The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions. Gabby Williams scored 30 points, 28 of them in the second half, as Golden State beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the Finals on Saturday. It was the league’s first Game 7 in a championship series.
A violet-clad crowd of 18,000 filled Ballhalla on Halloween. Williams was named Finals MVP. Her 28 second-half points are the most in any half of a postseason game in WNBA history. Her 30 tie the record for a winner-take-all Finals game.
Golden State is the third team across the NBA, BAA and WNBA to win a title within its first two seasons. It is also the first champion without a single All-WNBA selection that year.
A Game Williams Took Over
Offense was scarce for both teams. Atlanta led 30-24 at halftime, and Williams had only two points. Coach Natalie Nakase told her to stay patient. “I trust her with my life,” Williams said. “Just said, ‘Stay patient. The game’s going to open up for you,’ and it did.”
It did in the third quarter. Williams outscored the Dream 15-14 in the period and then kept going. She scored 15 straight points across the third and fourth quarters, a first in a WNBA Finals game. Three straight Golden State possessions ended with her hitting a three. She made only one three in her college career.
The Dream hung around, and the score was tied for much of the fourth. But Golden State’s defence held Atlanta to 33% shooting, and 20% from three. Williams’ fourth and final three, with 2:18 left, put the Valkyries ahead for good.
She finished 10-for-23, including 4-for-8 from three and 6-for-6 at the line. She added four blocks, three rebounds, two steals and two assists. As the primary defender, she held the Dream to 2-for-9 shooting.
“Gabby is our closer,” Nakase said. “She’s the most valuable player in the world, hands down.”
Atlanta’s Jordin Canada saw the shift. “That was the shift in the energy, Gabby getting going from the 3-point line,” she said.
“We Don’t Have No Stars”
Throughout their first two seasons, the Valkyries heard they lacked stars. The expansion club was built mostly from other teams’ spare players, with no top free agents. Williams answered that on the broadcast. “All we heard last year, ‘We don’t have no stars, we don’t have no talent.’ Yeah, right,” she said. “We’ve got good people. We’ve got winners.”
Williams, the No. 4 pick in 2018 out of UConn, spent seven seasons mostly as a defensive role player with the Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm. Her career average is under 10 points per game. Strong play overseas, including leading France’s revival on the international stage, hinted at more. Owner Joe Lacob saw it and recruited her personally while she played in Turkey. In this series she had three 25-point games, tying the Finals record.
Teammate Kiah Stokes won a national title with Williams at UConn in 2015. “Game 7, do or die, everything on the line, and she showed up and showed out,” Stokes said.
At the trophy ceremony, host Elle Duncan asked Williams for her new favourite word, a callback to a crowd chant earlier in the playoffs. Her answer: “Champ.”
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