Angel Reese is usually the Atlanta Dream’s biggest weapon, but over the last two games of the WNBA Finals, Kiah Stokes has turned the star forward into an offensive liability. Now, after coming off a 7-point game, a former coach is speaking up about how Atlanta could adjust to Golden State’s defensive game plan.

Kiah Stokes has turned the Atlanta Dream’s biggest weapon, Angel Reese, into a liability in the Finals. As a collective, the Valkyries have kept Reese to single digits for the first time in her professional career. Another such game could see the Dream’s Finals hopes end, but not if ‘Bayou Barbie’ makes one small change to her offense.

“Kiah [Stokes] is a shot blocker,” Teresa Weatherspoon said during an appearance on NBA TV’s The Association.

“When she’s guarding you hit up, she knows how to play the ball, walling up and keeping you in front of her and doing what she does best. And that’s either shot-blocking or altering shots… Angel has to get on the move a little bit more. She gets on the move a little bit more; it put Kiah in a different position defensively, not standing and defending, but on the move and defending. That gives Angel a little more of an opportunity to really excel on the offensive end.”

Weatherspoon, who coached Reese when she was on the Chicago Sky in 2024, highlighted that Stokes has shown herself to be a thorn in Reese’s side. The Dream star has been held to poor shooting nights in consecutive games: eight points on 2-for-12 shooting in Game 4, and seven points on 2-for-8 shooting in Game 5. Compare that to her performance from the first three games, and the difference is night and day.

Over the first three games of the series, Reese led the Finals series in scoring, averaging 21.7 points per game over that period. However, Stokes seemingly has gotten used to matching up against her, and according to Weatherspoon, Reese needs to stop running the more static, post-centric plays and start playing more mobile.

Stokes, who finished the game with 13 points, three blocks, and eight rebounds, even earned MVP chants from the Chase Center crowd during an on-court interview following Game 5. After the game, though, she was humble about being a contender for the Finals MVP award.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” she said.

“I didn’t probe. I just opened up space. I’m just like head down, blue-collar hoops.”

The Valkyries now lead the series 3-2 heading to Atlanta, with the Dream needing a win to force Game 7.

Stokes containing Reese wasn’t something that emerged in Game 4 or 5 either. Entering Game 5, Reese shot just 5-for-21 on plays when Stokes guarded her, while completely stuffing the Dream’s half-court offensive sets, containing them to just 0.6 points per possession when Stokes guarded a pick-and-roll.

Atlanta’s problems extend beyond just Reese’s poor shooting nights. In Game 5, the team managed just 55 points, the lowest they had scored all season, while shooting 29.2% from the field and committing 17 turnovers, making it hard to keep pace with their opponents.

However, while Weatherspoon believes that Reese needs to change her game, the forward has indicated that there might be factors outside the four lines impacting her recent ineffectiveness.

Angel Reese Calls Out Officiating Shift as Dream Face Elimination

Reese was adamant in the postgame conference following the Game 5 loss that there had been a clear change in officiating over the last two showdowns in the series. She called out the lack of fouls going in favor of the Dream, going into detail about how it interrupted an offensive process.

“I know I have the mismatch, especially we were talking about matchups,” Reese said.

“So when I do switch on the post and I’m a lot stronger than the opponent, I should be able to turn and they’re calling an offensive foul, but I’m getting pushed before that. So that is frustrating for sure… It definitely shifted when we went up 2-1, and things shifted. I don’t know what happened, but it definitely took a big turn.”

For reference, Reese logged four personal fouls in Game 5, three of which were on offense and led to all of her three turnovers. On top of that, the Dream, who averaged 29 free throws per game over the first four games, were held to just 14 attempts in Game 5, the lowest of any game the team has played in the 2026 playoffs.

Now, as the series heads to Atlanta for what could be the final game of the season, Reese and the Dream will have to fight hard to keep their title hopes alive. Only time will tell if officiating becomes an issue for them again.