Allisha Gray is ‘that girl’ as Dream force Game 7 of WNBA Finals

All season long, the Dream have poured into each other.

With their season on the line on Thursday, the Dream lifted each other up once more, and that message hit guard Allisha Gray hard.

Heading into Thursday, Gray had ups and downs as she navigated playing with her ring and pinky fingers taped on her left hand — her shooting hand. Though Gray had insisted throughout the series that she’s felt fine, the four-time All-Star averaged below her typical production of 19 points per game entering Game 6.

In the first five games of the Dream’s WNBA Finals series against the Valkyries, Gray averaged 12 points on a 28.1% overall field-goal percentage. She made just 19% of her 3-pointers.

But looking to stave off elimination and give the Dream one more chance at a championship, Gray honed in on what she needed to do.

“We’re all super proud of ‘Lish, and I’ll tell you everything that we talked about that we wanted to see, she did it exactly,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said.

“The execution from film and practice to the floor was flawless on her part. Obviously, these are as big a games as anybody’s been a part of, and to just take what she saw and just implement it to that level. I mean, it was the first thing we said in the locker room.”

Fifty-one seconds into the action, Gray made a quick cut to the basket to shake her defender, Tiffany Hayes. With Hayes going the other way, Gray quickly caught a pass from Angel Reese and put up a 3-pointer behind a screen from Naz Hillmon.

The ball fell short, but bounced up and into the basket.

“It felt nice,” Gray said of her opening 3-pointer. “My plan was to come out aggressive from the jump. My teammates were really on me to just play my game and having my back. So, just, I guess got a shooter’s roll.

“But the biggest thing was me staying locked in and stepping up to the challenge of the coaches and what my team has challenged me to do.”

Gray’s 3-pointer sparked a 31-8 scoring run from the Dream, helping them tear open the game. By the end of the first 10 minutes, the Dream led 32-15. Their 32 points were the most by any team in a quarter in this year’s Finals.

Though the pace slowed, the Dream built their lead by as many as 25 points because of their defensive effort.

The Dream scored 18 points off the 11 Valkyries turnovers they forced. Gray led some of that charge, becoming a defensive menace.

She crowded their space and fought through screens, giving her time to recover and block shots.

“Just being locked in on not giving up on the play,” Gray said. “I feel like even though I get hit by screens, which I try to avoid, is just not giving up on just giving that championship effort.

“Just knowing that we need to win Game 6 to force a Game 7. So just, like, I had to give it my all regardless of what was going on on the court and just not giving up on anything, just giving my 100% effort.”

Gray finished the matinee matchup with 23 points on 8-of-12 overall shooting, making five of her seven 3-point attempts. Gray also had two steals and three blocks.