SAN FRANCISCO — The what-ifs will always haunt a coach.
If Rhyne Howard’s 25-footer went down in a one-point game. If Naz Hillmon’s attempt from two feet farther out didn’t pop out of the basket.
Then Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko might not be talking about whatever mistakes the Dream made, and would instead be talking about how they secured the franchise’s first WNBA Finals victory in its 18-year history.
Then Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase would be the one sitting between her players, highlighting misses instead of makes and stars who came up empty instead of those ascending.
But reality hit the Atlanta Dream, who came into the Finals on a 10-game winning streak, including five straight in the postseason. In what is their fourth Finals appearance in franchise history, they remain winless after a 68-64 loss in Game 1 on Saturday at Chase Center.
It left Smesko to stare down the missed 3-pointers and analyze how the defense limited Angel Reese, while Nakase praised her leading scorer Gabby Williams as “one of the best players in the world.”
“We were right there. Right there,” Smesko said. “So that’s why it hurts a little bit, but it also motivates us. We know what we’re capable of doing.”
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals met the week-long expectations for a matchup of two elite defenses. It was messy, sluggish, long and physical. It was such a battle that, when asked about a collision that included Williams, Nakase had to ask which one.
What stuck closest to the expected script was that it came down to a single possession at the wire. The Valkyries were the ones to arguably steal the win despite playing at home by fighting back late, taking the lead with 1:18 to play and holding it down the stretch.
Williams said the Valks had the Dream “right where we wanted them” despite trailing in the final minutes. They led for a total of 6:08, all coming within the final three minutes of each quarter. Those are the moments the Dream need to erase moving forward with an offense that lacked the muster in Game 1.
“I thought our team defended for the whole game excellent,” Smesko said. “But when a game is this close, even a couple breakdowns can make the difference.”
In a series so heavily reliant on defenses, it shaped up to be a matchup won in the margins — and by the team that could maintain composure at the end. Atlanta came into Chase Center staking claim to the offensive advantage, averaging 91.3 points per game in the regular season (third). The Valkyries mingled at the other end, averaging 82.2 points per game (second to last).
Atlanta can turn to top-10 league scorer Allisha Gray, who returned from a hand injury that kept her out of the semifinals, or perimeter specialist Howard. Reese in the paint can erase a litany of sins, and her emerging 3-point shot increases the danger. DeWanna Bonner, their August signing, boosts their bench and spacing and is facing the Valkyries for the first time as a member of the Dream.
But their collective 64 points were the worst production of their season, beating the previous low of 68 against Golden State in June. The 82.1 offensive rating came close to a season-low, and marked the first time in the playoffs it dropped below 103. The Valkyries defense, historically the best compared to the record-setting offense it faced, got the best of them.
It didn’t start that poorly. In a 22-14 first-quarter lead, Reese became the fifth player in WNBA history to score at least 11 points on 80% shooting or better (5 of 6) in the opening quarter of a WNBA Finals game.
Over the next three quarters, she went without a bucket (0 for 5), including no shot attempts in the third quarter. That lack of production she took on herself, versus crediting the Valkyries.
“I don’t really think they did anything,” Reese said. “Maybe that was just on me. I wasn’t aggressive enough with the ball and trying to get the ball and get to my spots. So definitely going to do a better job of that next game.”
The team described Reese last week as their engine. The third-year forward came into the matchup setting the postseason on fire in her first career appearance. She averaged 19.1 points, shooting 56.2% from the floor, with 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals over their 10-game winning streak. All eclipsed her season-long marks of 16.4 points (45.1%), 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals.
“Angel had a great first half,” Smesko said. “We didn't get her the ball enough. Those will be some things that we talk about for Game 2.”
The Game 1 performance was not her worst statistically of the postseason. She added 12 rebounds — tying a career postseason high — with 2 steals and 1 block. She also wasn’t the only one in red as Howard finished 3 of 14 from the field (2 of 9 from 3-point range) and Gray was 5 of 19 (1 of 8 from 3). No one shooting at volume was efficient.
Reese also had four turnovers, tying a career postseason high, that contributed to the Valkyries’ 17 points off of 12 Atlanta turnovers. And she committed five personal fouls for a third time in six games, including two pivotal ones in the final 1:18.
Her first on Williams flipped the game from a one-point lead to a one-point deficit. The second on Kiah Stokes came trailing by one again. It’s those types of plays that will change a game between two equally matched teams.
Possessions are at a premium when each team is shooting worse than 33% from the field and barely breaking 20% from the perimeter. Their combined 32% was second-worst ever in a WNBA Finals game. The Valkyries attempted five fewer free throws, shot 68.8% from the stripe, and still won. They bested the Dream in paint points (32-30), rebounds (41-35), second-chance points (8-4) and didn’t allow them to feast off backcourt steal-and-scores.
The post-game Dream scene laid bare the punch of a Finals-opening loss. The franchise is 0-10 in Finals games, a sharp realization following their win streak to get back here. But they aren’t done yet. The Valkyries forced the Dream to play their style, and still nearly dropped the opener.
“We’re just going to have to watch some film, make some adjustments and come out and compete again as hard as we possibly can,” Smesko said. “Because we obviously want to leave here winning Game 2.”