By virtually every offensive metric, both the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries put on a poor offensive display in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. But that did not appear to be a significant concern for the Valkyries heading into Game 2, particularly given head coach Natalie Nakase’s seemingly relaxed reaction in her postgame press conference. It is no wonder, then, that the same offensive struggles were replicated in Game 2. And for former college basketball player and WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita, that was a central part of what ultimately cost the Valkyries the game.
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Speaking on Tuesday’s episode of her Courtside Club podcast in a postgame reaction to the Atlanta Dream’s 79-65 victory, DeMita could not overlook the Valkyries’ offensive performance. Even though she acknowledged that neither team shot particularly well, she felt Golden State’s offense in Game 2 went beyond poor shooting into something considerably more troubling, something she described plainly as “flat-out bad.” “
This game was kind of eye-opening to me,” DeMita said. “In Game 1 and in Game 2, neither team is shooting well. Coach Natalie Nakase was asked about this in the postgame presser. And she was like, ‘It’s our identity.’ And essentially, what she’s alluding to is that both of these teams are defensive-minded teams, and she’s saying that that is the reason that neither team is shooting well.”
“Now, I do think that has something to do with it. It truly does. Both teams play great defense. They expend a lot of energy on the defensive end. However, the Golden State Valkyries’ offense last night was bad. It was just flat-out bad.”
“They were standing around. They were essentially playing one-on-one the entire night. And when they weren’t playing one-on-one the entire night, they actually did get good looks at the bucket. They did knock down three-pointers when the ball was moving,” she added.
The shooting numbers across both games confirm how historically poor the offensive output has been. In Game 1, the Atlanta Dream shot 32.8 percent from the floor, while the Valkyries managed a near-identical 32.1 percent. The teams also combined to go 11-of-58 from three-point range, Atlanta shooting a frozen 16 percent and Golden State managing just 21.2 percent.
In Game 2, the numbers barely improved. The Dream shot 33.9 percent and the Valkyries 34.4 percent. Neither team found any rhythm from deep either, with Golden State shooting 29.2 percent from three and Atlanta 28.0 percent.
It is not common for a team to win a WNBA Finals game while shooting under 34 percent from the field. It has now happened twice in this series, a statistical anomaly that speaks to just how suffocating both defenses have been and how thoroughly they have neutralized each other’s offenses.
Despite the ongoing offensive struggles, however, Nakase has remained composed and unapologetic about Golden State’s identity. For her, the Valkyries are a defensive team first, and that has not changed.
Game 3 travels to the Dream’s State Farm Arena, and based on everything Nakase has said, it will once again be a defensive showcase more than an offensive one. Whether that approach produces a win away from home will be the defining question heading into Game 3.
Natalie Nakase Promises Internal Discussions Ahead of Game 3: Stands by Valkyries’ Defensive Identity
The Golden State Valkyries have earned a well-deserved reputation as the most defensively formidable team in the WNBA this season. And whatever their defensive system looks like in practice, the results have consistently backed it up.
It earned them a second-seed finish in the regular season. It powered a 3-0 sweep of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals. And it delivered a Game 1 victory in the Finals. With that track record behind her, Nakase has no intention of abandoning the system in Game 3. But she will certainly be reviewing what went wrong in Game 2, specifically, where the Valkyries’ defensive execution fell short of the standard that has defined this team all season.
“Our identity is defense; we hang our hats on that end,” Nakase said. “So I need to have some conversations. I need to listen within the next 48 hours to see how I did not deliver my message about our game plan, our fight, our physicality. Like today, we were trying to make sure we were going to give our best fight tonight. So just unfortunate, and definitely going to ask questions.”
The series is now tied 1-1, with Game 3 shifting to Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. The Valkyries will be playing away from home and without their Chase Center crowd for the first time in the Finals, a new challenge for a team that has fed off that energy throughout the postseason.
Whether Nakase’s internal conversations and adjustments can translate into a performance that recaptures their Game 1 identity will determine whether Golden State can reclaim the series lead. The answers, as always, will come on the floor.