Valkyries and Dream set for first-ever WNBA Finals Game 7 after Atlanta ties series

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tiffany Hayes can't wait to see how the festive home crowd at Chase Center shows up for a historical Game 7 in the WNBA Finals, and on Halloween night no less.

"Halloween is Halloween, Ballhalla's Ballhalla, so it's definitely going to be a special night," Golden State guard Tiffany Hayes said several hours before tipoff. "We expect everybody to come out, they're probably going to have their costumes on, which is going to be different, I've never experienced that before, so it's going to be cool."

After so many cross-country trips for each team and a physical, entertaining best-of-seven series between the Atlanta Dream and Valkyries, the league is about to crown a first-time champion.

Golden State was counting on the hype from its raucous "Ballhalla" home crowd playing a key role Saturday in the winner-take-all Game 7 after Angel Reese and Atlanta evened the series at 3-all with an 80-69 victory on its home floor Thursday.

"I heard it gets loud in here," Dream coach Karl Smesko cracked, calling "Ballhalla" "almost like our third home."

He noted "we talked all year about managing our emotions better" and he knew that would matter come tipoff Saturday.

"You just stay in the moment," Smesko said before the deciding game. "Obviously it's been from training camp to the very last day, it's gone as long as it can go. And at the end of this we're either going to be celebrating or devastated."

That Game 6 win by Smesko's team made for a tough day in the bay as several thousand fans turned out for a watch party in Thrive City's plaza area outside Chase Center with the early 9:30 a.m. PDT tipoff hoping to celebrate a championship.

Now, everybody knows it comes down to this.

"I think it's pretty awesome, first ever Game 7," Valkyries center Kiah Stokes said Saturday. "I feel like it's intense, I feel like this Finals has been, I don't know if it's entertaining for you all but I feel like it's been intense for us. So, what other way than to end the season just to have a Game 7, winner-take-all."

The Valkyries will have the Golden State Warriors in their corner, too.

Warriors star and WNBA fan Stephen Curry has plenty of Game 7 experience himself. He offered a simple, emphatic, "Win, baby, win!" in a message to the Valkyries as he exited the podium following his postgame interview after Friday night's 112-95 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"You came this far, you gotta get it done," offered guard Brandin Podziemski.

The Valkyries are trying to capture a championship in just their second season after becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in its inaugural year in 2025. Owner Joe Lacob always counted on instant success. He declared three years ago when the Bay Area was granted a team that the Valkyries would win a title within their first five years.

For Atlanta, keeping Golden State guessing in crucial moments is part of the game plan.

"Giving people different looks, I think that helps throw a team off," guard Rhyne Howard said Saturday. "You're going to make adjustments in a series like this. That was definitely a big key for us in Game 6, because Tip (Hayes) has been bringing the energy for them and so giving her different looks making sure that she can't get it as easy as she has been, making sure that (we're) making her life tough."

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase challenged her team to "play inspiring basketball for 40 minutes" and honor the loyal 18,064 fans in the sellout crowd as well as everybody else watching and showing support from all over.

"It's special," she said, "it's a great opportunity."