ATLANTA, GA - JULY 4: Gabby Williams #1 of the Golden State Valkyries dribbles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Dream on July 4, 2026 at Gateway Center Arena at College Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Golden State Valkyries faced two extremely different teams in the first two rounds. A high-octane, transition Dallas Wings squad and a veteran-laden, clutch Las Vegas Aces.
The Atlanta Dream are closer to the Valkyries. They rank in the top five in most defensive stats, are a rebound-heavy team and can score enough to be a problem.
“They’re also defensive-minded,” Kaila Charles told The IX and Valkyries Beat. “They’re also very big, and they have that tenacious attitude. They're going to be playing hard. They're not going to lay over and ever give up. So, it's going to be a good test for us.”
While the Valkyries swept this series in the regular season, they played all three games over 11 days between June and July, before both teams hit their stride. Just one of the games was decided by double digits in that stretch, too.
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