Dream Save Their Season—and Maybe the WNBA

ATLANTA — Angel Reese skipped past the Valkyries bench, chirping at the Golden State players after driving to the basket, forcing an and-one in the first quarter of Game 6. It was a welcome sign for Atlanta, which feeds off Reese’s fire and her fluency in trash talk. “You can definitely tell we got our swagger back,” Reese said after the game.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is her side’s emotional bellwether, but on Thursday, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard matched Reese’s energy with an offensive onslaught. After a relatively quiet series, Gray and Howard combined for 44 points to help Atlanta power past Golden State, 80–69. Now Atlanta and Golden State will return to the West Coast for a winner-take-all Game 7 at Chase Center.

“I always told the girls, it’s not going to rain forever,” Reese said. “We were able to maximize that moment today. The sun peeked out a little bit more today, and gave us the opportunity to see Game 7.”

The Dream saved their season and, in doing so, saved the WNBA from further public relations headaches. Alas, a champion won’t be crowned at 3 p.m. on a Thursday, the title-clinching matchup serving as an opener for a Hawks regular-season headliner. Atlanta fans also made the most of the afternoon tip, packing State Farm Arena with a 17,099-person sellout crowd. Two teachers could be overheard in the bathroom at halftime, swapping stories about securing substitutes for Thursday’s matinee; others chimed in, sharing how they’d called out of work or pulled their kids out of school. If ever Atlanta showed it knows how to party at any hour, it was at Game 6, with T-Pain performing “Buy U a Drank” at halftime, and the fans Swag Surfin’ before the clock struck 2:30 p.m. ET.

“Shout out to the crowd,” Reese said. “Being able to come here at 12:30 on a Thursday. So many things going on in the world from school to work to everything else. We’re just super thankful. We fed off their energy. They were loud from the beginning, so we’re definitely thankful for that.”s

Allisha Gray takes a shot in Game 6 of the WNBA Finals — Allisha Gray had her best performance of the postseason on Thursday with 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And the Dream made sure the show was worth the price of admission. For the first time in this series, we got to see the Platonic ideal of Karl Smesko basketball. Atlanta hit 13 threes, shooting 43.3% from beyond the arc, and upped the tempo. Thursday marked the 16th consecutive game the Dream won when Reese hit at least one three-pointer (she drained two in Game 6). Driving, kicking and whipping tight passes, Atlanta moved the ball in ways it hadn’t before against the Valkyries’ suffocating defense.

“We played with a different spacing and pace,” Smesko said. “In truth, it’s how we are supposed to play. So, it’s just getting back to our fundamentals of how we like to play offense.”

Gray was what made it all hum. Shooting 5-of-7 from three, Golden State was forced to commit to Gray—and Howard—opening up lanes to the basket. She finished with 23 points (shooting 66.7% from the field), six rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks in an all-encompassing performance. This follows a frustrating Finals for Gray, who injured her finger in the semifinals and has revealed she’s not operating at 100%, shooting 28.1% from the field going into Game 6.

“We talked about yesterday, just give myself grace. Just let the game come to me,” Gray said after the game. “The coaches and my teammates did challenge me. I do believe I stepped up to the challenge … I feel like I can take it up even another level.”

On the flight from San Francisco to Atlanta, fresh off a Game 5 clunker, Reese poured into Gray. She reminded her that at this point in a long, drawn-out series, it’s all about the mental game, speaking with the composure of a pro in just her third year in the league, and in her first Finals.

“I just want her to continue to be confident in who she is,” Reese said. “I always remind her, you’re that girl. You’re a superstar. Act like a superstar and always be a superstar, and we follow right behind you.”

It’s that bravado and belief that hasn’t led the Dream astray. When they can play with the brashness that Reese conjures—Barbie ball, if you will—good things happen. And now Atlanta gets to swagger back into Balhalla, having backed up its braggadocio. Much like its city, this team knows how to throw a party at any time of day.

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