The WNBA Finals are set!
On Friday, the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries both sealed their spots in the Finals. The Dream clinched first, with a sweep of the New York Liberty. The Dream will take a 10-game winning streak into the Finals, where Angel Reese will take the WNBA’s biggest stage for the first time.
Then the Valkyries took down the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. In only their second season in the league, the Valkyries reach the title game, riding the league’s best defense and an offense that clicked in the postseason.
ESPN was courtside for both games to cover all the action and break down both games. Michael Voepel, Alexa Philippou, Kendra Andrews and Kareem Copeland bring in-game highlights and postgame takeaways from every arena.
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Postgame analysis | Relive the action
How Golden State won the game: The Valkyries dominated overtime, outscoring the Aces 16-6 in those final five minutes. With 1:13 left, the Aces were called for an offensive foul to put the ball back in the Valkyries’ hands, and a Gabby Williams step-back on the next possession all but sealed their win. Williams, Tiffany Hayes and Kayla Thornton scored all of the Valkyries’ points in overtime. Williams and Hayes finished with 16 and 11 points on the night, respectively. Thornton added 18 points, and Kiah Stokes had 11. A’ja Wilson finished with 19 points but was scoreless in overtime, attempting just one field goal.
For the first time in this series, the Valkyries had to fight from behind. Trailing by 11 early in the third quarter, Golden State faced their biggest deficit of the series, but they responded overwhelmingly. Fueled by Thornton, Hayes and Stokes, the Valkyries went on a 17-0 run to retake the lead. They trailed by six with three minutes left in regulation. The most important defensive play of the night came with just under two minutes left in regulation when Williams picked Wilson’s pocket, leading to a Veronica Burton 2 to tie the score.
What it means for the winner: The Valkyries are the first expansion franchise to make the WNBA Finals in its first two years in the league. And they got there by an improbable sweep of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and five-time MVP Wilson. Burton told reporters this morning that the Valkyries always believed they were contenders — dating all the way back to last year. On Friday, the Valkyries proved they were right. — Kendra Andrews
How Atlanta won the game: The Dream played better when it mattered most, even after allowing a 29-15 Liberty run in the third quarter. New York looked like it was finally figuring out how to pull away, taking a 71-66 lead into the fourth quarter. But from there, New York went cold and struggled to shut down Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada. Canada proved unstoppable, her driving layup with 1:15 left to put Atlanta up four particularly huge. She finished with 19 points and 11 assists, her fourth career points-assists double-double in the playoffs and 10th such double-double this season. Angel Reese was also massive with a team-high 22 points, including 10 in the first quarter to get Atlanta going.
Jonquel Jones carried the Liberty with 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Breanna Stewart did her best to at least keep New York alive with timely plays on both ends. But miscues, missed shots and missed defensive opportunities doomed the Liberty, who were swept in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
How does Atlanta approach the Finals? The Dream’s sweep of the Liberty was remarkably impressive given that it was accomplished with just 11 minutes of contributions from top scorer Allisha Gray. Atlanta has not lost since the FIBA break and, counting both regular-season and playoff games, has rattled off 10 straight dubs. We’ll see how far momentum can take the Dream. They’ll be in an even better spot if Gray can return in the Finals.
This will be Atlanta’s first Finals appearance since 2013. It has never won. — Alexa Philippou
