The Valkyries are here because ...

… of big dreams, excellent defense and smart roster construction. This franchise aimed big when it entered the league and has been more than rewarded. (An $850m valuation, $100m in revenue … next a championship?) After reaching the postseason in year one, they made the right offseason additions, trusted in players written off elsewhere, and put together what may have been the greatest defensive season in WNBA history. Ella Brockway

… they’ve made a mockery of the conventional expansion timetable. Built around a best-in-class defensive efficiency, positional versatility and an unusually deep rotation, Golden State have become far more than the sum of their parts. Gabby Williams supplies the star power, Veronica Burton the steady hand and Natalie Nakase the uncompromising identity. Bryan Armen Graham

… the entire organization believed in this team before they even had a team. The Valkyries did so much correctly – they built the facilities, they hired Nakase, they showed the team and fans that they were all in. The players have wholly embraced playing for Golden State, and they’ve fought their way to this achievement with the backing of an organization that understands that two-way relationship. Stephanie Kaloi

… they share the ball beautifully, play exceptional team defense, have a coach who will wring every ounce from them and herself – and they think patience is for losers. Andrew Lawrence

The Dream are here because ...

… of elite rebounding, a strong backcourt and smart roster construction. Atlanta made two personnel moves this year that, if they win the title, will go down as some of the most astute decisions in this era of the W: they splashed for Angel Reese in the offseason and then added DeWanna Bonner mid-season. They knew the pieces that they were missing and completed their puzzle. EB

… Reese has given Atlanta a ferocious presence on the glass, complementing a talented backcourt featuring Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada. Karl Smesko’s team can score in bunches but have reached another level defensively, overwhelming the Liberty in a three-game semi-final sweep. BAG

… they’ve earned it. Atlanta have also done so much correctly: hiring Karl Smesko was a surprise, but a welcome one. Signing Reese gave the team the puzzle piece they needed, and the ironclad support from fans and the team’s belief in themselves pushed them here today. The Dream have truly been a marvel to behold this season. SK

… they were smart enough to make a deadline deal for DeWanna Bonner – a Hall of Fame-caliber veteran with extensive championship experience whose steadying influence on this young team cannot be understated. That and coach Karl Smesko has challenged Reese to expand her shooting range, and the dividends are beginning to show. AL

Have the Valkyries changed the blueprint for building a WNBA champion?

Yes, with a caveat. They are proof that you don’t need to have one standalone superstar or spend years stacking draft picks to contend. But they’ve also shown the importance of an ownership group willing to buy all the way in. Joe Lacob, who also owns the NBA’s Warriors, was clear in his ambition to make the Valkyries a champion. Not every WNBA-NBA owner has historically shown that kind of interest or enthusiasm. As we return to the days of most W teams sharing ownership groups with their NBA counterparts – that will be the case in Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland – watch who follows through. EB

Perhaps, although they still have four games to win. Golden State have demonstrated that expansion teams need not spend years stockpiling lottery picks or chasing marquee free agents. Shrewd drafting, identifying undervalued veterans and international talent and a clearly defined system can accelerate the process. Their rapid success challenges the league’s star-driven orthodoxy. BAG

Yes. Golden State began shredding expectations with the 2024 expansion draft, and have doggedly proven that newcomers need not be defined by the past. The Valkyries haven’t just raised the bar for expansion franchises; they’ve raised it for the entire league. On the court, the players have shown what can be accomplished through collective effort rather than reliance on a single superstar. Off it, the front office and ownership took risks without knowing whether they would pay off. The Valkyries are proof of what’s possible when an entire organization believes in a shared mission. SK

Yes. Not only have they shattered the long-held notion that it takes at least two superstars to make a title run; they’re showing just how badly the rest of the league slept on Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton. And yet: I get the sense that teams will still feel like they need a big name to pour in the buckets and keep the seats filled. It may take dynastic run to truly flip hearts and minds. AL

The coaching advantage goes to ...

Nakase, but it’s close. In a postseason where some teams have been … let’s say … less-than-complimentary of their coaches, it’s been refreshing to see two teams who share a genuine trust and connection with theirs. I’ll give the edge to Nakase because of her finals experience (two trips as an assistant on the Aces). EB

Nakase, just. Smesko has transformed Atlanta into a genuine contender, but Nakase’s ability to extract championship-level performances from a roster assembled almost from scratch is extraordinary. Her defensive schemes dismantled former boss Becky Hammon’s Aces and her willingness to trust the entire rotation gives Golden State a crucial tactical advantage. BAG

Nakase, because she’s been here before as an assistant coach with Hammon. I’m not discrediting Smesko at all, because he’s one of the smartest in the game. Nakase has an experience edge that will help her, but both teams have something even more special: the full trust of their entire roster. SK

Mark me down as a push. I love how in sync Smesko is with his locker room, both from a vibes and Xs and Os standpoint. And I’ve been following Natalie Nakase since her NBA emergence as the Clippers’ top tape grinder. This stage isn’t too big for either of these finals head coaching rookies. AL

Unheralded player to watch ...

