Angel Reese, Dream Open WNBA Finals vs. Valkyries — SkimNews
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- Angel Reese is set for Game 1 of the WNBA Finals in Oakland with her Atlanta Dream against the Golden State Valkyries, her first Finals after spending the past year "manifesting" the trip
- Reese has averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals across five playoff games, with scoring and blocks up from the regular season and a 38.5% clip from beyond the arc
- Reese anchors the Dream's defense, which leads the playoffs, and called the postseason "a different beast" while insisting she has to "be a playoff riser" to be considered among the greats
- Reese cited her 2023 NCAA championship with LSU and her September gold medal with Team USA in Berlin as evidence of a winning mentality that travels: "Anywhere I go, I am looking to win."
- CBS Sports separately reports Dream guard Allisha Gray is "making progress" but her Game 1 status is unclear — a roster question the Reese-centric framing leaves untouched
Why it matters: Reese is playing the best basketball of her career on the league's biggest stage, yet Atlanta's Finals ceiling depends on more than her individual surge: Gray's uncertain Game 1 status leaves the Dream's depth against an expansion Valkyries team in its inaugural Finals a real question. Whichever side absorbs that roster hit cleanly gains the early edge in a short series.
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