The WNBA Finals are set to begin Saturday afternoon as the Atlanta Dream face the Golden State Valkyries in a best-of-seven series at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Both teams enter the championship after dominant performances in the semifinals, each sweeping their opponents to reach the finals.
The fourth-seeded Dream eliminated the New York Liberty, the reigning 2024 champs, in a 3-0 series, while the second-seeded Valkyries swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces by the same margin. This marks Atlanta’s first appearance in the Finals since 2013, when the Dream were swept by Minnesota in a best-of-five series. Notably, Tiffany Hayes, now a backup guard for Golden State, is the only player remaining from the 2013 Dream roster to return to the final stage.
Golden State, in just its second season, is seeking its first championship. After finishing last year as the eighth seed and losing 2-0 in the first playoff round to Minnesota, the Valkyries have made a significant leap this season. They earned home-court advantage in the Finals by finishing with a 32-30 record compared to Atlanta’s 30 wins and by sweeping the three-game regular-season series against the Dream.
In those regular-season meetings, the Valkyries demonstrated efficiency on both inside and perimeter play, outscoring Atlanta 99-54 from three-point range and shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc compared to the Dream’s 28.1%. Golden State trio Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaun, and Kiah Stokes were especially effective. Williams led the scoring in the series with 58 points and was 7-for-17 on three-pointers, while Salaun hit 7-of-15 from deep. Defensively, Stokes was impactful with 12 total blocks across the three games, including six blocks against Dream center Angel Reese, who averaged 14 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in the series but struggled to convert offensive rebounds into points against Stokes’ presence.
Reese, who was recently honored as the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, expressed confidence that the Finals version of the Dream will be tougher to handle. Atlanta’s roster now includes veteran forward DeWanna Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion, adding experience and versatility. Reese emphasized that the team has evolved since the regular-season meetings and is currently building momentum and cohesion at an opportune time.
While the Dream initially faced challenges securing a venue for their home games, they settled on State Farm Arena for the later games in the series. Golden State coach Natalie Nakase has called on the home crowd at the 18,064-seat Chase Center, affectionately known as “Ballhalla,” to bring intensity and energy to support the Valkyries. The arena has led the league in attendance over the past two seasons, and Nakase urged fans to ramp up the atmosphere as a “sixth man” advantage.
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday, also in San Francisco. The series opener tips off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.