NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
All eyes are on the WNBA Finals matchup between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries, two teams seeking their first championship. For Golden State, a team in only its second year, every milestone is history. Last season, they were the first expansion team to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season.
This year, they are the first expansion team to reach the finals this quickly. Expansion teams aren’t supposed to be this good this early, but they are, and they aren’t done yet.
This team was built with clear intent and attention to detail. The front office hand-selected each player to build its ideal roster. Natalie Nakase was chosen because she is a basketball-obsessed coach who wants to help her players reach their best potential. This was a perfect pairing from the start: a coach who wants to give her team space to be themselves while she believes in them, plus an expansion team built around players who have experienced turbulence during their careers in the league.
Nakase said her coaching style all started with her father and how he raised her as a basketball player. He put her in difficult situations to help her understand that people can have flaws and make mistakes. Her lesson from him sounded like, ‘But how can you get better in those situations?’
“Coaching is never about you, and it should never be about you. It’s all about pouring yourself into others and building their confidence and building their weaknesses into strengths – also letting them know it’s ok to have weaknesses.”
Nakase is all about pouring into her team. On one of their longer road trips, she was sad they had to part ways because she was so happy to spend so much time with the team.
During press conferences, we sometimes get a glimpse of how close this team is. It shows in the way they place a hand on each other’s shoulders, or how a teammate’s compliment can bring tears to their eyes.
The Buy In
Gabby Williams joined Golden State because of the culture they built last season. While she was on the Storm, she felt the energy of Ballhalla and the chemistry the first-year team had developed, and she wanted in. It also wouldn’t hurt for the Bay Area baller to return home and play for her hometown team.
During free agency, Williams said she wanted to play on a team that could contend for a championship. After speaking with the front office, she recognized what made the Valkyries so lethal: the culture they built. “They asked me so many questions about myself, about what gets me going and what works for me. I was like, ah, they just want to get the best out of every single player. That’s the formula.”
The additions of Williams and Kiah Stokes helped the Valkyries reach new heights.
Golden State’s play started to impress the media and put them on the map, especially during these playoff series. Analysts said the team moved together like puppets on strings, fully connected, game in and game out. They also play with so much joy. The bench celebrates every big play alongside the players and roars just as loud as the fans when Burton forces a turnover, or Williams hits a tough shot. Kaitlyn Chen goes viral every game because of her explosive reactions.
Now this team, built on defense, chemistry, and a strong culture, faces the league’s No. 2 defense on Saturday afternoon. Both teams are hungry for a victory. The Dream swept their East opponents in the first two rounds, while the Valkyries lost one first-round game to the Wings. That loss, although brutal, taught Golden State how to stay composed in critical moments.
“We’ve talked about composure from day one,” Burton said on Tuesday. “It comes down to just staying together, communicating with one another, and focusing on what we control. That’s pouring into each other and building each other up. When things aren’t going well, we aren’t hitting shots, just buying into our identity, which is on the defensive end.”
