ATLANTA — One of Golden State’s rallying points for this WNBA Finals series has been to “win for Tip”, referring to 14-year veteran Tiffany Hayes, the first major free agent to sign a contract with the Valkyries before the 2025 inaugural season.
Hayes came out of retirement in 2024 to play in Las Vegas and then took the leap of faith with head coach Natalie Nakase before Ballhalla, buying into an identity that was a compelling hypothetical.
It is hypothetical no more. In their second season, Golden State is in the WNBA Finals and thanks to Hayes on Saturday in Atlanta, the Valkryies are decidedly back in after losing two in a row and looking like a team that had lost itself.
Much of what Hayes brings to the floor is Golden State’s identity – passion, energy, fight and offense for a team that needs all the scoring punch it can get.
Hayes moved into the starting lineup Saturday as part of Nakase’s lineup adjustment and her 13-points in the second half (to go with five rebounds for the game) allowed Golden State to hold on to a lead, keeping Atlanta at bay as they tried to force their way back into the game from a 16-point deficit.
As Sue Bird, the Hall of Fame point guard and NBC analyst put it, “you’ve got to give Golden State credit because Atlanta did make a lot of pushes and every single time, Golden State answered and it felt like every single time it was Tiffany Hayes.”
To Bird’s point: When DeWanna Bonner banked in a 3-pointer to pull the Dream within 50-43 in the 3rd quarter, Hayes responded immediately with a finger roll layup on the other end; and in the fourth quarter, when Rhyne Howard cut the Valks’ lead to 54-46, Hayes scored on a layup at the other end to push the lead back to 10. And in a critical stretch when Atlanta had pulled to within 57-51 with 6:54 to go, Hayes hit back-to-back baskets to push the lead back to 10.
When asked in the NBC postgame interview how she delivered for her team, Hayes replied: “Just to give it all I had,” she said. “But of course, you have to give a little bit more. So instead of 110 (percent), you’ve got to give 120.”
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Hayes is averaging 12.4 points a game in the playoffs, second on the team behind Gabby Williams. She is doing it in a little more than 20 minutes a game.
On a team full of heart-and-soul players like Veronica Burton and Williams, and unsung heroes like Kiah Stokes and Kaila Charles, Hayes is the fire.
“We are all fighting and battling, but at the end of the day, we are here for each other and we do it for each other,” Hayes said.
Nakase said earlier in the playoffs that she badly wants to win this championship for Hayes.
“Seeing how much she loves basketball, we’ll start there,” Nakase said. “She wanted to retire, but I’m seeing a different type of lightness than she had in Vegas. When I first met with Tip she said, ‘I don’t need to start Nat.’ That’s a team player right away.
“I was nervous taking this job and getting Tip on board gave me such a comfort level that I needed. So I’m just really grateful and thankful and that’s why I want to put of ton of energy into my give-back to her.”
It’s been a rough few days for the Valkyries after losing two straight games to the Dream, by 14 points at home on Monday and a demoralizing 26 points in Atlanta on Wednesday night.
On Wednesday night, Hayes said that the Dream “wanted it more than us, and that’s not who we are and how we got here.”
Thanks in no small part to Hayes, the Valkyries got it back on Saturday.
Now the series goes back to San Francisco, where the league’s most fearsome home court crowd awaits.
“Get loud and get ready,” Hayes said to the Valkyries fans. “Show them what the crowd will really do.”
If they do, Hayes will.
