SAN FRANCISCO — The Atlanta Dream open the WNBA Finals on Saturday against the Golden State Valkyries, a series that guarantees a first-time champion whichever side wins.
Both clubs swept their semifinal brackets. Golden State hosts Games 1 and 2 with the best home record in the league and the stingiest defense in the WNBA, while also ranking near the bottom in scoring. Atlanta answers with steals, turnovers forced and fast-break points, plus Angel Reese, who earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in her first season with the Dream.
Atlanta has not reached the finals since 2013 and never won the title despite earlier championship appearances in the 2010s. Golden State is in its second season and would become one of the fastest expansion champions if it closes the deal. League observers say offense will be hard to find and that the old line about defense winning titles fits this matchup.
Back home, the Dream listed a dozen official watch parties across metro Atlanta for Game 1, including Jolene Jolene, a bar built around women sports broadcasts. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the World Congress Center were set to glow blue Friday night as a send-off.
Games 3 and 4 return to Atlanta if the series lasts that long. Tip for Game 1 is Saturday afternoon on the West Coast, with the Dream needing at least one road win to seize home-court control later in the series. League officials point to record attendance and TV ratings this season under a new national media deal, raising the stakes for a Finals that finally does not feature Las Vegas.
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