WNBA Finals Game 7 preview

We want to welcome Patrick Redford with TheDefector.com to talk about this game. And Patrick, tell us what you are looking forward to and what we should watch or expect tonight. Thanks for having me. Yeah, I'm hoping that the Valkyries make multiple shots in a row for basically the first time this series. I mean, it's been a very close defensive standoff of a WNBA Finals. But I'm just excited. It's going to be a great atmosphere. This is the first Game 7 that there's ever been in the WNBA Finals. You know, they just went to 7 a few years ago. So it's going to be an exciting time over there, Chase. How crucial are the first... Five to ten minutes of the game, the first quarter, we saw, I keep thinking back to the beginning of game six, where the Valkyries were behind at one point 20, 25 points, and they just could never catch up. Is the first quarter critical? I think that's exactly the right thing to focus on, you know, because it's just been such a momentum series. You know, both teams rely on their defenses to get stops, to get out in transition, to really get those offenses flowing. And so as paradoxical as that might seem, I really do think just getting off to a good start and being able to just roll that positive momentum is going to be so important for the Valkyries and the Dreams, the Valkyries especially. And do they have the advantage, obviously, home court advantage, and how much of a difference is the more normal start time going to make? Let's hope that a more normal start time, another 9.30 a.m. Pacific, will really get them off to a better start. I do think the home court is going to come into play. The Dream crowd really showed up in Atlanta. It was really loud in there. It's been great atmospheres all around. The Valkyries have dropped a game in San Francisco, but they've played much better at home throughout the playoffs and throughout the season. You know, my pre-finals prediction has already been ruined, but if I'm going to make another one that's probably going to end up being wrong, I'm going to say the Valkyries take it tonight. How much of an impact have the Valkyries made on not just professional basketball, but women's professional basketball, and inspiring a new generation of young basketball players? You know, it's, it's really exciting. Like, I'm sure you've seen it too, just all around the Bay, like not only in San Francisco, but there's Valkyries gear everywhere. Like every bar seems to want to host watch parties and everyone I've been to has been so packed out and just seeing the, the energy of the whole region come together around a WNBA team like this has been amazing. And like, you know, it's, it's interesting to see given the broader state of the WNBA be a discourse which like. for people who don't pay as much attention seems so focused on, you know, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, the fever and this kind of broader culture war. And the Valkyries exist really like apart from that, like they don't really play into that on either side. It's just like, there's broad based enthusiasm. There's the fans love it. The players love playing here, you know, and they've been so successful in two years. And so it's just been, it's just been amazing to see them succeed both on the court and off the court, like on their own terms. And I think, you know, with, you know, More expansion coming in the league, getting bigger, and ratings being really good this season. It's just like, it's amazing to see the Bay be at the center of all this. And even though they have some clear breakout stars, you know, Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton are some big favorites. It's not a team that everyone focuses in on one player. You know, when you mentioned Kaitlyn Clark, I can't think of any other players on the Indiana Fever other than Kaitlyn Clark. It's not like that with the Valkyries. Yeah, I mean, it's a real collective effort, and, you know, if the Valkyries win tonight, the matter of who's going to be finals MVP, which is usually a really easy choice, six games into a finals series, is going to be kind of tricky to decide. You know, after game five, when they won, it looked like Kia Stokes, a player who averages, you know, three points a game, but is protecting the rim and getting a lot of rebounds and, you know, tasked with guarding Angel Reese. It seemed like she was going to be Finals MVP, which... Who knows what's going to happen or who wins tonight, but the fact that she was in such consideration I think really speaks to the collective mindset and the real group effort that's powered the Valkyries so far, which is really amazing and fun to see, I've got to say. It's going to be great to watch, and on Halloween night, I mean, talk about, you can't get any more festive than that. So Patrick Redford, defector.com, thanks so much for your insight. We appreciate it. And I'd love to have you back to talk more about the Valkyries, fingers crossed, after tonight's game. I'll All right, take care. see you in a minute.