The WNBA Playoffs have moved past the semifinals and are now on to the finals. Both the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries swept their opponents, ending in 3-0 victories and giving them plenty of extra time without games before facing each other in the finals.
Following the first round of the WNBA playoffs, only four teams were remaining from the original eight. The No. 2 Golden State Valkyries faced off against the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces, and the No. 4 Atlanta Dream played the No. 8 New York Liberty.
The games were structured in a 2-2-1 format, granting the higher-seeded team the home-court advantage for the first two games. The third game was played at the lower-seeded team’s city, with games four and five not needed due to the sweeps.
A new WNBA rivalry?
The Atlanta Dream have yet to lose in the playoffs, managing to win 2-0 against the Washington Mystics in the first round and 3-0 against the New York Liberty in the semifinals. Breanna Stewart, who led New York through the first round of playoffs in a sweep against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, was swept for the first time in her WNBA career.
Angel Reese, who was crowned the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, led her team through this matchup. She amassed 62 points and 23 rebounds in the semifinals alone, while still leading her team defensively.
It wouldn’t be a true WNBA Playoffs without some form of chaos. In their first matchup, Allisha Gray suffered an injury to her left hand. She returned to the game with her shooting fingers taped originally, before being unable to finish the game and missing the remaining two semifinal games.
Their second matchup went into overtime before the Dream won 101-98. There was mass controversy after the game’s conclusion, though. Stewart asked one of the officials if the Liberty had a remaining reset timeout to use after Reese completed her free throws. She claimed to have been told no, leading the Liberty to inbound the ball from the baseline. New York did have a reset timeout remaining, and it’s the responsibility of their staff to keep track of it.
For anyone unclear on basketball terms, the Liberty had mere seconds to attempt to shoot a 3-pointer, sending the game into double overtime. A reset timeout would’ve allowed them to inbound the ball past halfcourt, instead of at the opposite end of the court.
This led to a WNBA investigation against the officials, but ultimately, it won’t change the result of the game or the outcome of the semifinals. The officials aren’t responsible for knowing if a team has a remaining reset timeout, but they shouldn’t be telling a player false information.
With these two teams having five matchups within 30 days, it might become a new WNBA rivalry. Atlanta, having won every single matchup, likely means New York will be out for blood next season. At their home game, New York included clips from Heated Rivalry to motivate their fans.
History Has Been made
In their second season ever as a team, the Golden State Valkyries are heading to the finals. They’re the first expansion team to reach the playoffs in their first season and the finals in their second season. They managed a massive upset in sweeping the reigning champs, the Las Vegas Aces.
After nearly losing in the first round to the Dallas Wings, many experts predicted Golden State would lose to Las Vegas. Expectations were blown not only by their advancement to the finals, but in a sweep nonetheless. With Veronica Burton’s clutch three-pointer in game two and Gabby Williams’ double-double in game three, the Valkyries put up great performances, leading to their semifinal victory.
Onto the finals
The WNBA Playoff Finals will be played in a 2-2-2-1 format, with the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries hosting the first two games as the higher-seeded team. The No. 4 Atlanta Dream will host the following two games. Since both teams managed a sweep in the semifinals, neither has an advantage in terms of more rest time over the other team.
The first game will be held on Oct. 17 at Golden State, and if a team manages another sweep, they’ll play the final game on Oct. 24 in Atlanta. Games 1-4 are guaranteed, but games 5-7 will only happen if necessary. If they manage to take the series into a game 7, it’ll be played on Oct. 31 in Atlanta.
Golden State won all three of its regular-season matchups, but they haven’t played since July 4. Both teams are now different, having grown and changed in the time between their regular-season matchups and the finals. It’s not an obvious choice as to who will be crowned the 2026 WNBA Champions.
For both teams, they’re looking to win their first WNBA championship. It’s safe to say that the finals will be highly competitive. The Dream and the Valkyries are both known as strong defensive teams, meaning there’s a high chance the series will be filled with more low-scoring games than in the past.
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