The first Game 7 in WNBA history turned out to be a classic.
Not only because the Golden State Valkyries rallied for a 68-63 win over the Atlanta Dream to clinch their first championship in just their second season, but also because of the performance from Gabby Williams.
If Golden State was going to win this game, it was going to need its best player to shine.
She did.
She was not only the best player on the floor, but she turned in the game of her life in the biggest possible moment.
It not only capped off a championship, but it also helped her capture the WNBA Finals MVP award.
Gabby Williams leads Valkyries to WNBA championship in Game 7 win
All season, and especially throughout the playoffs, Williams has been the engine that has driven the bulk of the Valkyries’ success. At no point was that more true than on Saturday night.
The numbers are impossible to overlook.
She finished with a game-high 30 points, while also collecting three rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks. She also committed just one turnover, even though the offense ran through her all night.
She also shot 10-for-23 from the field (43%), on a night where the rest of her teammates shot just 34% (14-for-41).
That included a 4-for-8 night from 3-point range, when the rest of the Valkyries were just 1-for-12 from behind the arc.
The totals are impressive.
But sometimes what makes a team a champion, and what makes a performance legendary, is when the production happens, and when the impact gets made.
Williams scored 28 of her 30 points in the second half, setting a new WNBA Finals record for most points in a half. She nearly outscored the entire Atlanta team (33 points) in the third and fourth quarters.
It was simply a continuation of everything the Valkyries have seen from Williams all season, and especially in the playoffs.
She was the team’s top scorer during the regular season with 14.4 points per game.
She raised that level in the playoffs by averaging over 20 points per game.
Only one other player on the team (Tiffany Hayes) averaged more than 10 points per game in the playoffs.
Williams had spent the previous four seasons with the Seattle Storm before signing with the Valkyries on a multi-year contract in free agency. It has already turned out to be a career-defining move for her individually, and a franchise-altering move for the Valkyries, who are the fastest team in North American sports to win a championship, doing so in just their second season.
