Atlanta survives a Brooklyn thriller, Golden State dethrones the defending champions in overtime, and the WNBA Finals just got a whole lot more interesting.
By Sanchez Sideline
Y'all, Friday night in the WNBA was something serious.
Not one. Not two. But FOUR teams entered the night with championship aspirations still hanging in the balance.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, two were packing their bags.
And the other two?
THEY'RE HEADED TO THE WNBA FINALS!
The Atlanta Dream escaped Brooklyn with an 85–83 victory over the New York Liberty, completing a three-game sweep and punching their ticket to the Finals for the first time since 2013.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Valkyries walked into Las Vegas, took the defending champions to overtime, and then proceeded to send them home with an 87–77 victory.
And baby, let's talk about that second one.
Because the Valkyries didn't just eliminate the defending champions.
They swept them.
In only their second season of existence.
Somebody check the expansion-team handbook because Golden State clearly skipped a few chapters.
ATLANTA DREAM 85, NEW YORK LIBERTY 83 — ANGEL REESE AND COMPANY FINISH THE JOB
Atlanta wins series 3–0
Remember when everybody had something to say about Angel Reese?
Well, now they can watch her play in the WNBA Finals.
Reese delivered another statement performance Friday night, finishing with 22 points and nine rebounds, helping Atlanta survive a Liberty team that wasn't ready to let its season end quietly.
Rhyne Howard added 21 points, Jordin Canada contributed 19 points and 11 assists, and DeWanna Bonner delivered 13 points and 13 rebounds.
And don't overlook rookie Isobel Borlase, who supplied 10 valuable points off the bench.
This wasn't a one-woman show.
This was an entire team refusing to fold.
THE LIBERTY FOUGHT BACK — BUT ATLANTA HAD THE LAST WORD
Atlanta jumped out to a 44–39 halftime advantage and opened the third quarter with seven unanswered points.
At one point, the Dream led by 12.
But New York wasn't about to roll over.
The Liberty answered with a 16–4 run, eventually taking a 68–66 lead into the fourth quarter.
Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones each finished with 26 points, doing everything they could to extend the series.
And with the game hanging in the balance, things got interesting.
Atlanta led 83–81 late, but New York had an opportunity to tie the game.
Stewart missed a contested layup, and Bonner knocked down two clutch free throws with 6.2 seconds remaining.
Stewart scored at the buzzer, but Atlanta had already done enough.
85–83. Game over. Series over.
The Dream are headed to the Finals.
AND LET'S TALK ABOUT ANGEL REESE
Here's what I love about this moment.
Reese has spent much of her young professional career being dissected, criticized and debated.
Her rebounding gets questioned.
Her scoring gets questioned.
Her confidence gets questioned.
And yet, here she is.
The league's Defensive Player of the Year, putting up 22 points in a closeout game and helping lead Atlanta to its first Finals appearance in 13 years.
And let's not forget that Atlanta got this done without Allisha Gray, who missed the final two games of the series with a finger injury.
That's not a small absence.
That's one of the team's most important offensive weapons.
But instead of making excuses, the Dream found answers.
Howard stepped up.
Canada controlled the offense.
Bonner delivered veteran leadership.
And Reese kept doing what Reese does.
Compete. Rebound. Defend. And make people talk.
The difference now?
They're talking about the WNBA Finals.
GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES 87, LAS VEGAS ACES 77 (OT) — THE CHAMPIONS HAVE BEEN DETHRONED
Golden State wins series 3–0
Now, THIS is where Friday night went completely off the rails.
The defending champion Las Vegas Aces entered this series with championship experience, star power, and arguably the most intimidating postseason résumé in the league.
A'ja Wilson.
Jackie Young.
Chelsea Gray.
Three championships in the previous four seasons.
And across from them stood a franchise that didn't even exist on a WNBA court until 2025.
The Golden State Valkyries.
Let me say that again.
A SECOND-YEAR EXPANSION TEAM JUST SWEPT THE DEFENDING WNBA CHAMPIONS.
