The Golden State Valkyries may have taken Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, but the conversation surrounding their 68-64 victory has not exactly been filled with praise. Instead, the prevailing impression of the result has been one of disbelief that the Dream lost, with much of the attention focused on Atlanta’s poor shooting night and how differently the series might have gone had they converted more of their chances.
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For former ESPN host Linda Cohn, however, this narrative appears to overlook what the Valkyries accomplished themselves. So she is pushing back against it, reminding critics that Golden State’s victory was no accident.
“I’m seeing and hearing from fans and on social media: it’s as if the Atlanta Dream are supposed to win this championship, and anything else would be some kind of shocking upset,” Cohn said in a video shared on Monday. “Well, I’ve got news for you. The Valkyries didn’t get to the Finals by accident. This isn’t a fluke. And they certainly didn’t win Game 1 by accident.”
Gabby Williams delivered an exceptional performance with a game-high 26 points. A majority of these came in the second quarter of the game.
“Golden State won that game 68-64. And here’s something that seems to get lost in all the discussion about Atlanta’s poor shooting,” she added. “You ready? The Valkyries shot just 32% from the field. That’s not good. They were seven-for-33 from three-point range. That’s not good. Nobody besides Gabby Williams even scored in double figures on this team, and they still won.”
Other than Williams, Kiah Stokes and Cecilia Zandalasini were the biggest contributors with nine and eight points respectively. Kaila Charles also came through with 10 rebounds and two steals.
“That’s a mark of a good team. So if we’re going to play this game of what happens when Atlanta starts shooting better, let’s also talk about what happens when Golden State starts making some of those open shots, because they missed a bunch as well,” she added.
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals was a brutal shooting slump for both franchises and a grinding, physical defensive contest in which neither team managed to reach the 33% threshold from the field. It was an ugly game. But the Valkyries won it anyway.
It was also a fiercely close back-and-forth affair that was not truly settled until the final seconds. Gabby Williams hit two free throws with 1:18 remaining to put the Valkyries ahead by the narrowest of margins, then iced the game with another pair with just 4.1 seconds left on the clock to seal the 68-64 victory.
But then, while the Atlanta Dream have been brilliant, particularly in the postseason, riding a ten-game winning streak coming into the Finals, and coming off a 3-0 sweep (eliminating New York Liberty), anyone who has watched the Valkyries perform all season should not be surprised by the fight they put up against the Atlanta Dream or the result they produced. For one, they finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed, ahead of the Dream’s No. 4 finish. They also swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 3-0 in the semifinals.
And their defensive identity, which they showed in this game, is not a game-plan adjustment; it is who they are. They led the WNBA with a staggering 99.3 defensive rating, completely towering over the rest of the league, where the next closest team, the Atlanta Dream, trailed at 103.3 and the league median sat at about 108.3.
With this in mind, the Golden State Valkyries certainly do not look like a typical underdog. The fact that they are only a second-year expansion team may have created the impression that they would struggle to compete against more established championship contenders. However, their performances throughout the season and their run to the Finals have proved otherwise
With that reality firmly established, Game 2 returns to Chase Center, and the Valkyries will be banking on their home crowd once again to play their part. If Game 1 was any indication of how this series will be contested, Game 2 promises to be another gritty, tightly wound encounter where every possession carries enormous weight. And of course, it is not only the Dream that will be looking to improve their shooting, but the Valkyries will be looking to do so as well.