SAN FRANCISCO – For the entirety of this playoff run, the Golden State Valkyries have always been able to buy a bucket when they've absolutely needed it. Whether it was keeping pace with the human microwave Arike Ogunbowale, going toe-to-toe with five-time MVP A'ja Wilson, or just burying opponents with a trademark Golden State avalanche, the Valkyries have evolved into a team that gets better as the lights get brighter.

So it was all the more agonizing for the Ballhalla crowd when, with 2:20 left in the third quarter and trailing the Atlanta Dream 49-44, all-star forward Gabby Williams scooped the rock just past the outstretched arms of reigning defensive player of the year Angel Reese, and the ball hung on every part of the rim, refusing to fall through the net and kickstart a trademark, earth-shaking, eardrum-breaking Valkyries run.

Like a wet matchstick refusing to spark or like a punchline never landing, the Valkyries never got payoff, with turnovers and empty possessions blunting any chance of keeping pace with the highly motivated, in Reese's words after the game, “pissed off” Atlanta Dream, falling 79-65 to even the WNBA Finals at 1-1. Golden State shot an abysmal 21-of-61 from the field (34.4%), surrendered the ball a season-high 18 times, and let Reese run rampant for 30 points and 16 rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting.

“We were just a little too loose with the ball,” Valkyries guard Veronica Burton said after the loss, their first in the Playoffs since Game 2 against the Dallas Wings and first at home in two months.

“Obviously, that's what they're known for (generating turnovers), and we're known for the opposite (protecting the ball). So, I mean, it starts with me. I can't just be throwing the ball (away). It's one of the most important things. It's taking care of it, and so I think just being organized, all being on the same page, and then in the fastbreak, not getting too sped up, like being decisive. I think we had a lot of times where we were hesitant, or we weren't on the same page, and that's where it led to turnovers. So it starts with me. Got to clean that up, and that's what we'll do.”

Valkyries' go-to scorer Williams finished with a volume 14 points on 3-of-15 shooting; Burton added in only 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, starters Cecilia Zandalasini and Kayla Thornton combined for just 2-of-11 from the field, and the team as a whole shot 7-of-24 from deep.

Dream were the hungrier team

It wasn't for a lack of effort on the Valkyries' part, Burton said when asked if there was any letdown in urgency after a thrilling Game 1 victory, but said they fell short on things they typically pride themselves on, like the offensive boards, hustle plays, transition points, and let that affect their energy at times. As for their offense, Burton noted that the poor shooting night was a mix between the Dream speeding them up and the Valkyries just missing good looks.

“I do think we got a lot of good looks that we didn't finish, and that happens. And that's basketball,” Burton said. “Then our body language, and then it affects our defense, and then it trickles. And that was a big part on me. Like, miss it late, you turn it over, and then by the time you put your head down, they're on the other end, and they have a three, so all that little stuff– it does play a role. And again, we'll watch the film. They're a great defensive team, so we have to make the adjustments offensively to execute, and we'll do that. But some of it is just missing shots, and then another is getting some better looks.”

Still, for Golden State, Atlanta came into Game 2 with a sense of urgency and desperation that was palpable in their play, namely with Reese who made it her mission to attack any and every Valkyrie matched up on her, even Kiah Stokes, who could not bother her in the same way she did in Game 1, noting that the Atlanta star was much more aggressive.

“I was hungry,” Reese said after the game. “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, and we all came together and were pissed. We felt disappointed, we felt embarrassed, and we didn't like the outcome of that last game, and we didn't want to let another one slip.”

Defensively, it's reasonable to expect the Valkyries to reconfigure their defense to bog down Reese and the Dream in Game 3. But offensively, they might have an issue. If they aren't generating extra possessions by creating turnovers or dominating the offensive glass, their offense becomes highly dependent on executing in the halfcourt, an area they've been inconsistent in for all their glowing features. The Valkyries players have some of the highest shot difficulties in the league because when things bog down in the halfcourt, and the offense becomes prone to iso-ball and stagnation, they don't have enough otherworldly shot creators to break up the funk.

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But Natalie Nakase, in line with her overarching view of the offensive inconsistencies, emphasized that they are a defense-minded team that dictates their offense by intensifying their defense. She did, however, point to how Atlanta cut off the Valkyries' driving lanes, which mucked up their ability to keep the Dream on their heels.

“I thought they really started to shift into those driving lanes that we were talking about. So then they were there early, right, trying to create more passes for us. And so when we're not in the right spots in terms of being able to receive those passes and see the next layer of driving lanes, and that's where it got a little bit sticky,” Nakase explained. By not spacing their shooters to give the drivers a window to kick the ball, the Dream were able to keep everything one-dimensional.

“So I thought they were again out hustling us to get to those spots. So we just have to make sure we stay composed. If we can't punch first, stay composed and get back to our spacing.”

Still, diagnosing the problem is only the first step. The Valkyries still have to make some shots.