Golden State Valkyries

Gabby Williams' late limp in Game 1 didn't hold her back in Game 2, Natalie Nakase said after the Valkyries' loss to Atlanta: "Oh, no. She was aggressive. Yeah, she was fine." Nakase said Williams just missed: "I thought her looks were the same as usual."

Janelle Salaun has accepted an adjusted playoff role for the Golden State Valkyries. Before Game 2, Natalie Nakase credited her maturity and selflessness: "Credit to her of understanding we've obviously made some adjustments... she's fresh, she's ready to go."

Tiffany Hayes is available for Game 2 after the hit she took in Game 1. "Everyone's good to go," Natalie Nakase said before the game, with 12 of 14 Valkyries available. Hayes nearly retired before joining her, Nakase said, and offered to come off the bench when they first met.

Laeticia Amihere took the second-half defensive assignment on Angel Reese in Golden State's Finals game against the Dream. Natalie Nakase said Amihere was key to the game plan: "LA had great energy." A matchup to watch for Reese's numbers next game.

Golden State's Natalie Nakase didn't commit on Tiffany Hayes after she went down hard late: "Tip's okay... I'll know when medical tells me." Nakase is adding film study "because I want to win this for Tip." Gabby Williams limped; Nakase gave no status: it's the player's call.

"She's come to the dark side a little bit." Natalie Nakase says Veronica Burton is cussing like her now, more direct as a Golden State Valkyries leader. Nakase's father cussed her out after games: "his love language was basketball, it was discipline, and it was time."

Tiffany Hayes took rest days to get her mind and body right before the Golden State Valkyries' Finals against the Dream, the team where she made her name: "Much-needed rest days, trying to get ready for this next series."

Keeping Angel Reese off the boards may take more than one Golden State Valkyrie. Tiffany Hayes said the answer to the Dream forward in the Finals is boxing out: "She's definitely going to be harder to box out. You might need a few people to do that."

Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes are among those who close games for the Golden State Valkyries. Natalie Nakase said her staff builds late-game plays around "what they like at the end" so the closers "feel confident."

"2 baskets, you know, 2 rims, 1 court, the same size. The basketball is the same size." Asked about possibly playing road Finals games in a smaller arena, Natalie Nakase said it does not change the Golden State Valkyries' approach.

"Now this team pays me more, so I go here." Gabby Williams said at Golden State Valkyries media day on Oct. 16 that she was just being truthful. Her "bandwagoners" remark targeted the media, not fans: "If media's praising me now, I don't care."

Natalie Nakase is still getting stops in Golden State Valkyries practice during the Finals. The coach said she held a guard on Oct. 15 and let her hear it: "I said not here, not this time... Like I'm 46 years old, why am I getting that?"

Natalie Nakase takes "full responsibility" for the Golden State Valkyries' injuries last season, practice intensity included. Her fix: "14 players that could produce," mostly two-way. Finals minutes and reps were mapped right after the Vegas series, rest "calculated."

Gabby Williams on what she told Natalie Nakase in free agency: "I played for a team with 4 All-Stars that... had a first-round exit the same the Valkyries did." The Golden State Valkyries forward said that showed her how far culture can take a team.

Kiah Stokes has missed the last few days of Golden State Valkyries practice and looked congested. Natalie Nakase framed it as rest after Stokes spent the last series guarding the MVP: "I think guarding the MVP is pretty tough. And so, yeah, she's just resting."

Tiffany Hayes says her recovery is going great ahead of the Finals against Atlanta. At Golden State Valkyries practice, she said she "took some time off to get my mind and my body right" with "much-needed rest days."

Tiffany Hayes said Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase defends her own players in practice drills, and if Nakase gets a stop, "we won't hear the end of it. So we got to make sure we just get the bucket every time."

Golden State Valkyries' closers, per Natalie Nakase at practice: Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes. The staff is building late-game plays around what each likes, to "develop some situational things that they can close with and they feel confident."

"I feel much better... It's because... I'm able to sit." Gabby Williams, who played 28 minutes in Golden State's overtime clincher over Las Vegas, says depth has her fresher than late last season. Sitting much of the third quarter reset her: "just get off it for a minute."

"This is Tiffany Hayes coming off of the bench. Like, are you kidding me?" Gabby Williams calls it a huge edge; she and Hayes trade off carrying the scoring. Kiah Stokes says Golden State will keep leaning on its bench in the Finals, "especially when we play Atlanta."

"It is our superpower... More importantly, it's for people's health." Golden State's Natalie Nakase on depth, after Gabby Williams played only 28 minutes in the overtime win over the Aces. She tied last year's injuries to a 7- or 8-player rotation that wasn't sustainable.

"Literally, this is a dream come true to be going to our finals in our second year." Golden State coach Natalie Nakase after the Valkyries closed out the Aces in Las Vegas. With 8 days off before the Finals, she said "rest and recovery for me is going to be crucial."

"I'm going to hold some stuff, but I'm going to say it was amazing." Golden State's Tiffany Hayes, who missed last year's playoffs injured, on beating her old team, the Aces: "I know I played with them, much respect to them. But at the end of the day, I'm here."

Veronica Burton's assignment for Golden State: the Aces' Bre Turner, whom she has guarded the past two games. Burton said that can change at any moment, because a fast break can put her back on a guard. The Valkyries lead the series 2-0 heading to Las Vegas.

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase called her exhaustion and dropping during the Dallas game a "complete wake-up call on how important health is." Her sister crying shook her; both saw their father die in front of them. She now eats and prioritises mornings over coffee.

"Kaitlyn Chen was fresh and I'm playing a fresh Kaitlyn Chen." Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase on using Chen over Veronica Burton late; Burton never returned after the third quarter. Asked if that was injury-related, Nakase said Burton is "feeling great" but didn't say.

"If you're tired, tell me. And I did at halftime. I went down the line." On a quick turnaround, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase asked each player about fatigue and leaned on short stints. She called her team "12 deep" and said the second unit "can play or start."

Veronica Burton's three sparked Golden State's comeback from 16 down in the third quarter. "I think V hit a really big 3... After that, it was just about getting stops," Gabby Williams said postgame. The Valkyries held the opponent to 29 second-half points.

Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase is okay after going down, according to Tiffany Hayes. Asked postgame what happened, Hayes said: "No, I didn't really see it, but we're happy she's okay." Nobody gave further detail on what happened.

Gabby Williams said Golden State has given her the green light to shoot threes, something she had overseas but never in the WNBA. Why she came: "I just wanted someone to believe in me," which she said she never got from a WNBA staff or teammates.

Golden State's Gabby Williams on the Sept. 30 overtime game against Dallas: "I didn't recognize us. I don't think any of us did." She named the calls and Dallas's tough late shots as things out of the team's control, but said the result didn't come down to those.

Gabby Williams on Golden State's overtime game against Dallas: Arike Ogunbowale got 18 free throws, and the fix is "stay disciplined, stop reaching on her" and make her take contested shots. "We're not here to trade baskets with people. We're a defensive team."