Summary
- The Golden State Valkyries won their first WNBA championship on Saturday night, beating the Atlanta Dream 68–63 in Game 7 at Chase Center.
- It was the first winner-take-all Game 7 in WNBA Finals history — and Golden State is only in its second season as a franchise.
- Finals MVP Gabby Williams scored 30 points, 28 of them in the second half — a WNBA Finals record for points in a half — plus four blocks.
- The Valkyries are reported as the fastest expansion team in major North American pro sports to win a title.
Atlanta led 30–24 at halftime and the script said the home crowd goes home quiet. Then Gabby Williams detonated: 15 points in the third quarter, nine straight down the stretch, a deep three with 2:18 left that made it 60–57 and held. The Dream — in their fourth Finals, still ringless — got 18 from Jordin Canada and 16 from Allisha Gray, but the second half belonged to one player.
An expansion team, year two, no All-WNBA selection on the roster, champions. Ballhalla believed first; the trophy caught up on Halloween night.
Source: ESPN, NBC Sports and Hypebeast, cross-checked November 1.
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