Naz Hillmon, Atlanta. Rhyne Howard calls Hillmon the backbone of the Dream. Their starting five is so stacked - four of their five expected starters average more than 13 points per game – that Hillmon (5.2 ppg) flies under the radar. She does the dirty work that doesn’t show up in the box score. Atlanta have beaten Golden State just twice in their past six meetings; both times (last season), Hillmon had big games. EB

Kiah Stokes, Golden State. The veteran center’s contributions rarely register in the scoring column, but her rim protection and rebounding were instrumental in neutralizing A’ja Wilson during the semi-finals. With Reese dominating the offensive glass, Stokes faces another formidable assignment. Her ability to limit second-chance opportunities could decide the series. BAG

Kiah Stokes, Golden State. Though after the last two weeks it’s a little hard to argue she’s unheralded. For the Dream, I think it’s Jordin Canada. Both played crucial roles in their teams’ semi-final series wins. SK

Kaitlyn Chen, Golden State. Unheralded is a label that only fits Chen so much. She was the straw that stirred UConn’s 2024 NCAA title team. And now here she is again, playing big relief minutes in the backcourt for Golden State. I suppose the underdog element comes from her being selected in the third round of the 2025 draft. What a steal that turned out to be for the Valkyries. AL

The finals MVP will be ...

Gabby Williams, Golden State. Lacob may have been biased when he called Williams the best player in the world after the Valkyries’ Game 1 semi-final win over A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, but she has a solid case as the best all-around player in these finals. EB

Gabby Williams, Golden State. The French international has elevated her game spectacularly in the postseason, averaging 22.7 points through the semi-finals while providing her customary defensive disruption. On a team without a conventional superstar, Williams has become the closest thing to one. Expect her two-way brilliance to define the championship series. BAG

Angel Reese, Atlanta. I’d bet on the Dream’s third-year star if Atlanta can pull it off. She’s electric right now. If the Valkyries win, I think it could be Gabby Williams, Kiah Stokes, Veronica Burton or Tiffany Hayes. To me, having four options is a sign that the team plays to its collective strengths instead of relying on one or two players to win. SK

Gabby Williams, Golden State. Her production is giving prime Napheesa Collier, and I don’t see it dipping against the Dream’s imposing frontcourt. AL

The winner will be ...

Golden State in seven. I was the contrarian in our pre-playoffs predictions and chose the Valkyries to win it all. I’m sticking with that pick now. They’re deep, they’re in good form, they have the best home-court advantage in the league and they know how to beat the Dream. (They did it three times this season.) I’ll say it again: if my preseason prediction of WNBA All-Star Veronica Burton couldn’t come true, then I will settle for WNBA champion Veronica Burton. EB

Golden State in six. Atlanta have the individual talent and defensive chops to make this a fascinating series, particularly if Reese controls the glass and Howard finds her shooting touch. But Golden State swept all three regular-season meetings and have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to win in different ways. Their defensive versatility, superior depth and home-court advantage should prove decisive. Two years after entering the league, the Valkyries will complete one of the most remarkable championship runs in WNBA history. BAG

Atlanta in six. I’ll go with the Dream, but please don’t think this is anything other than an excruciating question to answer. These WNBA finals are so special because two underdogs are fighting it out and either could win. Both teams are enormously talented and both bring compelling emotional stories to the table. What the Valkyries have done and continue to do is extraordinary, while what the Dream are accomplishing would have been unimaginable even last season. Golden State beat the Atlanta in all three regular-season meetings, but the teams haven’t faced each other since early July. I think the series will go six games, each close and exciting, with the Dream ultimately closing it out on their home floor. SK

Golden State in six. I just think they’re so good, so deep and – unlike the Minnesota Lynx just ahead of them in the standings – they haven’t really lost form this season. I think the matchups definitely favored the Dream in their playoff run, but they meet their match in the Valkyries. The hope is that they can at least give Atlanta fans their money’s worth after heaven and earth were moved for the Dream to maintain a real home court advantage at State Farm Arena. Still, I like the Valks in six games. AL