Golden State Valkyries Near First WNBA Title After Game 5 Win

WHO:

NY Post - Zendaya attended Game 5 with her niece, wore a Golden State playoff shirt, used purple boomsticks, and posed for a photo with the Valkyries.

Yahoo Sports - Veronica Burton said, “Everyone wants to talk about the defense with Kiah. But it's offense too.”

Yahoo Sports - Natalie Nakase said Stokes would be the team’s MVP, adding, “It was beautiful,” about Stokes’s three-point shooting.

NY Post - Rapper Flavor Flav urged Bay Area residents to call in sick for Game 6 and posted an absence form for a “paid holiday.”

CNN - Golden State owner Joe Lacob had promised the expansion franchise a championship within five years when the team was granted to the Bay Area.

CNN - Kiah Stokes recorded 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks; Veronica Burton also had 13 points and eight rebounds.

CNN - Tiffany Hayes scored 12 points, and Golden State coach Natalie Nakase said she wanted to win the championship for the veteran guard.

Sportskeeda - WNBA fans criticized Angel Reese’s postgame comments about officiating after Atlanta’s Game 5 loss.

Fox News - Angel Reese wore a “Protect Black women” T-shirt before Game 5, prompting debate among fans.

Pro Football Network - Fans criticized Reese after she scored 7 points in Game 5, calling it a “disappearing act.”

CNN - Angel Reese’s Atlanta-based hairstylist, Jamal Brice, installed her current hairstyle.

NY Post - The Golden State Valkyries, the Atlanta Dream, and the “Ballhalla” home crowd are involved in the WNBA Finals.

Newsweek - Angel Reese and the Dream face elimination, while the Valkyries are close to a historic title.

NY Post - The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream are the teams in the Finals series.

WHAT:

NY Post - Kiah Stokes was previously waived by the New York Liberty, according to the article describing her as the Finals’ “unlikely hero.”

Yahoo Sports - Stokes scored 13 points on six field-goal attempts, made three of four three-pointers, and recorded eight rebounds, one assist and three blocks.

Yahoo Sports - Stokes said her three-point shooting “doesn't necessarily translate to the game because I don't shoot a lot,” adding, “I'm just really trying to just lean into it.”

Yahoo Sports - Stokes scored the game’s first points on an offensive putback.

Yahoo Sports - Kiah Stokes scored a postseason-high 13 points on 3-for-4 shooting from three-point range, added eight rebounds, one assist and three blocks, and set a WNBA Finals record with 17 blocks across five games.

Yahoo Sports - Stokes said, “A lot of my game isn't really pretty. I do the dirty work.”

Yahoo Sports - Stokes made her first three-pointer in a WNBA game in her fifth season; in six of her 11 seasons, she made three or fewer three-pointers.

Yahoo Sports - Golden State shot better than 39% from the floor for the first time in the five-game Finals series.

Yahoo Sports - The WNBA Finals format changed to best-of-seven last year; this is the first Finals series to require a Game 6.

Yahoo Sports - Atlanta’s State Farm Arena will also host the NBA’s Hawks and Cavaliers, whose game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

CNN - Gabby Williams scored nine points on 3-for-14 shooting and had six rebounds; she began the game 2-for-11 and missed all four of her three-point attempts.

CNN - Golden State led 49-42 after Williams converted a three-point play with 9:08 remaining.

CNN - Rhyne Howard’s three-point play with 4:59 left in the third quarter brought Atlanta within 34-31.

CNN - Kiah Stokes made three-pointers with 2:46 left in the third quarter and 7:21 remaining in the game.

CNN - Stokes told fans, “We appreciate you,” and added, “We got one more.”

CNN - Angel Reese finished Game 5 with seven points, 15 rebounds and five assists, and committed three offensive fouls.

CNN - Golden State scored 21 points off Atlanta’s 17 turnovers.

CNN - Kiah Stokes recorded at least three blocks in six consecutive postseason games, tying Lisa Leslie’s 2003 record for the longest such streak in a single WNBA postseason.

CNN - The teams combined to shoot 5-for-29 from three-point range in the first half: Golden State went 3-for-16 and Atlanta went 2-for-13.

CNN - The 25-22 first-half score was the lowest combined first-half score in WNBA Finals history.

CNN - During Reese’s first two WNBA seasons with Chicago, she led the league in rebounds per game, but the Sky had two losing seasons and no playoff appearances.

CNN - Brice said Reese wanted to keep her current sew-in for the playoffs and the Finals.

CNN - Brice said Reese does not get her hair done on game days because she wants to keep her routine and focus.

CNN - Brice said Reese’s hair can be worn wet, blown out and curled, or pressed.

CNN - Reese’s current look is a black, wavy sew-in using raw Cambodian hair from a hair brand owned by one of her close friends.

CNN - Brice said Reese prefers sew-ins during basketball season for security and rarely wears wigs during the season.

CNN - Reese won Defensive Player of the Year in her debut season with Atlanta and scored 30 points in Game 2 of the Finals.

CNN - Reese’s hair is typically touched up weekly or about three times a month; Brice said he had just tightened her sew-in.

NY Post - The Valkyries moved one win away from a championship in their second season.

Newsweek - Golden State beat Atlanta, 64-55, in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the WNBA Finals.

NY Post - Golden State defeated the Dream, 64-55, in Game 5 and took a 3-2 series lead.

NY Post - The Valkyries are one win away from a WNBA championship.

WHERE:

Yahoo Sports - The Atlanta Hawks were scheduled to host the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena at 8 p.m. ET on Game 6 day.

CNN - Game 6 is scheduled for State Farm Arena in Atlanta; a potential Game 7 would be at Chase Center.

NY Post - Game 5 was played at the Chase Center.

NY Post - The next game is in Atlanta.

NY Post - The “Ballhalla” crowd supported the Valkyries at home.

WHEN:

NY Post - Flavor Flav’s call-in-sick appeal was connected to Game 6’s 12:30 p.m. PT start.

CNN - Game 6 is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday; a potential Game 7 is scheduled for Saturday.

NY Post - Game 5 took place Monday night.

NY Post - Game 6 is described as a matinee.

WHY:

Yahoo Sports - Stokes said, “Job's not done,” after Golden State’s Game 4 win, telling the team that the victory did not win the series.

Yahoo Sports - Coach Natalie Nakase said, “Kiah Stokes will be our MVP.”

CNN - Coach Natalie Nakase kept Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles in the starting lineup after using them in Game 4; the lineup change worked again in Game 5.

CNN - Dream coach Karl Smesko said he was disappointed that the Game 6 start time could prevent some fans from attending or watching because of work.

Sportskeeda - Reese said officiating rules changed after Game 3, according to the article.

CNN - Brice said sew-ins are less likely than wigs to shift during athletic activity; sweat, oils, and makeup can make wigs secured with adhesive slide or move.

CNN - Reese uses headbands and ties her hair’s ends to keep it out of her face.

HOW:

NY Post - The Valkyries protected home court by shutting down the Dream and winning Game 5, 64-55.

NY Post - The “Ballhalla” crowd, described as “crazed” and “violet-clad,” roared during the game.

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64 to 55 in Game 5, taking a 3-2 lead in the WNBA Finals and moving within one win of a championship. Kiah Stokes led the way with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, setting a Finals record with 17 blocks through five games, while Angel Reese finished with seven points, 15 rebounds and five assists for Atlanta. Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday in Atlanta, where the Dream will try to force a deciding Game 7.