That's not supposed to happen.
At least, not according to the usual sports script.
But Golden State apparently didn't receive that memo.
THE THIRD-QUARTER RUN THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Las Vegas looked capable of extending the series.
But Golden State completely flipped the momentum with a 17–0 run in the third quarter.
Seventeen unanswered points.
Against the defending champions.
On their home floor.
And the Valkyries' defense was absolutely suffocating.
Las Vegas went more than seven minutes without scoring during the stretch.
The Aces eventually fought back, and the teams traded crucial baskets late in regulation.
Jackie Young scored to tie the game, and neither side could deliver the winner before the buzzer.
Overtime.
Season on the line.
Championship defense hanging by a thread.
And Golden State?
They slammed the door.
OVERTIME BELONGED TO THE VALKYRIES
The Valkyries outscored Las Vegas 16–6 in overtime.
Not by two.
Not by four.
By TEN.
Kayla Thornton finished with 18 points, while Gabby Williams contributed 16, including eight in the extra period.
Williams also knocked down a critical step-back jumper in overtime that helped put the game beyond the Aces' reach.
Former Las Vegas players Kiah Stokes and Tiffany Hayes each scored 11 points, with Stokes adding 10 rebounds.
And there's something poetic about former Aces helping eliminate the Aces.
Meanwhile, Wilson finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 6-for-19 from the floor.
Young added 18 points, and Chelsea Gray finished with 17.
Las Vegas had the stars.
Golden State had the answers.
87–77. Sweep complete.
The defending champions are going home.
GIVE GOLDEN STATE ITS RESPECT
Let's stop treating this like a cute expansion-team story.
The Valkyries are no longer simply the new kids on the block.
They are Western Conference champions.
They have home-court advantage in the WNBA Finals.
And they've just eliminated a team that dominated the league's championship conversation for years.
Head coach Natalie Nakase deserves serious recognition for what this group has accomplished.
The defensive identity.
The depth.
The ability to withstand pressure.
The refusal to be intimidated by a bigger name or a more decorated roster.
Golden State didn't sneak into the Finals.
They kicked the door open.
THE WNBA FINALS ARE SET: ATLANTA DREAM VS. GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES
Now THIS is a matchup worth watching.
On one side, Atlanta is returning to the Finals for the first time since 2013.
On the other, Golden State is making its first-ever appearance.
Neither franchise has won a WNBA championship.
So somebody is about to make history.
WHAT MAKES THIS MATCHUP INTERESTING?
Atlanta's advantage: Physicality, rebounding, experienced playmakers, and a defense anchored by Angel Reese.
Golden State's advantage: Depth, defensive pressure, balanced scoring, and a team that has already proven it can survive hostile environments.
Atlanta just survived a two-point closeout game without its leading scorer.
Golden State just dismantled the defending champions in overtime.
Both teams have shown they can win ugly.
Both teams have shown they can win under pressure.
And neither team seems particularly interested in being somebody else's feel-good story.
WNBA FINALS — GAME 1
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries
3:30 PM ET | Chase Center, San Francisco
Best-of-seven championship series.
THE SANCHEZ SIDELINE FINAL WHISTLE
Friday night gave us two very different victories with one common message.
Respect the teams that actually show up and finish the job.
Atlanta didn't care about New York's championship pedigree.
Golden State didn't care that Las Vegas was defending a title.
Neither team blinked.
Neither team needed a Game 4.
And neither team is going into the Finals hoping somebody hands them anything.
The Dream are chasing the championship that has eluded their franchise for nearly two decades.
The Valkyries are trying to do something almost unimaginable for a second-year expansion team.
And somewhere between Atlanta's grit and Golden State's audacity, we're about to crown a first-time WNBA champion.
So here's the question:
Are we about to witness the Dream finally come true — or the Valkyries complete the greatest expansion-team story in WNBA history?
Either way, ladies?
TAKE YOUR BOW.
You've earned the stage.
Sports. Opinion. No Filter.
Sanchez Sideline