others could, and failing to reach the pinnacle would potentially nullify her achievement. It seems unfair to Reese, but that’s the least of Reese’s problems. 

“She’s one of those people who puts her goals out there, and sometimes when you do that, you put it out there for people to criticize and judge,” Dream owner and former WNBA player Renee Montgomery said. “But she does it unapologetically, and now she’s just checking goals off the list.”

It’s all in Reese’s hands on Halloween when the Dream heads west for Game 7. Bayou Barbie certainly has more to lose, as a missed opportunity will see her not leapfrog Clark and truly capitalize on this one opportunity.

A loss, though, will not be the end, like it hasn’t been the end of the road for other greats. Tamika Catchings lost her first Finals to Phoenix in 2009 after leading 2-1 in the five-game series. A’ja Wilson was swept by the Storm in her first Finals in 2020. History is always kind to those who continue to fight, and it will be kind to Reese too.