WNBA Finals between Valkyries and Dream won’t be pretty, but they’ll be far from boring

SAN FRANCISCO — The problem with two elite defensive teams meeting in the WNBA Finals is that you get two elite defensive teams meeting in the finals. A day like Saturday begins with so much anticipation, particularly around here, where sidewalk tailgates near the arena were being set up by 9:30 a.m. Before tipoff, the outgoing commissioner rightly praised the state of the league, noting the record number of people who paid to see games in person this year.

The competitors, in a happy coincidence, represented franchises at the vanguard of that growth in many ways. This was the setup, as per usual at this time of year. A showcase unveiled. A championship-round pedestal. And then the teams smashed each other's faces into bricks for two hours.

Expecting anything else would mean expecting the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream to operate wildly out of character, and teams do not play for titles by doing that. So the 68-64 win for the Valkyries in Game 1 will not be the exception. It will be the black-and-blue rule. Easy to enjoy for some. Not easy on the eyes for anyone.

The league as a whole might be better served by putting something more aesthetic out there for this final series, especially after a season of record-breaking offense and the thoroughly watchable basketball it created.

And, well, insert shrug emoji. We'll instead get Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase fielding a question about a tangle that led to some sort of leg pain for star forward Gabby Williams on Saturday, and it turns into a real puzzler.

"Which one?" Nakase said, looking up and flipping through her mental game film. "There were a lot of collisions."

Attrition is what the WNBA has to offer over the next couple weeks. Among the numbers that outgoing commissioner Cathy Engelbert cited Saturday to tout this series? Six of the 10 members of the league's all-defensive teams would be on the floor. It is absolutely a skill, and it is absolutely worth appreciating. It's a mastery of the ultimate controllable. As Williams, a first-team all-defense honoree, noted the day before the finals began: A lot of it is just willingness.

Both of these teams are willing. Relentlessly willing. Occasionally overly willing. It can't be said that either side got bullied when players from both teams hit the floor writhing at the same time, whether it was Veronica Burton and Rhyne Howard tumbling to the deck after vying for a rebound or Allisha Gray lying on her back in the paint while Tiffany Hayes lay on her stomach near midcourt.

It's very possible, in fact, that the sequence during which Williams tweaked her leg happened on a free throw. Williams stood at the line. She held her follow-through. Atlanta guard Jordin Canada slid into position to box out the shooter, as basketball players have been taught since time immemorial. And then, after the make, they basically fell over each other.

That was this game, and that is these teams. A car crash even at a full stop.

"It was a long game," Williams said, declaring herself to be OK afterward. "It was a long, physical game."

At least there will be intrigue. Game 1 was taut. It was suffocating. In two seasons, the fans here have created an atmosphere the WNBA would love to replicate in every arena across the league. "Nothing's ever personal," is how Golden State center Kiah Stokes described the vibe of the crowd known as "Ballhalla." Then, on Saturday, after Angel Reese contacted Burton's head on a drive without drawing a whistle, all of Ballhalla booed and notified the game officials that they sucked.

The Dream asked some very interesting questions with their collective effort, actually, after being asked how they'd handle an oppressively loud, hostile environment to start this series. Foremost among them: What if they wanted that?

What if a team with Reese as the spear tip — the sort of player who gets isolated on Valkyries guard Cecilia Zandalasini and then claps in Zandalasini's face as all her dribbling goes nowhere — wants all the smoke, because the smoke is their oxygen?

It didn't work out on Saturday … but then again, it almost did. How hard they take their next turn in Game 2 will be fascinating.

"We're going to look at everything and try to get better, but I mean, we were right there," Dream coach Karl Smesko said. "Right there. So that's why it hurts a little bit. But it also motivates us. We know what we're capable of doing."

The resolution of this finals matchup won't be pretty, which is a little unfortunate given the product that dominated the regular season. But neither will it be boring. They don't call it a scrap because everyone comes out unscathed.

Following the game, Nakase duly checked in on Hayes, who went to the locker room after the play that left her face down on the floor in the final minutes. The coach gave the 14-year veteran a hug, and then a little something extra to the ribs.

"Tough shooting night," Nakase told Hayes, who missed 11 of her 12 attempts from the field.

"It's only going to get better," Hayes replied.

Debatable, given who these teams are in their marrow.

The winners on Saturday are a group that talks about playing with a mentality of heart and hustle, as their coach put it before the game, which conspicuously omits beauty from the equation. No, these WNBA Finals might not be won. They might be survived.

Atlanta Dream, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA