More often than not, the Golden State Valkyries have been able to speak their dreams into reality. “Empty the tank,” “Control what we can control,” “Play our brand of basketball”; whenever the Valkyries have had to dig deep and draw on their unparalleled collective spirit to meet the moment, they have, manifesting victory time and time again.
Willpower, fight, heart — that's been their superpower all season long, a superpower few have been able to overcome on their magical run to the precipice of a WNBA championship.
But a new moment shines a new spotlight for the Valkyries to step into. A Game 7, in Ballhalla, in front of 18,000 die-hard fans dressed in violet, for all the marbles, for golden glory. And with this gigantic moment, new words have been uttered: “Win or die.”
“This is the finals, right?” Natalie Nakase asked rhetorically after Golden State's 80-69 loss to the Atlanta Dream in Game 6, squandering what she had described as a “great f—ing opportunity” in front of them.
“These are win or die. This is do or die. This is it.”
A very Nakase-esque way of cutting through the fluff of what's at stake. It's simple, really.
The Valkyries stand four quarters from proving every single doubter, every single detractor, wrong about what they thought they were capable of. The ultimate “nobody believed in us” run. They stand one win away from upending the long-laid, untouched calculus of the WNBA– an expansion franchise winning a title with a ragtag group of castoffs led by an unappreciated, untraditional ace in Gabby Williams and commanded by an undeniable coaching talent in Nakase. They stand 40 minutes away from their hoop dreams, dreams they've had since they picked up a basketball and dreams they forged since coming together as a team that loves each other like family.
And it's all on the line. Because the Dream are threatening to kill the Valkyries' dreams. Angel Reese awaits to stamp out their fire, and talk crazy while she does it. And Atlanta looks to prove they were the team of destiny, and that the Valkyries were one last dragon for them to slay before they reached the mountaintop.
Golden State's maxims, their philosophies, their identity, their collective, as strong as they are, face hard truths should Atlanta prevail. Because while winning makes everything eternal, losing turns everything mortal. It's as they've said. It is win or die. And there's no consolation prize for death.
What will it take for the Valkyries to win Game 7?
If this series has shown anything about what Game 7 will look like between these two teams, it will be a rock fight. Both the Valkyries' and the Dream's defenses have squeezed and battered the life out of each other. With the tightness and anxiety that come with a Game 7, each basket that falls will feel like double the points.
Which is why it is imperative that Golden State punches first. Whichever team pounces first in the opening period will dictate the pace of the game. Especially because the Valkyries' offense isn't designed to play from behind. Their deliberate style limits each offense's number of possessions, which helps when they are ahead but hurts when they trail.
And the Dream blew their vaunted defense up in Game 6. Allisha Gray got it going; Rhyne Howard has returned to form. And though Reese remains the engine of Atlanta, Gray and Howard feel like the swing factors. If they rain hellfire from deep and stretch the Valkyries' defense, Golden State can kiss their title hopes goodbye.
Which leads back to what the Valkyries have said all season long: everything flows from their defense. It lets them get away with their dreadfully inefficient offense. It demoralizes opponents when they're hounding ball handlers and ballhawking in the passing lanes. If there was ever a time to turn up the defense to an even higher level, in line with Nakase constantly saying it hasn't been good enough despite its historic significance, now would be the time.
“Ball pressure, especially,” Williams said. “You set the tone with the physicality. I think when you punch first, when you are aggressive at the beginning and you try to be later, well, that's when fouls start getting called. That's when you're out of position. So I think (the Dream) did a good job today of setting the tone early. Obviously, we didn't. So, something to learn from, and what's great is we have another chance.”
Article Continues BelowTalking the talk and walking the walk
This is the Valkyries' last chance. Truly. But as a team that has spun every previous last chance into another to get to this penultimate one; they know what it will take to win Game 7.
“It's going to be a dogfight. We understand that. Both teams want it, and so the mindset is a sense of urgency,” Burton said after Game 6.
“It is do or die officially… This is it. This is what we worked for. This is what we prepared for.”
Game 7 will be the game of the Valkyries' lives. But when they say they are ready, they mean it. And when they say they can win it, they intend to.