Golden State Valkyries · 11 notes
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.
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.
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."
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."
"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."
"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."
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.