Heading into the WNBA Finals, we knew a few things. We knew that the two teams were evenly matched and that defense โ with six players making the WNBA All-Defense first and second teams โ was going to be a driving force.
We also knew that both teams like to dictate the flow of the game, with the Dream preferring to speed up the game and the Valkyries preferring to slow it down.
But what wasnโt talked about enough was the physicality that would be taking place on the court.
Game 1 had that fully on display.
Tiffany Hayes got her feet tangled and faceplanted into the ground. Gabby Williams had her left knee taken out during a box-out attempt by Jordin Canada. Veronica Burton had her face smushed in between Kiah Stokes and Rhyne Howard. Howard had to leave the game for a short period after going to the ground.
That was only Game 1.
โYeah, healthy as I can be,โ Howard told reporters following the Dreamโs 68-64 Game 1 loss to the Valkyries.
The physical play will continue as the series goes on, but the Valkyries are in a better position to withstand any injuries than the Dream are.
In Game 1, we saw the Valkyries lean on their bench, which is something theyโve done all year. Remember in April when they drafted Flauโjae Johnson and traded her away to the Seattle Storm? It was a heavily-criticized move by many (ahem, myself included). But it was done because the Valkyries felt good about the team they had, the players they had, the culture they built.
Williams and Burton are both stars, yes, but this Valkyries team is as close to the 2004 Detroit Pistons that weโve seen across all of basketball in quite some time.
The five on the floor will go all out, and when a substitution is needed, head coach Natalie Nakase will swap her players out for fresh legs.
Overall, the Valkyries used 10 players in Game 1, with only Aminata Gueye and Justฤ Jocytฤ not getting on the court. Of those, Sixth Player of the Year Janelle Salaรผn was used the least, with Laeticia Amihere, the former Atlanta Dream center, receiving the majority of the backup big minutes.
Itโs the different looks, the different matchups and the ability to mix up their looks and actions with players up and down their bench that makes the Valkyries so tough to solve.
And itโs something that the Dream, in a matchup that really is between two teams who are so evenly matched, canโt come close to matching. The Dream, who used their starters more than any other team in the league throughout the season, predictably only used seven players in Game 1.ย
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It was known that even coming into the series, with only 11 active players on their roster, that the most they would use would be nine players, as Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Sika Konรฉ would only be used in blowouts or in the most dire of situations.
But head coach Karl Smesko has a decision to make heading into Game 2 and beyond with how he expands his rotation โ or just simply if he will.
โWeโre gonna look at everything. We’re gonna watch and try to get better, but, I mean, we were right there, right there,โ Smesko said after the game.โจโSo that’s why it hurts a little bit, but it also motivates us.โ
Most notably absent were Te-Hina Paopao and Madina Okot, as Smesko opted to go with Izzy Borlase (12:26) and DeWanna Bonner (13:24) as his only reserves off of the bench.
Now, the matchup plays a big part of it. While Paopao is a microwave scorer who excels as posting up in the corner in a catch-and-shoot stance to hit a three, her biggest weakness is her defense โ especially against ball screens. Teams have hunted her while sheโs on the floor defensively, and with the high-motion offense that the Valkyries run with Burton, Williams and Cecilia Zandalasini, Paopao would be a defensive liability for the Dream during her minutes.
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When it comes to Okot, itโs an individual matchup issue. If Nakase turned to Gueye instead of Amihere, Okot would have likely gotten some time in the game to match up against her. But with Amihereโs lateral quickness, quick first step and ability to space the floor as a rim runner in transition, Okot wouldnโt be able to keep up with her defensively.
Plus, after the first quarter of the season, the book was out on Okot. Teams were attacking her in the pick and roll and being a neophyte, they would catch her flat footed and get behind her for an easy bucket.
โWe have to develop this bench. We have a lot of good players, and their time to play against another team is very valuable,โ Smesko told The IX Sports back in May. โI think itโs only fair that they get enough time out there to show what they can do.โ
Theyโve had 44 games to show what they can do, and outside of a handful of moments from Paopao and Okot, itโs been Borlase and Bonner who have been the standouts, hence the usage down the stretch and in Game 1.
The decision for Smesko, whose team was in it until the final 30 seconds with a chance to go up by one on a 3-point shot by Naz Hillmon despite only scoring eight points in the final quarter, will be whether or not heโll stick to his game plan that resulted in a 10-game winning streak heading into Game 1 or not.
He could decide to turn to Paopao and Okot to give his starters a rest, or he could continue to feel it out based on gameflow and turn to his veteran-led squad sans Borlase.
Itโs the one clear area where the Valkyries have a clear advantage over the Dream. As the series goes on, it could be the difference maker that decides who leaves as the WNBA champion.
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