Now it's a series.
The old adage, supposedly coined by former Lakers coach Pat Riley, that a series doesn't start until the road team wins, means that the WNBA Finals have officially begun.
Because on Monday night the Atlanta Dream outhustled and pushed around the Golden State Valkyries on their own court to take Game 2, 79-65, even the series at one game apiece, and seize home-court advantage.
"It's frustrating," head coach Natalie Nakase said. "Our identity is defense and we hang our hats on that.
"They played harder."
It was the Valkyries' first playoff loss at Chase Center, puncturing the aura of Ballhalla as an overwhelming edge. The Dream didn't let the crowd noise or the big stage bother them. Though the game was tight through the first half, the Dream went on an 18-4 at the end of the third to blow it open. The Valkyries could never recover.
Though the crowd stayed loud and engaged in the waning moments, it was clear the fans were a little stunned. Where was the Valkyries' late-game comeback that has been their signature through this postseason? Where was Gabby Williams' magic fourth-quarter touch? Where were the ferocious stops, the Nakase adjustments?
The Valkyries couldn't close the gap and fans began to trickle out with time still left on the clock.
It was only Golden State's fourth double-digit loss of the season. It was also the Dream's first win of the season against the Valkyries, who had swept the regular season series 3-0. But we were warned before the series began that the regular season had no bearing on this Finals matchup, and that is proving to be true.
The Valkyries had 19 turnovers, resulting in 24 Dream points. The home team had zero fast break points, to the Dream's 19. The Valkyries lost the rebounding battle. They let Atlanta get to the line 35 times, where the Dream converted 30 free throws.
"We were just a little too loose with the ball," point guard Veronica Burton said, ticking off the team's problems. "They made more energy plays and that's what we hang our hats on, so that can't happen, especially not in the Finals. We also shot terribly; like we missed shots that we make all the time."
"Too many lapses on defense," center Kiah Stokes added. "Where it's like we knew what to do but we just weren't executing."
There were a lot of problems. But the biggest one was Angel Reese.
Before this series began, most of the national conversation had centered on Reese, the biggest name in the series and a budding superstar. After a quiet Game 1, where she didn't score in the second half, Reese was angry and motivated. On Monday she lived up to the pre-series hype.
"I let my team down last game," Reese said. "So I was hungry … I think we let one slip away and you can't do that especially on the road, where this is a good environment and a good team. We were pissed. We felt embarrassed and we didn't want to let another one slip.
"I bring a lot of energy in the locker room, if it's just a joke, or talking s-. Whatever the team needed tonight I was willing to do."
Oh, and she did it. Reese had a double-double with 30 points and 16 rebounds and was the high-impact player we expect, demanding the ball (in salty language) and energizing her team.
"She's a generational talent," teammate Jordin Canada said. "She wants it really bad. She's such a competitor and we feed off her energy."
Now the teams head to Atlanta for Games 3 (on Wednesday evening) and 4 (on Saturday morning). The Dream, originally slated to play in a 3,500 seat gym, were able to adjust the schedule and move into State Farm Arena, where the capacity will be 17,000. In their earlier playoff games at State Farm some of the upper deck was tarped off. That won't happen for the Finals, so these will be their largest home crowds of the season.
It will be interesting to see how many Valkyries fans travel for the games, especially with the increased capacity. But, coming off Monday's gritty win and Reese's transcendent performance, the Dream are sure to have an enthusiastic home crowd.
"It takes composure," Burton said, of playing on the road before a hostile crowd. "I believe we're a very composed team and it comes down to sticking together.
"It's going to be loud, it's going to be rowdy, but that's exciting. This is Finals basketball. This is where we want to be."
The Dream weathered the hostile, star-studded crowd inside Chase. Spotted in the crowd were Alanis Morrisette, Too Short, Wanda Sykes, Mistah F.A.B. and, again, Warriors, including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Yaxel Lendeborg. Also in the crowd was former Warrior Chris Paul, who became close with Nakase when she was an assistant coach with the Clippers.
Paul had some words of wisdom for Nakase.
"The biggest thing Chris has been saying is to continue to instill confidence," Nakase said. "There's going to be some highs. There's going to be some lows. Be there for the players for their lows. This is what the playoffs are about. It's gonna get sticky."
It's gotten sticky. It's a series now. And a battle.
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Dream give Valkyries a reality check, and the WNBA Finals just got interesting: ‘It's gonna get sticky'.