NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
Atlanta — The Valkyries are down 2-1 in the WNBA Finals. Although the internet is calling the series a wrap, this team isn’t. They spent the last two days watching film together and being extremely vulnerable with one another about what they need to change.
Kaila Charles said that as they reviewed film, they called each other out when needed. Not to embarrass each other, but more so to hold one another accountable. “We know it’s out of love and we want to win.”
In Game 3, the Dream exposed Golden State in so many ways. Angel Reese’s performance, paired with her trash talk, turned the arena into a higher-decibel environment. The Valkyries tied the game at 49 in the second half, but two scoring runs from the Dream made it impossible to catch up.
I captured a moment after the game of Gabby Williams sharing her frustrations with the team in the huddle. The now-viral clip has half the internet praising her as the force this team needs to change. The other half says it’s too late. She should have brought that energy during the game. Williams led the team in Game 3 with 15 points; the other two starters were scoreless. Golden State went four minutes without scoring, and the Dream hit every bucket.
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During today’s media availabilities, Williams said she feels like she’s been too loose as a leader. She said, “It’s alright; we will figure it out; we’re good. I just wanted to show my team something different because we need something different.” The Valkyries need that fire and that energy heading into Saturday’s matchup in a packed State Farm Arena.
When I first filmed the huddle, I felt it was invasive to share online for the reasons I stated above. I knew the emotions behind Williams’ message were heavy and personal, but it also told the story of how the Valkyries felt in that moment. Williams spoke up. She doesn’t feel like this team is playing to its potential, and it doesn’t look like the team that has defeated all 14 this season.
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Reese told the media she enjoys the mental game of this finals matchup. Reese and the team are paying attention to those moments when Golden State loses their confidence and “do whatever she can to mess them up.” (Kendra Andrews, ESPN)
“You can see it in their emotions and facial expressions. A lot of us are looking for that, making sure we can find any little thing to give us an edge and have our leverage over them.”
I asked Aminata Gueye about the back-and-forth chirping between her and Reese. She shared that she would talk back to any player she was matched up with, not just Reese. In Game 1, Gueye used some colorful language toward Reese, and it’s stuck with the pair ever since. Pardon her French.
I also asked Charles about how she’s helped guide Gueye through those moments where it feels like the entire opposing team is singling one player out. “That’s what she [Angel] fuels off of is trying to get into people’s heads. Ami did a great job last game. She got her points and was solid for us by not feeding into that. But on the flip side, we need to have some fire too. We aren’t necessarily trash talkers, but we need to be more physical, impose our will, and dictate. We have her back because it’s like, okay, you’re not about to talk to her like that.”
Veronica Burton said she needed to take care of the ball better and play their style of basketball, which is composed. I asked if that also meant slowing the game down rather than picking up the tempo, since that is Atlanta’s style of play, and she agreed that was part of it.
“It depends on the situation, and sometimes transition is good for us; sometimes slowing it down is good for us. We want to control he pace of the game better than we have.”
Rhyne Howard said she knows this team feels like their back is against the wall, and it would be disappointing to drop a game after playing so well in Game 3. But Golden State needs a win to ease their minds and remind parasocial fans that a 2-2 series is anyone’s game.
Golden State needs to score early and protect the ball. It sounds simple, but they’ve allowed 46 points off turnovers in the last two games; those mistakes change the game. After a day’s rest and countless hours of film review, expect Game 4 to be intense in a new way: a mindset reset. The collective breath worked against Dallas when the Valkyries needed it most. Atlanta has figured out many pieces of Golden State’s puzzle, but they have 40 minutes to make a major comeback and regain their confidence.
