Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes thought she saw an open lane to the basket until Rhyne Howard sprinted into the paint and sent the ball flying toward the Atlanta Dream’s bench like a spider attacking a fly caught in its web.
“Give me that!” Howard yelled as she punched the air and stomped, energized by her highlight rejection.
The Dream were already up 11 with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter of Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. With more statement plays like that, they roared to a 97-71 win in front of a sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena on Wednesday. Oct. 19.
Howard has heard the calls for an explosive offensive Finals performance. But, maybe the Dream just need her to keep doing exactly what she’s doing. Atlanta, after all, has a a 2-1
lead in the WNBA Finals with the next game on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Howard’s 16 points in Wednesday’s win marked a resurgence from the scoring slump that limited her in the first two games of the Finals. She also recorded five steals, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record more than four steals in consecutive Finals games.
Afterward, the 2022 No. 1 overall pick acknowledged that she’s capable of more.
“Even this one wasn't up to my liking. I'm sure it's not going to be up to a lot of people's liking,” Howard said. “I know that I haven't necessarily been up to par, but today I had a couple more shots and I continue to play defense."
In a series against the WNBA’s top regular-season defense, Howard’s ability to get her hand in passing lanes for deflections has disrupted the Valkyries' offense — which has shot less than 35% from the floor in all three games. Recently crowned Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese meanwhile, has dominated offensively with three consecutive double-doubles, also an historic feat.
Atlanta is playing with an energy that’s made them fun to watch. The Dream's style is also apparently demoralizing to play against based on the looks of Valkyries bench as time waned in Wednesday’s blowout.
Howard’s play has been part of that excitement, even if her shots aren’t falling. As the Valkyries face the risk of going to 3-1 if they lose Saturday’s Game 4, Howard will be key for the Dream – even her contributions don’t come on offense.
“You can see how much joy we have on the court. When somebody scores, everybody's happy. When we get a big block, everybody's happy,” Reese said. “It just pours confidence into everybody.”
Scoring slump was ‘nothing’ for Howard
As the Dream let Game 1 against the Valkyries slip away by four points, Howard finished with as many turnovers as made field goals and scored 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field. It was the second-lowest postseason scoring performance of her career, and she shot 0 for 4 in the fourth quarter as the Dream gave up a seven-point lead.
Despite that performance, Howard – whose 3.1 made 3-pointers per game were the second most in the league this season – wasn’t fazed.
“She's in a good mental space. She knows all the things that she does to help us win,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said when asked about Howard before Game 2.
Speaking to a group of reporters before Game 2, Reese offered the same sentiment.
“We all know who Rhyne Howard is,” Reeese said. “And we've all been through stretches throughout the season where we haven't been great, or we haven't felt like ourselves, and we've all poured into each other. So this is nothing to Rhyne. She still gives 1,010 percent to all of us, so we're just gonna continue to pour into her.”
Howard scored even less in Game 2, picking up her fourth foul before halftime en route to a final stat line of five points on 2-of-7 shooting (1-of-5 from 3). But, her six steals in the 79-65 win though, were the most in WNBA Finals history.
After the win, Howard said it didn’t feel like a record night.
“I don’t think any of us knew about (the record) until Karl came in and said it,” Howard told USA TODAY with a laugh.
“Just being able to take them out of their game, it helped us get the easy looks that we have been getting prior to Game 1; starting our transition off, making them question the plays that they want to run,”
Smesko said Howard “came up huge” despite the early foul trouble, which limited her aggressiveness offensively, even leaving her hesitant to get downhill.
She entered Game 2 not even thinking about her scoring slump, drawing those fouls because she’d made up her mind to try and make a difference on the other end of the ball.
“I’ve been… not satisfied with my defensive play,” Howard said, explaining that she shifted her mindset between Games 1 and 2. “Obviously they want to slow the game down. OK. We’re going to slow the game down, but I’m going to take away some of those possessions."
On Saturday, Howard is likely to keep the same mindset.
“My offensive play hasn’t been where I've wanted it to be, but that doesn't change how I can go out and guard. I can still take away shots from the other team,” Howard said. “If it's going to be a defensive night for me, then it's just going to be a defensive night for me and that's how I help my team win."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Forget the scoring slump. Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard is taking over on defense
