The morning of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, the media began to gather in the press conference room at about 10:45 a.m., waiting for Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko to come in for his 10:50 a.m. availability.
A discussion broke out where some people in the room were talking about what was expected to happen in the game.
One reporter chimed in, mentioning he was curious if the Dream and the fans would be able to carry over the momentum of Game 3 since that was the first time the Dream hosted a WNBA Finals game since 2013 and the game was on a Saturday morning instead of an evening – since Atlanta is a night city.
Those concerns came to life as the Dream not only lost to the Golden State Valkyries, allowing the series to go back to San Francisco tied at two games apiece, but they also played their worst half since their loss to the Portland Fire on Aug. 28.
“I mean, give them credit because (Golden State) came out super aggressive,” Smesko told reporters. “They were crashing the boards really hard. They were being very physical on defense, and we just needed to take care of the ball better, get some better shots early. And then when we did get good shots early, they didn’t fall, and we kind of dug ourselves a little bit of a hole.”
When asked prior to the game about what adjustments she expected the Dream to make between games 3 and 4, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase responded that when “you win, you don’t need to make many adjustments.”
Her words rang true. Smesko stuck to his same seven-player rotation due to the matchup with the Valkyries not being a good one defensively for Madina Okot or Te-Hina Paopao, who struggle in ball-screen defense.
However, Golden State made considerable changes, including Cecilia Zandalasini in the starting lineup with Kaila Charles. The change allowed Charles to set the tone early on both sides of the ball and for Zandalasini to give her team a spark off the bench.
“They just started out aggressively, and we didn’t run out ready to match that,” Dream guard Rhyne Howard told reporters.
It was a move that surprised the Dream, who’d reached their peak form in Game 3 and took Game 2, with forward Angel Reese having the takeover look in her eyes from the jump.
But, as Reese always does, she took accountability after the game for her play and her effort in the loss, knowing that the team goes as she goes.
“I think it was me,” Reese said. “I think I rushed a lot on my shots, and I didn’t take my time and finish around the basket like I’ve been enjoying the last two games, and it happens, and I’m just looking forward to the next game.”
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That same look of determination that settled in Angel Reese’s eyes the past two games showed up on Valkyries forward Gabby Williams‘s face during her pregame warm-up. She was on the court, working with the training staff in preparation, and was in the zone.
Using dribble-penetration to create open looks at the rim and to get Williams into her spots off dribble-hand-offs, the Valkyries wasted no time in trying to get Williams going offensively. Williams’ takeover was a product of meeting a challenge laid out by Nakase to display her leadership.
“What’s special about Gabby is she took her time being a leader, and that’s what’s really cool about her,” Nakase said. “That’s what I said from the start. Like she’s a humble star. She’s not someone who’s just going to come in and just say, ‘Hey, I’m the leader.’ She took her time. She let her players trust her, and she built that through the time that she spent having people over at her house, cooking, taking care of them. I love the fact that Gabby just did it her way.”
It’s easy for Nakase to talk the talk, but when Williams can walk the walk? Well, that’s different.
“I didn’t like my last game. I didn’t like where I was in that last game,” Williams said. “So, I think stepping up in that role made me step up also individually. If 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. So I think that motivated me to set the tempo today.
“We wanted to start off the game with a lot of aggressiveness, and before the game, I just talked to the team about running. I talked to the team about not having regrets, and that the beauty of our sport is, as bad as we felt on Wednesday, we get to turn around and make it up today.”
Aggressiveness. There’s that word again.
Why then, with a chance to go up in the series 3-1, were the Dream unable to match that intensity?
“We knew they were going to come out aggressive. We knew they were going to come out with a different mentality,” Howard said. “You all keep asking us what they did. I just think it was a lack of focus on our part. We kept talking about it, but we didn’t show up to be about it.”
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Smesko, Reese and Howard all took accountability for the loss, and Reese said the team is ready for Game 5 on Monday night in Golden State – a place where they defeated the Valkyries in Game 2.
“We just have to get back to who we are, our identity, being the enforcers, and just knowing who we are,” Reese said. “I think our second quarter is what obviously killed us, being outscored 26-15. I think our second half was great. We applied a lot of pressure, but we can’t wait till the second half to do it, especially in Ballhalla. We have to make sure we come out a lot better and finish the game how we did.”
With the loss and the series even at two games each, Game 6 will now be necessary. Sources told The IX Sports that there’s still not a venue in place, and the organizations involved were going to wait until the outcome of Game 4 before sitting down to explore their options in more detail.
In a case of deja vu, the Hawks have a game scheduled for Oct. 29 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The holdup is that it’s a back-to-back for both teams, and while they could play on Friday – an off day for both teams – they both play on the road on Saturday. The other issue with playing on Friday is that it’s a designated NBA Cup day for the league, and this game wouldn’t be an NBA Cup game.
Sources told The IX Sports that the Hawks are “willing to adjust however needed, but at this point, the ball is in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ court.”
The goal is to play in State Farm Arena, and as of publication, there hasn’t been any discussion about moving to any other arenas in and around the city, as they prefer to play at a place with familiarity.
When asked after the game where they hope Game 6 is held, Reese made sure there was no confusion about her answer.
“Here,” Reese said, referring to State Farm Arena. “Here.”
