When Joe Lacob set the ambitious goal of bringing a title to the Bay within five years, Natalie Nakase built the Valkyries around a simple principle: the team comes before the individual. But a 26-point blowout in Game 3 left Golden State looking nothing like the team she had worked to build, prompting Nakase to admit her squad was entirely unrecognizable. With the Valkyries trailing 2-1 and their championship hopes hanging in the balance, Nakase knew something had to change. She responded by overhauling the starting lineup, a bold adjustment that helped spark a series-saving Game 4 victory while bringing the team back to the gritty, collective identity she had demanded since taking the job.

“I just wanted to change it up. The best thing about our team is, like, no one cares who starts,” Nakase said after the game. “No one cares. People on the bench. It doesn’t matter. We can do that because they’re a really selfless team, egoless team.”

“So yeah, they just wanted to change it, and yeah, you definitely saw some energy, a better fight.”

And it seems that Nakase pushed all the right tactical buttons, trimming her rotation to just seven players and swapping starters: elevating Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles while shifting Cecilia Zandalasini and Kayla Thornton to reserve roles. The adjustments proved decisive: Hayes provided 13 points, and a revitalized Zandalasini snapped a cold streak with 10 huge points off the bench.

And this bold coaching gamble has made it into the record books: according to research from Emily Adams and Zack Collura, Golden State is the first team in the five-game WNBA Finals era (since 2005) to change multiple starters in Game 3 or later without an injury forcing the move.

The only comparable lineup shake-up this late in a series came in Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals, when the Las Vegas Aces replaced two starters—a move strictly forced by injuries to Kiah Stokes and Chelsea Gray, again, per research by Emily Adams and Zack Collura.

For Nakase, the signs were encouraging right from the outset. Operating off an offensive rebound, Gabby Williams assisted Cecilia Zandalasini for a corner 3-pointer with 2:09 left in the opening quarter, pushing Golden State ahead 14–7.

A cold 0-for-6 shooting start didn’t rattle Golden State. The Valkyries quickly seized control with an unanswered 12–0 run to take a 16–11 first-quarter lead, then leaned on Burton whenever Atlanta threatened to mount a rally in the second quarter. Burton repeatedly sank momentum-killing daggers to keep the Dream at bay, anchoring a 26–15 quarter that sent Golden State into halftime holding a comfortable 42–26 lead.

For the Dream, Rhyne Howard carried the offensive load with 19 points, but the Dream found little consistent help elsewhere. Jordin Canada and Isobel Borlase chipped in 10 points apiece, while Allisha Gray was held to just five points on a night marred by early foul trouble and a lingering hand injury that limited her to 22 minutes.

Golden State snapped Angel Reese’s postseason run, halting her streak of three straight double-doubles with an 8-point, 9-rebound, 3-block performance marred by six turnovers. Reese could never find clean air around the rim, shooting an inefficient 2-of-12 from the field and missing her only attempt from distance.

Gabby Williams, the undoubted leader of this Valkyries team, felt the weight of responsibility after two successive losses. She clearly had different intentions this time around.

“I didn’t like who I was in that last game,” Williams said. “Stepping up in that role made me step up also individually. If I want to lead my team, I have to be the one that sets the tone, and I have to lead by example as well.”

Gabby Williams carried the offensive burden for the Valkyries with 17 points, going 7 of 21 from the field in 37 minutes of playing time.

While Natalie Nakase said that the team “didn’t recognize ourselves” after the way they played in the previous two games, she was certainly happy this time around.

“That’s our identity,” Nakase said. “Keeping a team like Atlanta to 62. That’s who we are.”

With the next game at the Chase Center, Nakase and Co. will surely look to keep their foot down on the accelerator and take a commanding lead with the full force of “Balhalla” behind them.