ATLANTA — It’s been 13 years since the Atlanta Dream took their home court for a WNBA Finals game.
That dry spell will come to an end on Wednesday, when Atlanta hosts the Golden State Valkyries for a pivotal Game 3 at State Farm Arena that will help decide which franchise will hoist its first championship trophy.
The fourth-seeded Dream evened the best-of-seven series on Monday, suffocating the second-seeded Valkyries in a 79-65 win. As the series shifts to the East Coast, Atlanta will look to build on the momentum from its first-ever Finals victory.
“I think it’s just the start,” said Dream forward Angel Reese, who had 30 points and 16 rebounds on Monday. “Throughout the entire year, we just continue to stick together and know who we are. We have the city behind us. We have the team. We have the coaches and everybody rallying behind us. It feels really good. It’s just the next step of who Atlanta is and who Atlanta is going to continue to be for the next couple of years.”
In the infancy of the franchise’s existence, Atlanta got close to a title but was swept in the Finals in 2010, 2011 and 2013. While second-year head coach Karl Smesko was thrilled to see his team leave San Francisco with a split, he knows a massive challenge still awaits.
Despite Reese’s dominant effort in Game 2, Atlanta shot just 33.9 percent from the field and 28 percent (7-for-25) from beyond the arc. Golden State’s 34.4 percent clip from the field on Monday was the highest of either team through two games.
“I don’t have the answer to that,” Smesko said when asked why each side has struggled shooting the ball. “I do know both teams are defending at a really high level with a really high intensity. Maybe both teams are settling in. We’ll go back to Atlanta and we’ll have to play even better, and our team realizes that. We know how good Golden State is.”
Golden State built its run to the Finals by wreaking havoc on defense. The Valkyries led the league in the regular season with 75.1 points allowed per game while forcing nearly 14 turnovers per contest.
Golden State guard Veronica Burton said the Valkyries were outhustled in Game 2 — a stance echoed by disappointed head coach Natalie Nakase.
“That’s frustrating,” Nakase said. “That’s been part of our identity, we hang our hats on the defensive end. 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. Just unfortunate and definitely going to ask questions.”
Gabby Williams has averaged 20 points in the series as the only Golden State player to score in double figures in both contests.
The Valkyries won their lone game in Atlanta this season, posting an 88-83 victory on July 4 at Gateway Center Arena.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
