On Sunday night, former ESPN anchor Linda Cohn pushed back on the talk around the Golden State Valkyries’ 68-64 win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
Cohn argued that the Valkyries earned the win and didn’t just benefit from the Dream’s cold shooting.
Linda Cohn Questions ‘Narratives’ Discrediting Valkyries’ Performance in Game 1 Win
Cohn acknowledged that much of the discussion since Saturday has focused on the Dream’s offensive struggles.
Atlanta shot 21-of-64 (32.8%) from the field and 4-of-25 from three, turning the ball over 12 times. Allisha Gray returned to the starting lineup after a finger injury and led the Dream with 19 points but shot 5-for-19.
Angel Reese scored 11 points in the first quarter and all 14 of hers before halftime, being held scoreless after the break. She finished 5-of-11 from the field with 12 rebounds, 4 turnovers and 5 fouls.
During her live stream, Cohn felt some sections of the fanbase could not digest the Dream losing to a team in only its second year. Noting that the series was only one game old, the ESPN legend said, “I’m talking about some of the narratives I’m seeing and hearing from fans and on social media, which is always fun.”
“It’s as if the Atlanta Dream are supposed to win this championship, and anything else would be some kind of shocking upset… The Valkyries, they didn’t get to the finals by accident. This isn’t a fluke. And they certainly didn’t win game one by accident.”
She argued that the Valkyries’ own shooting woes deserved the same attention as the Dream.
“The Valkyries shot just 32% from the field. That’s not good. They were 7-for-33 from three-point range. That’s not good. Nobody besides Gabby Williams even scored in double figures on this team, and they still won. That’s a mark of a good team.”
For Golden State, Williams carried the load with 26 points on 8-of-22 shooting, and 16 of those points came in the second quarter. Kiah Stokes was next with 9 points, plus 7 rebounds and 4 blocks.
“So, if we’re going to play this game of ‘what happens when Atlanta starts shooting better,’ let’s also talk about what happens when Golden State starts making some of those open shots, because they missed a bunch as well,” Cohn said.
Atlanta led 56-51 going into the fourth quarter but managed just 8 points thereon, with their offense coming to a grinding halt.
Cohn said great teams find different ways to win, and that Game 1 called for one of them. “Sometimes you win a shootout, sometimes you blow somebody out, and sometimes you have to grind out an ugly physical defensive battle when every possession matters.”
Atlanta evened things up in Game 2, 79-65, on the back of Angel Reese’s 30-point, 16-rebound, 2-block game on Monday night. Reese is now officially the youngest player in WNBA history with a 30/15 playoff game.
The series now heads to State Farm Arena, where the Dream will be looking to keep the momentum going.
