A first-time WNBA champion awaits as the Valkyries face the Dream in the finals
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NEW YORK (AP) — Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob proclaimed that his team would win a championship within its first five years when he bought the expansion franchise.
The Valkyries are now one step away from achieving his mandate way ahead of schedule as it only took two years for Golden State to reach the WNBA Finals. They’ll face the Atlanta Dream in the best-of-seven series that begins Saturday, Oct. 17.
“They had this vision from the start, to see it come to fruition in Year 2 is pretty amazing,” Valkyries forward Kiah Stokes said. “It’s pretty special. We’re looking forward to the finals.”
The league will have a first-time champion. The Valkyries became the quickest WNBA expansion franchise to reach the finals since the league first began 30 years ago. That topped the Dream, who did it in their third year.
Golden State has done an incredible job in building the franchise into one of the premiere ones in the league quickly. The second-seeded Valkyries led the league in attendance, which helped them achieve the best home record this season. They defeated the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, sweeping them in three games with Friday’s overtime victory. They made a big move in free agency this offseason, signing Gabby Williams.
She has been one of the best players in the league on both ends of the court. Williams raised her game in the postseason, averaging 22.7 points from the 14.4 in the regular season. Golden State has been built around 3-point shooting, a solid set of reserves and defense.
The Dream reached the Finals for the first time since 2013 after taking out the New York Liberty in three games as well. Now both teams will have a week off before the championship round begins.
“We want to enjoy this moment. we’re very proud of getting there,” Atlanta guard Jordan said. “It took a lot of hard work. … Proud of getting there, but knowing that the job is not done.”
Atlanta reached the WNBA Finals in 2010, 2011 and 2013, but got swept each time. This is a different Atlanta roster with a bunch of stars including Angel Reese, Canada, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.
Gray, the Dream’s leading scorer, injured her left hand in the semifinals opener and missed the next two games. Having the time off before the Finals begin will be big for her.
The Dream also added veteran DeWanna Bonner late in the season, which has proven to be a huge addition with her playoff experience.
Offense may be hard to come by for both teams as they are two of the best defensive squads in the league. Golden State won all three of the regular-season meetings with the last coming on July 4.
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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here