
The WNBA Finals are tied as the Valkyries head to Atlanta
By Marcus Chen
Mission Local
Advertisement

Given the way Golden State defended Angel Reese and Allisha Gray down the stretch in the WNBA Finals opener, Atlanta coach Karl Smesko was determined to find a way for the Dream to be more active and get better scoring chances in Game 2 on Monday night so his team doesn't go home facing a daunting 2-0 hole.“I just think we have to create better shots in this game,” he said.The swarming, in-your-face defense that carried the Valkyries to a No. 2 seed in their second season in the league was on full display in a 68-64 win Saturday — and coach Natalie Nakase challenged her team to be even more fierce defensively to dictate the tempo in Game 2.“Looking forward to our best four quarters of defense,” Nakase said. “It will be today, it better be.”Dream players met to discuss how they could improve their handling of various situations that came up in Game 1.“Everybody's had a great attitude, they've all kind of pulled together,” Smesko said. “They know how important Game 2 is. These games come