Dream were so close to winning first title, but Gabby Williams plucks it away
SAN FRANCISCO — The Dream were so close to clutching the WNBA championship trophy that they could almost taste the Champagne.
They just needed one rimmed-out shot to stay down. They needed one more jump ball to go their way.
And, most of all, they needed one more defender to help slow down Valkyries star Gabby Williams.
Any of those things might have put the Dream over the top in Game 7 of the Finals on Saturday. Instead, the Dream suffered an excruciating 68-63 defeat and then watched the Valkyries celebrate their first championship in just their second season of existence.
It was a frustrating end to the best season in the Dream’s 19-season history in Atlanta.
They’d never won a Finals game before this year. The Dream won three games in this series. They tied the score three times in the fourth quarter of the winner-take-all game at the Chase Center but never got the lead.
“Everybody’s going to take their time to reflect on the game but, at the end of the day, we battled, we fought,” Dream guard Jordin Canada said.
No one can question the Dream’s effort.
The Valkyries threatened to bury them in the ear-shattering noise of “Ballhalla” early, but the Dream found their footing and climbed out of an 8-0 deficit. They led by 9 points with 16 minutes left in the game and trailed by 1 point after three quarters.
The Dream’s issue was execution, not effort.
They had three chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter but couldn’t do it. That was mostly because they let Williams have too easy of a time taking over the game.
The Valkyries spread the floor at winning time and let Williams go to work against Canada. It was a size mismatch in Golden State’s favor. Williams got to the spots she wanted, and Canada’s teammates didn’t provide timely help.
Williams scored 28 of her game-high 30 points in the second half and earned the Finals MVP award.
“We just didn’t guard her the way we wanted to guard her,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “We were trying dictate which direction (she goes). We weren’t going to let her shoot anywhere near the 3-point line. We were going to make her put it on the floor, and we knew where our help was supposed to come from.
“You know, just sometimes, in the heat of the moment, you had breakdowns. And, unfortunately, today we had more miscommunications and breakdowns, especially that second half, than what we’ve had all series.”
The miscues came at the worst time for the Dream. Williams took advantage.
She scored 13 consecutive points for the Valkyries, including three consecutive 3-pointers, to turn a 37-32 deficit into a 45-44 lead at the end of the third quarter.
“I think that’s what got them going,” Canada said. “I thought we were getting excellent looks. I wouldn’t say we were forcing a lot. … We were pushing the pace. We were getting open shots. We were executing our game plan.
“I just think Gabby started to get going a little bit, and I think this made everybody on the Valkyries start to get their confidence and started making the hustle plays.”
Golden State never led by more than 7 points in the final quarter. Each time the Dream threatened to take the lead, Williams answered.
When the Dream tied the score at 55, Williams drove through an open lane for a layup. After Dream forward Rhyne Howard scored to force another tie, Williams buried a shot from 31 feet, about 9 feet behind the 3-point line.
Williams drew a foul on Canada and made both free throws to push the lead to 62-57.
“Give Gabby all the credit,” Smesko said. “If we break down and we don’t execute it at a high level, she made us pay, and she made us pay repeatedly and just really got it going.”
The Dream will look back and lament the missed opportunities late in the game.
After Williams made the deep 3-pointer, Allisha Gray received a pass from Howard on a cut to the basket but missed the layup. Naz Hillmon’s 3-pointer rimmed out with the Dream down 62-57. Williams missed two shots during Golden State’s next possession, but teammate Kiah Stokes rebounded both.
Stokes tipped in the second rebound for a 64-57 lead with 53.8 seconds left. Gray made a 3-pointer and Tiffany Hayes answered with a pair of free throws to keep the lead at 6.
Dream forward Angel Reese made one of two free throws and, after a turnover by Williams, Gray made two free throws. The Dream, down by 3 points, trapped Williams on the inbounds pass and Gray forced a jump ball.
Williams came through again, winning the jump ball. The Valkyries held on to win a championship that was right there for the Dream.
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