Atlanta's Angel Reese demanded the ball, and got it. Now the Valkyries have a problem

Two games into these WNBA Finals, the Golden State Valkyries officially have an Angel Reese problem. 

That was plainly evident Monday at Chase Center, where Reese scored 30 points and gobbled up 16 rebounds. She propelled Atlanta to an impressive, series-tying 79-65 victory, puncturing the aura of invincibility the Valkyries and their fans feel in "Ballhalla."

Reese's impact also became abundantly clear in the soundtrack to Game 2. On one third-quarter play, after she scored in transition and drew a foul, Reese accepted congratulations from her teammates and then shouted to no one in particular, "Give me the f-ing ball!"

She apparently shared the same message in one timeout, using similar language. Dream players happily complied.

"We know who Angel is and we know she brings a lot of energy," Atlanta point guard Jordin Canada said. "We feed off her energy. So when she's in that mode, we know we've got to give her the ball and try to give her as much space as we can to do what she does best."

Reese's lively chatter stretched beyond her teammates. Monday's broadcast also caught her chirping at Golden State center Aminata Gueye while at the free-throw line, shouting, "You can't f- with me. … Bum ass."

On the Valkyries' ensuing possession, Reese blocked Gueye's shot and took off the other way. Gueye lasted only one minute before returning to the bench for good. 

The Valkyries got the full Angel Reese experience, in other words. Bold and brash, confident and fearless, strong and agile.

And seldom silent.

She stands 6-foot-4, owns striking quickness for a low-post player and capably finishes with either hand around the basket. Reese also entered Game 2 with a sizable chip on her shoulder, after the Valkyries smothered her in the second half of their taut Game 1 win.

Reese scored 14 points in the first half of that game – and none thereafter. This rankled her, and absolutely showed in Monday's spirited effort, with the Dream not at all interested in lugging a 2-0 deficit back to Atlanta.

"I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half," Reese said. "So I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark,  and do whatever I could to get the win. And I think I did that."

Reese became only the sixth player (and the youngest) in WNBA playoff history to post 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in a game. She's the third player to achieve the feat in the Finals, joining Breanna Stewart (37-15 for Seattle in 2020) and Jonquel Jones (32-18 for Connecticut in 2019). 

Dream head coach Karl Smesko figured something good was in store when he walked into his team's locker room before Monday's game. He quickly made eye contact with Reese, whose determined expression filled her coach with confidence.

"I like that look," he said later, recalling his reaction. 

Atlanta features several accomplished players, from four-time All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray to Canada, a clever point guard and three-time All-Defensive selection, and six-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner. They also seem to understand Reese's special skills, her ability to bend a game to her will.

That's essentially what happened Monday. The Valkyries stayed attached to Atlanta throughout the first half and into the third quarter, before Reese ultimately wore them down.

She's relentless on the glass, as illustrated by this remarkable statistic: Reese, 24, has led the WNBA in rebounding in each of her first three seasons in the league.

"Angel is such a generational talent," Canada said. "Just to see her thrive in the Finals has been really special to watch. You can see she wants it really bad. She set the tone tonight, for sure, and it trickled down through the whole team."

Reese took advantage of any mismatch, aggressively looking to score when the Valkyries switched on pick-and-rolls. Even more notably, she was effective against Golden State starting center Kiah Stokes, a second-team All-Defensive selection this season.

Stokes held her own at times Monday, collecting 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in 30 minutes (while not taking a single shot of her own). Early in the third quarter, Stokes smoothly swatted one Reese attempt. On another possession, Stokes stood firm in the lane and forced Reese to pass the ball back to the perimeter.

In the end, though, Reese found the room she needed to torment the Valkyries. They must adapt quickly, with Game 3 on tap Wednesday night in Atlanta.

"She just has a great motor," Stokes said of Reese. "She works really hard and makes it difficult not to foul her. … She had a great game (Monday), so we have to get back to the drawing board."

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This article originally published at Atlanta's Angel Reese demanded the ball, and got it. Now the Valkyries have a problem.