ATLANTA - There's still a lot of the WNBA Finals remaining, a lot of games to play out, thousands of air miles to log between this city and San Francisco in the coming days.
We don't know how the final story will be written. But there's a chance that the adjustments coach Natalie Nakase made prior to Game 4 between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream will go down in Golden State lore as perhaps the greatest in-series maneuvers since Steve Kerr benched Andrew Bogut in favor of Andre Iguodala in the the 2015 NBA Finals.
- Related:Valkyries even Finals with Game 4 win in Atlanta, stymie Dream and Angel Reese
- Read more:Valkyries change lineup before Finals Game 4, hoping Hayes, Charles provide a spark
In that legendary series, the Warriors, just like the Valkyries coming into Saturday's game, trailed two games to one, had lost home court advantage and were desperately looking for answers. With the lineup change, the Warriors regained their defensive mojo, won the game, and then the next two to win their first NBA championship in 40 seasons.
On Saturday, 30 minutes before game time, the Valkyries starting lineup was posted. In were Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles. Out, Kayla Thorton and Cecilia Zandalasini.
"I was trying to change it up," Nakase said. "The nice thing about our team is that no one cares who starts. If you're on the bench it doesn't matter. We can do that because we have a really egoless team. So, yeah, you definitely saw some energy, a better fight."
We also saw a team that looked more like the Valkyries team we are accustomed to seeing. Locked in on defense, poised, connected and patient.
The result was a 67-62 victory over the Dream to even the series at two games apiece. Game 5 will be played at Chase Center on Monday evening. For the first time in the history of the WNBA Finals - which only moved to a seven-game format last season - there will be a Game 6, which will be played in Atlanta, though the details of exactly where it will be played remain unclear. The Atlanta Hawks are said to be trying to adjust their home game for the evening of Thursday, October 29 to allow the Dream to play at State Farm Arena.
The Valkyries have never lost three games in a row this season and they still haven't. For two off days in Atlanta, after their disheartening 97-71 walloping by the Dream, the Valkyries talked about regaining their fight. Getting back to themselves. Nakase talked about being better in her communication to the players.
It all sounded like the rhetoric of a team searching for answers. But it turns out those bromides were true.
"We had the energy, we punched first and we kind of dictated," Charles said. "They're obviously a great team and when they were trying to make their run, we didn't fold. We didn't put our heads down. We just continued to keep punching and punching and were able to get the win."
Charles and Hayes brought more quickness and aggressive defense to the starting lineup. Zandalasini and Thornton were both more effective coming off the bench, particularly Zandalsini, who had a +20 in the game and scored ten points. Nakase basically shortened her rotation to just seven players. (Both Janelle Salaün and Kaitlyn Chen played only briefly.)
The result was almost the inverse of the previous two games, both losses. The Valkyries limited Angel Reese, "the head of the snake" as Kiah Stokes called her and a double-double machine in this series, to just eight points and nine rebounds. The Valkyries controlled possession, using up the shot clock and getting offensive rebounds, taking 72 shots - 18 more than the Dream took. They limited their turnovers, with just 9 (resulting in 8 Dream points) compared to 18 for the Dream, leading to 16 Valkyries points. They all but stopped the Dream's lethal fast break, outscoring them 7-2 on breakaways.
The lone place where the Dream had a clear advantage was at the free throw line. They went to the line 31 times, making 22 free throws. The Valkyries only shot 13 free throws, making 11. That could have caused frustration or head-hanging, like we witnessed in Game 3. But the Valkyries played tough and poised.
"We stopped letting the officiating dictate the game," said Gabby Williams, who regained her elite defense and her swagger on Saturday afternoon. "I think last game we were very soft."
Instead, Williams said the Valkyries decided to "woman up." And they did. They were tenacious, even amidst incredibly physical play. Veronica Burton, who played much of the game in foul trouble, played a game-high 38 minutes, while constantly hitting the deck and getting popped in the face.
"Man, she's the heart and soul of the team," Nakase said. "She was getting knocked in the face. Knocked down probably like ten times. That girl's resilient. And, then, what was key tonight is she finished with that shot."
As the Dream scratched back to cut the lead in the fourth quarter, Burton hit a key three to put the team back up by nine, and then, in the waning seconds of the game, controlled the pace, made another basket and got to the line to close things out.
Hayes was also a key figure in the final minutes. She had gotten in foul trouble early in the game, but had seven fourth-quarter points, driving the lane, exhibiting her quickness.
"Tip is a dog, she's so fast," Williams said. "Her being able to come alive in that fourth quarter really sealed the game for us."
The Valkyries also handled the noise of the State Farm Arena better. In Game 3, they seemed a bit shocked to have their own secret power - a raucous home-court environment - turned on them. Nakase said deliberate communication, eye contact, pointing and other hand signals were key to the team's success on Saturday.
"You just got to stay composed," Hayes said. "That's the biggest thing in a series like this, with a team like this. Keeping our composure down the stretch is going to be big in the series."
The series still has a long way to go. The full tale of these Finals is yet to be told.
But the adjustments Nakase and her Valkyries made may very well end up holding a special spot in Golden State lore.
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Natalie Nakase's Game 4 adjustments may go down in Valkyries franchise history.