History was always going to be made on Saturday night. It was the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, and both teams were chasing a first championship. In the end, it was the Golden State Valkyries who lifted the trophy, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 at Chase Center in San Francisco to win the series 4-3.
On Thursday, the Dream had routed the Valkyries 80-69 to force this deciding game. Here is how Golden State answered, based on reporting from AP, the WNBA’s Game 7 blog and the official game summary.
Gabby Williams takes over
The night belonged to Gabby Williams. She scored 30 points, 28 of them in the second half, and was named Finals MVP after averaging 19.6 points and 2.6 steals per game over the series, according to the WNBA.
Williams scored her team’s final 11 points of the third quarter, then kept going in the fourth. With about two minutes left, her three-pointer gave Golden State a three-point lead.
“Gabby is our closer, she stayed patient, she stayed with it,” coach Natalie Nakase said, according to AP.
How the game unfolded
It was a low-scoring, nervy game, which is often what Game 7s look like.
- First quarter: Golden State jumped out to an early 8-0 lead as Atlanta started 0-for-10 from the field. The Valkyries led 14-12 after one.
- Second quarter: The Dream found their rhythm. Jordin Canada led all scorers in the first half, and Atlanta took a 30-24 lead into the break.
- Third quarter: Williams caught fire with 15 points in the period, and Golden State outscored Atlanta 21-14 to take a one-point lead into the fourth.
- Fourth quarter: The game was tied at 53 with about four minutes left before the Valkyries pulled away, outscoring the Dream 23-19 in the final period.
The ending was tense. AP reported that Allisha Gray made two free throws with 11 seconds left, and Atlanta then forced a jump ball between Gray and Williams. Veronica Burton came up with it and made two free throws with 5.1 seconds to go to seal the win.
Atlanta’s near miss
For the Dream, Jordin Canada scored 18 points, Allisha Gray added 16, and Angel Reese had eight points and 12 rebounds. Reese still made history in defeat: the WNBA said she became the first player in Finals history to total more than 100 points and 50 rebounds in a single Finals series.
AP noted that the loss means Atlanta was denied a championship in the franchise’s fourth try in the Finals.
A record-breaking rise
The scale of the Valkyries’ achievement is hard to overstate. Golden State is only in its second season. The WNBA said the team became the fastest franchise in any of the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB since 1967 to win a championship after its founding.
The home crowd of 18,064 even got into the Halloween spirit, with fans in costume for what the team called “Boohalla.”
Why this matters for the league
A first-ever Game 7, decided in the final seconds, is exactly the kind of drama any league wants. It caps a season in which the WNBA celebrated its 30th year, and it gives the league a brand-new champion with a big-city fan base on the West Coast.
For the Valkyries, the question now is whether they can build a lasting contender. For the Dream, the challenge is turning a heartbreaking near miss into fuel for next season.
The wrap-up
The Golden State Valkyries went from expansion team to champion in two seasons, and they did it in the most dramatic way possible. Gabby Williams delivered when it mattered most, and the WNBA got a Finals finish that fans will be talking about for years.
Image: Small basketball arena 2 by Wikideas1 via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0
