10/18/2026 02:08:00
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10/18 14:07 CDT Valkyries star Gabby Williams counts possessions, keeps track
of everything to lead late in games
Valkyries star Gabby Williams counts possessions, keeps track of everything to
lead late in games
By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --- Late in games, Gabby Williams starts counting. She
constantly computes math in her head, all while handling the pressure of being
the one to regularly take big shots for the Golden State Valkyries.
Better Williams than coach Natalie Nakase, that's for sure.
"What's her obsession with math?" Nakase inquired when told about Williams'
process.
"I don't do math. I do more like coverages and schemes and seeing people's
energy and more connectivity with our group. That's all Gabby. I'm not that
smart. I'm not doing math out there. I didn't do math since the UCLA days."
Whatever it is that Williams does, it's working well during her first playoff
run with the Valkyries after coming to the Bay Area for just this: a chance at
a championship. Golden State leads the Atlanta Dream 1-0 in their best-of-seven
WNBA Finals.
Even members of Golden State's athletic training staff have noticed Williams
making her mental notes down the stretch.
The veteran guard scored 26 points in a 68-64 Game 1 win Saturday, missing her
initial four shots before scoring 16 of her 26 points in the second quarter.
She was the only Valkyries player in double figures as Golden State shot 32.1%
and 7 of 33 from 3-point range.
"Yeah, same thing, doing math," Williams explained of her mindset. "One of our
trainers, she was like, ?In the fourth quarter, you always do this thing and I
know you're going to start taking over, you look at the clock.' And I'm like:
?Yeah, I'm counting. I'm counting possessions, I'm counting points, what do we
need now, what's the most timely time to go.'
"I think it's just like the best way to kind of take the pressure off things,
too, is just to break them down possession by possession."
The Dream had been outstanding down the stretch during their first two series,
both sweeps, to reach the franchise's fourth finals. Yet Atlanta is still yet
to win a finals game.
Coach Karl Smesko can't wait for his team to find a way to bounce back Monday
night. Atlanta shot 2 for 19 in the fourth quarter.
"I just think we need to maintain how we want to play for a whole four
quarters. We had a couple dry spells where we just weren't working together as
well as you need to against this defense. They are not just going to give you
easy shots," he said. "So we are going to need to work together to create these
advantages."
Execution is especially challenging in the hostile environment that is Golden
State's deafening "Ballhalla" sellout home crowd --- with rally towels waving
and thunder sticks cracking all game long.
While Smesko was pleased with how the Dream handled the noise, he will
challenge his players to communicate even better next time out.
"I thought the environment was great. I thought the crowd was great. They were
loud. They were cheering at all the right times," Smesko said. "But I think
when we had a breakdown, it was something that we worked on and we just would
have a miscommunication or something like that. ... When we have an opportunity
to finish a game, we've just got to do it."
Nakase challenged her team's loyal, violet-loving fans once more to bring all
their energy again Monday.
"Great job but hey, level up, right? Like we've got to go Game 2, it has to be
better. We're going to ask more from our players. So I'd say, check for Game
1," she said. "Let's get a better Game 2. Rest and recover, Ballhalla. Careful
what you drink tonight."
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