Left Unprotected by the League, Valkyries Won Anyway

Natalie Nakase built a championship roster out of players the league's other franchises left behind. On Saturday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, that roster beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals, delivering a title to a franchise in only its second year of existence.

"This is for all the people out there who are underrated, misunderstood. This is for all y'all," Nakase said from midcourt. "This is proof: If you put all your heart and all your soul [into it], you can win championships."

The numbers behind that quote tell their own story. Nakase had pieced together players left unprotected in the expansion draft, a handful of international imports and one key free-agent signing into the league's second-best regular-season record. Castoffs, imports, and one hired gun. Not a pedigree among them, by the league's own sorting.

Who Did the Work

Gabby Williams, that free-agent signing and the Valkyries' only All-Star, scored 28 of her game-high 30 points in the second half. She had two in the first. No player in WNBA postseason history had ever scored 28 in a half. She played 38 of the game's 40 minutes, made 10 of 23 shots on a night when neither team shot well, and blocked four shots. She finished the Finals with records for points (137) and steals (18), and she was named Finals MVP.

Golden State climbed out of a nine-point hole in the third quarter. With the game tied at 53 midway through the fourth, Williams hit two free throws, a driving hoop, and then a 31-footer that put her team up 60-57 for good with 2:18 to go. Kiah Stokes tipped in a teammate's miss to make it 64-57. Stokes finished with a game-high 13 rebounds and two blocks, setting a Finals-record 19 en route to her fourth title.

Veronica Burton added 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. "We didn't let anyone put a limit on us all year," Burton said. "When you work hard, and you put your head down and drive, anything's possible." Tiffany Hayes chipped in 11. The Valkyries made just five of 20 three-pointers and won anyway.

What the Crowd Built

Owner Joe Lacob, Nakase and Williams all pointed to one number: 18,064. That's the capacity crowd at the Chase Center, which has sold out every game in franchise history and set league attendance records. They call themselves "Ballhalla." Lacob screamed the word into a microphone during the trophy ceremony.

Williams credited more than the roster. "Honestly, everyone here, not just the players and the staff. [Also] the community, the city, the [San Francisco] Bay [Area]," she said on court. "Y'all have been pouring into me all season. It's a long season and y'all gave me energy. When the energy is this good and positive, it's easy to come to work every day. That's what I came here for."

Notice who got named in that answer. The people in the seats, the people in the city, the ones who kept pouring in all season. The owner got the microphone at the trophy ceremony. The worker who scored 28 in a half pointed at the crowd.

The Other Side of the Scoreboard

Atlanta never found its footing early. The Dream opened scoreless for 5:19, fell behind 8-0, missed eight straight shots, four of them blocked, and committed four turnovers. They finished 23 of 69 from the floor, 33.3 percent, and 6-for-30 from deep. Jordin Canada scored 18 and Allisha Gray 16. Angel Reese had 12 rebounds but only eight points against Stokes.

"I'm just grateful I got to go to war with this group," Reese said afterward. "It's tough in the moment, but we'll be back."

Dream coach Karl Smesko took the other tone. "It's beyond frustrating that we didn't accomplish what we set out to accomplish," he said at his postgame news conference. "Those first five minutes ... you can't get those five minutes back."

Barry Bonds and Draymond Green were in the building rooting on the Valkyries. So were 18,064 people who'd made the place impossible to quiet.