{"id":945180,"date":"2026-10-25T02:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T02:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/945180\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T02:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T02:06:11","slug":"valkyries-embrace-change-come-back-to-life-to-even-wnba-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/945180\/","title":{"rendered":"Valkyries Embrace Change, Come Back to Life to Even WNBA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gabby Williams gathered her team into a huddle at the buzzer of Game 3, and delivered an impassioned speech after a demoralizing 26-point loss to the Dream<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cI wanted to show my team something different because we need something different,\u201d Williams said at practice on Friday. \u201cI had to get out of my comfort zone and try to remotivate the troops.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bThe fiery address paid off, with Golden State leveling the series 2\u20132 on Saturday and suffocating Atlanta in a gritty 67\u201362 win in Game 4. Before their two-game slide in the Finals, the Valkyries hadn\u2019t lost consecutive games since August. Determined not to make it an unprecedented three-game skid, Williams, who said she\u2019d been \u201ctoo loose as a leader,\u201d knew she had to shake things up. And the galvanizing sermon was as much for her as for her team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t like where I was in that last game. So I think stepping up in that role made me step up also individually,\u201d Williams said after Game 4. \u201cIf I want to lead my team, I have to be the one that sets the tone, and I have to lead by example as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natalie \u200bNakase has also been self-reflective, acknowledging that she has had to tailor her message so it lands better with her team\u2014something she learned from 14-year veteran Tiffany Hayes. Intense and competitive by nature, Nakase said she needed to be more composed in the huddles so she could deliver her adjustments to her players more directly.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe Golden State coach wasn\u2019t afraid to switch things up on the floor either. She made a consequential starting lineup change, swapping in Kaila Charles and Hayes for Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cThe best thing about our team is like, no one cares who starts. No one cares,\u201d Nakase said after Saturday\u2019s win. \u201cPeople come off the bench; it doesn\u2019t matter. We do that because we have a really selfless team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bThe new look seemed to pay dividends, as the Dream attempted just 19 shots in an out-of-sorts first two frames for Karl Smesko\u2019s side. After being held scoreless for the first five minutes of Game 3, Golden State punched first on Saturday. And while a Valkyries knockout may not be an ear-ringing blow, their series of subtle jabs add up, amounting to a slugfest.<\/p>\n

\"Golden<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing about our team is like, no one cares who starts. No one cares,\u201d Golden State coach Natalie Nakase said after Game 4. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

\u200bGolden State\u2019s asphyxiating ball pressure came from another adjustment Nakase wasn\u2019t afraid to make, deploying more of a zone look on defense that left the Dream perplexed and without answers. The Valkyries finished with 18 points off 16 Dream turnovers, thanks in large part to Williams, who led the charge in flustering Atlanta, logging three steals on top of 17 points and five rebounds.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cI thought her defense was on an elite, elite level,\u201d Nakase said of Williams. \u201cI mean, she\u2019s one of the top defenders in the world for a reason. And you can see when she\u2019s locked in on her matchup, and her game plan, she can get after it and create more possessions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bSlowing down the Dream, the Valkyries didn\u2019t let Atlanta get out in transition, with Smesko\u2019s squad finishing with only two fast-break points. Golden State also won the battle inside, scoring 38 paint points to the Dream\u2019s 28. Much of that came down to Kiah Stokes making life difficult for Angel Reese. After back-to-back blockbuster performances, Reese<\/a> was held to eight points\u2014shooting 2-for-12 from the field\u2014and nine rebounds.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201dShe\u2019s been the head of their snake all series,\u201d Stokes said of Reese. \u201cSo for me, it was just trying to make every look that she had at the basket difficult. It\u2019s a tough job, but I think being our best defensive big, I gotta own up to that challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps Nakase\u2019s NBA experience as an assistant with the Clippers has prepared her for the rollercoaster that is a seven-game series (which the WNBA implemented in 2025) and the flexibility to bend without breaking. \u200bBy being bold in its willingness to transform\u2014whether in tone, disposition, personnel or approach\u2014Golden State has actually found a way back to itself. A 67\u201362 final scoreline reflects exactly the type of game the Valkyries want to play: a physical slog that cuts off their opponent\u2019s oxygen. And remaining guileless even in the face of defeat has brought Golden State back to life.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cI listen more after losses because I need to know what they\u2019re thinking, what they\u2019re feeling,\u201d Nakase said. \u201cAnd so, again, just credit to our players. They\u2019re super vulnerable after losses. And like I mentioned before, we get even closer after losses because we learn from our lessons after losses.\u201d<\/p>\n

That openness, trust and experimentation, born of defeat, may just be Golden State\u2019s winning formula.<\/p>\n

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