‘Blue-collar hoops’: Kiah Stokes has Valkyries on brink of WNBA title

The Valkyries snatched the victory, 64-55, over the Atlanta Dream and took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Finals on Monday, Oct. 26, at the Chase Center. The Dream's 55 points were the lowest of the season.

Behind the strength of Stokes and Veronica Burton, Golden State rode a wave of confidence. Mix in the payoffs for coach Natalie Nakase's lineup change implemented in Game 4, and the Valkyries are on the doorstep of a championship.

Stokes, who led Golden State with her playoff-best 13 points, cashed a 3-ball to extend the lead to 10 with roughly seven minutes left in the game, which took the roof off "Ballhalla." The 6-foot-3 center used every bit of her length and confidence to make the shot.

A three-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces, Stokes might not get the credit she deserves for her game. It isn't loud, but she's quietly been Golden State's Finals MVP. Valkyries fans certainly think so.

"Kiah! Kiah!" they chanted as Stokes completed and on-court interview after the victory, before they switched to: "MVP! MVP! MVP!" Stokes didn't feed into any questions about the adoration of the fans. Instead, she spoke about her game as only she can, highlighting the work she puts in.

"I'm just like head down, blue-collar hoops," Stokes said.

"A lot of my game isn't really pretty. (I do) all the dirty work: rebounds, blocking shots, (and) defense). But that's just what I know I can bring to the team."

If it already wasn't clear before Game 5, the Valkyries go as Stokes goes. What Stokes started in the second half, Golden State finished.

It capitalized on Atlanta standing around on defense at times, making them pay as the seconds ticked away in regulation. The shots came from Cecilia Zandalasini, Tiffany Hayes & Co. Golden State forced Atlanta into 17 turnovers which led to 21 points — something the Dream had done to the Valkyries in Games 2 and 3.

The lead ballooned to double-digits just a few minutes before the final buzzer. Golden State turned the pressure up on Atlanta and didn't let up. Behind Stokes' leadership, the Valkyries shut down Angel Reese, the Dream's main energy valve, for the second straight game. Golden State couldn't keep Reese off the glass. She had 15 rebounds. However, the Valkyries held her to seven points — after she scored five in the first quarter.

"Obviously the best two teams are here for a reason, and defense wins championships. So, it's about who's going to be tougher," Reese said. "It's about who's gonna get down and guard, who's gonna maximize possessions, but who's also gonna make shots."

Now, the Dream will be playing for their WNBA Finals lives on Thursday afternoon, while most people are still at work. The Valkyries will be looking to make WNBA history before dinner is on the table.

"I still believe that we can win this, and one game at a time," Reese said. "Going back home, Game 6 and just getting back into us. Like, I think it's not gonna rain too much longer for us. I think we're gonna hit our shots at the right time, and the process sometimes is a little bit harder. And you want to go through hard stuff to get what you want in life, and we're just gonna take it one game at a time, and just get back to who we are."

The Valkyries have all the momentum headed back to Atlanta but know they cannot let up.

"It's a close-out game," Stokes said. "Atlanta is a great team, and we don't want to basically give them any life. So, as much as we love 'Ballhalla,' we don't want to come back here. So we need to go in with the mentality that we have to win. It's do or die."

Nakase agreed, saying her team has to stay focused on the end goal — the franchise's first title in only its second season of play.

"I understand, there's a team out there who wants it just as bad, right?" Nakase said. "You cannot overlook that. We did our job here, but now it's about getting our rest and recovery because we have to level up. That's going to be a very ruthless Atlanta team that really wants it just as much.

"You can never count them out. They're well-coached. They're well balanced. They have dogs. They have great leadership. So, we gotta go in that mindset of being mentally tough and being more connected than ever."