When previewing the impact the newly-acquired Angel Reese could have on the Atlanta Dream, I wrote:
…Angel wears her ferocity in a way foreign to most members of the Dream. That emotional fire can fuel the Dream. When the team threatens to wither in adverse moments, especially in the postseason, Angel should be empowered to be express her edge, and inspire her teammates to find theirs.
At the very highest levels at which the Dream are aiming, these intangibles, as much as X and Os, can swing a game
or series that is trending toward another “only Atlanta” disappointment into a validating victory.
I’ve never been so thrilled to by right. Thank you Angel for changing my life.
Games 2 and 3 of the 2026 WNBA Finals were perfect illustrations of how Angel injects her team with an intangible emotional edge that can empower them to victory.
After a dispiriting Game 1 collapse to the Golden State Valkyries that made it feel destined that the Dream would flame out in typical Atlanta fashion and remain winless in the WNBA Finals, Reese began to work her magic.
Insistent that Atlanta’s issues were self-inflicted, she took responsibility, turned it on and turned it up, accessing and applying her emotional edge as she drove the Dream to a pair of statement-making wins.
Yes, tons of players, across the WNBA and all of sports, are leaders who can lift their team to another level with their purposeful passion.
But, Angel is on another level. Every athlete says “they want it more.” Angel really does.
Reflecting on how she altered her approach between Games 1 and 2, Reese shared:
I kind of wanted to set myself apart, going into the game where I wanted to win before anybody else could think about it. And it’s like a mental game for me. Trying to set my energy higher than anybody can even reach your touch.
And my teammates know this, and I get crazy in a good way sometimes, and just trying to be contagious as much as I can and bringing every single night.
Speaking during Friday’s media availability, Angel additionally admitted what has been evident, saying she wants to “take [the Valkyries] confidence and do whatever to mess them up,” before elaborating:
You can see it in their emotions and facial expressions. A lot of us are looking at that, making sure we can find any little thing to give us that edge and have our leverage over them…It’s just looking at those small things that can give us more of an edge.
Just as Angel has intended, the Dream’s domineering disposition has amplified the Valkyries’ apparent lack of assurance.
A team renowned for their culture, where their uncommon buy in and belief has been promoted as the secret sauce fueling their ahead-of-schedule success, looks to have lost their spirit.
After the Valkyries eliminated the Aces in Game 3 of the semifinals, Gabby Williams spoke to NBC’s Maria Taylor about how she shook off first half struggles and some late misses in regulation, explaining:
If I put a smile on my face, my shoulders will go up, my head will stay high and I’ll hit the next one….I wanted to show my teammates, like, I’m not worried, so y’all don’t be worried either…Sometimes, you just wanna smile, put your head up and then your whole attitude, your whole body changes…
In Games 2 and 3, with Golden State in need of similar uplift, Gabby’s smile was gone; instead, she appeared to have entered a nightmare against the Dream, with Spooky G haunted by an Angel and her demons.
Evidence of the Valkyries’ sapped spirit extended beyond Williams. Throughout much of Game 3, Kayla Thornton was lost in a reflective stare on the bench. Kiah Stokes’ confidence had melted into a worried mien. Veronica Burton’s efforts to urge her teammates went wanting. Even the buoyant Kaitlyn Chen was deflated.
In the aftermath of falling down 2-1, the Valkyries have sought to tap back into their reservoir of reassurance.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, head coach Natalie Nakase did not deviate from her season-long emphases, insisting that her team’s connectedness has prepared them to overcome even the steepest of challenges. Nakase asserted:
Our players, our staff, we love to come together in these moments. We get even more connected, get more clarity out of it. Didn’t go our way last game, but now we’re just focused on the next game. … This is what brings the best out of us in these moments.
At Friday’s media availability, Burton has echoed her head coach, stating:
[We’re] not overreacting to being down 2-1, but there definitely is a sense of urgency. Evening it up would be huge, and it’s something that we want to go back into Ballhalla at. [The Dream] obviously stole one of ours at home so it’s our responsibility to do the same back. I think we’re in a really great position to do that and we’re excited to play Game 4 and then to get back home for Game 5.
Yet, it’s possible the Valkyries recognize they need a little more snarl to have a chance of exiting Atlanta with the series tied at 2-2.
Immediately after the buzzer sounded in Game 3, Williams did gather her team for an on-court huddle, in which she appeared to demonstrably deliver a message.
Asked about the moment during Friday’s availability, Williams admitted:
I wanted to show my team something different because we need something different.
These past two games just haven’t been us. I had to get out of my comfort zone and try to re-motivate the troops. That’s what that speech was about. Then we were able to go back into the locker room and talk more about it. It’s never easy to do, but I definitely just wanted to show my teammates a different kind of fire.
Other Valkyries, likewise, have emphasized the importance matching the Dream’s energy. Asked about Atlanta’s trash talking, especially that of Reese, Kaila Charles recognized that the Dream “fuel off that” and that the Valkyries can’t “shrink.”
Ahead of such a pivotal game, where the end result will give the Dream an almost insurmountable 3-1 series lead or a Valkyrie victory will tie things at 2-2 and essentially make this a best-of-three matchup, it’s natural to obsess over strategies, rotations and schemes.
Any edge, adjustment or advantage could substantially swing the series.
The mental game, however, might be the most important.
In Games 2 and 3, the unabashed intensity of Angel and the Dream overwhelmed the Valkyries. In Game 4 (1 p.m. ET, NBC), can the Valkyries, with a recommitment to their cool, calm and connectedness, reclaim their place in this series? Or, must they adopt a different mindset in order to overcome Atlanta?
In the comments, let us know if you think the Valkyries can silence the Dream’s swagger, or if Atlanta will continue to boldly and boisterously bully their way to the WNBA title.
