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Valkyries Coach Urges Team to Avoid Slow Start in Game 7
· Confirmed
In Short: Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is urging her team to avoid a slow start in the decisive Game 7 against the Atlanta Dream.
In Game 6, the Dream dominated the first half, racing out to a 25-point lead and ultimately securing an 80-69 victory.
"Can't let that happen right out of the gate," Valkyries guard Veronica Burton echoed, highlighting the need for immediate defensive focus.
The Valkyries will host the game at Chase Center in San Francisco, where they hope to reclaim their defensive edge that was crucial in their 64-55 Game 5 win.
In Game 6, the Dream shot over 43% from the field and 3-point range, with Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard combining for nine triples and 44 points.
Despite losing the turnover battle, the Dream managed to outscore the Valkyries 18-12 in points off turnovers.
Nakase made adjustments in Game 4, inserting Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes into the starting lineup to bolster defense and rebounding.
Tiffany Hayes, who came off the bench all season, has found her shooting touch, shooting 49.1 percent over the past five games.
The Valkyries will need to match the Dream's early intensity to avoid falling behind early in Game 7.
"Shout out to the crowd, being able to come here at 12:30 on a Thursday and so many things going on in the world from school to work, to everything else," Valkyries player Reese said, acknowledging the support of the fans.
The game will be a historic first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, with the home team having won 11 of the last 13 decisive Finals games.
Background
The Golden State Valkyries are determined to avoid another slow start as they prepare for Game 7 against the Atlanta Dream at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday night.
The Golden State Valkyries are heading into Game 6 of the WNBA Finals with a 3-2 series lead after defeating the Atlanta Dream 64-55 in Game 5 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
What's confirmed
- 4 Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the Finals this weekend at "Ballhalla," Chase Center in San Francisco.
- She was baffled that her team somehow left behind its defensive intensity at the start of Thursday’s 80-69 loss to the Dream that forced Game 7 at “Ballhalla” in San Francisco on Saturday night.
- While the Valkyries were missing their defensive edge that was so important in their 64-55 Game 5 win, the Dream seized the opportunity by making 73.3% of their shots in the first quarter and racing to a 32-15 lead.
What's still developing
- In a Finals that's been mostly defined by defense, the Dream's offense showed up in a big way in the elimination game as Atlanta raced out to a 25-point first-half lead en route to an 80-69 victory.
- There have been 13 winner-take-all games in Finals history, most recently in 2024 when the New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in a Game 5 to earn their first championship.
- The Valkyries return to the friendly confines of Ballhalla after failing to close out the series on the road in Game 6.
- Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are There has never been a Game 7 in WNBA playoff history.
- In the fall of 1998, all 5-foot-2 of her strutted into Kathy Olivier’s office and told the then-UCLA women’s basketball coach that she could hang with the Bruins’ scholarship players and earn her own if she tried out.
- Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said the Dream’s hot start was as much of a surprise as it was aggravating.
- For the WNBA finals, the games in Atlanta were moved to the 16,000-seat State Farm Arena, resulting in some scheduling adjustments becoming necessary.
- The Valkyries reclaimed home-court advantage on Saturday afternoon with a gritty 67-62 victory at State Farm Arena, countering Atlanta’s blowout win in Game 3.
- They got there by taking 57 shots from the floor compared to Atlanta’s 27 during those two quarters – so it wasn’t like the Valkyries’ shooting woes were exactly over.
- PT, 2 1/2 hours before the previously scheduled start time.
- Then after Bueckers missed a 19-foot pullup with 55 seconds left and Ogunbowale missed a floater after a Jessica Shepard rebound, Williams came through clutch once again to seal the game at the free-throw line.
- Zandalasini, who started 34 of the 37 regular-season games she appeared in, came off the bench and provided a 10-point first-half effort.
Sources
- NBC Bay Arealink
- Orange County Registerlink
- Rafulink
- Ngscsportslink
- Thestarlink
- Missionlocallink
- Abc7Newslink
- Nbcmiamilink
- Mercurynewslink
- Sfstandardlink
- Goldenstateofmindlink
- Nypostlink
- WarpBeat — background on Valkyries Aim to Avoid Slow Start in Decisive Game 7 link
- WarpBeat — background on Valkyries Lead Series 3-2 After Game 5 Win link
- Quita Loves Sports — video link