Angel Reese Sends Warning to Valkyries After 0-3 Regular-Season Sweep

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream three times during the regular season. Two of those wins came at Chase Center in San Francisco in late June, 77-66 and 78-75. The third came on July 4 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga., where Golden State closed on an 8-0 run from a 77-74 deficit and won 88-83.

Angel Reese said Tuesday, four days before the WNBA Finals open in San Francisco, that Golden State will face a different team this time.

DeWanna Bonner was not on Atlanta's roster for any of those games. Atlanta added her as a free agent on Aug. 26 following a buyout from Phoenix.

Reese said Dream coach Karl Smesko is one of the most prepared coaches in the league, if not the most prepared. This time the Dream have had a full week to get ready for one opponent.

"Playing a team three times in a stretch of, what, ten days, where we didn't have a lot of time to figure things out," Reese said, "there's no excuse for how [we] played during that time, but we're a completely different team right now. All of us, even just adding [DeWanna] as well. So I'm looking forward to it. I think we're on a great stretch right now. We're rolling and piecing things together at the right time. Yeah, it's no better time now."

Reese was voted Defensive Player of the Year on Oct. 1. She received 46 of 72 votes from a media panel. Valkyries forward Gabby Williams finished second with 20, and Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was third.

Reese led the league with 12.1 rebounds per game. She ranked third with 1.8 steals per game. She set single-season records with 521 rebounds and 206 offensive rebounds, and on Aug. 24 against the Los Angeles Sparks she grabbed 26 rebounds, a WNBA single-game record.

The Dream acquired her from the Chicago Sky in April for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028. She is 24 and in her third season.

Steals and deflections are where the Atlanta transition game starts. In the first game of the New York series, the Dream turned 21 forced turnovers into 32 points. Reese and Jordin Canada had three steals apiece in the third quarter alone.

"Defensively, we just continue to pick up the pace. We're on a string," Reese explained. "We're not having as many defensive lapses that we had in that five-game stretch that we did lose. So, yeah, we just continue to be better offensively."

Reese said Atlanta is at its best when defense keeps the Dream from having to operate in the half court.

"I think our offense needs to work in transition. Nobody can stop us," Reese continued. "We're the number one transition team in the league for a reason. So when we can get out and get steals and get deflections early, it makes things a lot easier. We don't have to set up an offense."

Through five playoff games, Reese is averaging 1.6 steals and 2.2 blocks. She scored 23 points in the Game 2 overtime win over New York, and in Game 3 at Barclays Center she had 22 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.

Golden State posted the league's best defensive rating and net rating in the regular season. The Valkyries won 22 of their final 27 games, beat the Dallas Wings in the first round, and swept the defending champion Aces in the semifinals.

Williams is averaging 22.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals in the playoffs.

Reese's preparation covers more than the player she starts on. She studies whoever she might switch onto, too.

"I love defense. I'm very intentional about personnel specifically, especially when it comes to matchups, being able to know people's tendencies," Reese said. "Especially now, down to the Finals, where it's just one team to focus on and watching film for a week. And being able to see everybody, we've known them from the season, but being very intentional with the players, what they like to do."

Reese said that preparation has to extend across Golden State's lineup.

"Not even just the players that I'm guarding, but also if I get switched to somebody else, making sure that I know my matchup," Reese continued. "And that's gonna be very important into the Finals. And just being intentional about who is who and who we make sure we can guard. They're a really talented team. So just making sure that we're intentional about all our matchups."

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase has called Williams the best two-way player in the world.

The Dream are 0-9 all-time in Finals games. Golden State has home-court advantage as the No. 2 seed.

Game 1 is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and Game 2 follows Monday night.