natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream

natalie nakase on 9/30: "i didn't want to foul." on 10/7: "now we foul, we trust our free throw shooters" in game 2 against dallas the valkyries were up 3 with 14 seconds left and didn't foul. arike ogunbowale hit a 23 footer to tie it and dallas won in overtime in game 3 they were up 3 with 7 seconds left and tiffany hayes fouled. alysha clark made 1 of 2 and the valkyries won 77-73 in game 2 of the semis they fouled up 3 three different times in the last 10 seconds. the aces made 5 of 6 free throws, jackie young missed the last one, chelsea gray got the rebound and kiah stokes blocked her layup. valkyries won 83-81 in the nba, teams that fouled up 3 won 92.0% of the time vs 91.7% for teams that played defense (zach kram, espn). in the wnba since 2021, a team up 3 in the last 24 seconds fouled before the other team could shoot in 14 of 245 games, and 7 of those were this year. those teams won 13 of 14 (the only loss was the liberty at the sparks on 6/21, when breanna stewart fouled twice by accident), and teams that didn't foul won 97% of the time (223 of 231) shoutout to eric apricot (valkyrie nation on substack), who asked nakase about fouling up 3 back in the preseason and she wouldn't say. after game 2 against the aces he asked again and she remembered: "you asked that question, i remember." his breakdown: valkyrienation.substack.com/p/kiah-defense-highlights-plus-foul nakase clips: 9/30 presser via the ballers magazine, 10/7 presser via valkyries united, april preseason clip via eric apricot (valkyrie nation) stats via wehoop, visuals via @Offside #wnbaplayoffs#wnbaplayoffsvalkyries #sportsanalytics

rhyne howard tied the wnba steals record… or did she? rhyne howard has 100 steals in the 2026 regular season in the official wnba stats, which ties teresa weatherspoon's single season record (100 in 1998). basketball reference lists her at 99 the 1 steal difference comes from a single play: june 18 at indiana, 9:38 in the 1st quarter. after howard missed a three, the official play by play has a monique billings defensive rebound, a billings lost ball turnover, and a howard steal. basketball reference has the same play as a howard offensive rebound, and no steal atlanta finished with 400 team steals, the most by any team in a wnba regular season. jordin canada (82) and angel reese (77) were 2nd and 3rd in the league behind howard stats via her hoop stats, basketball reference, @Offside , and the official wnba play by play #wnba #atlantadream #rhynehoward #sportsanalytics

does defense ACTUALLY win championships?? after the dream swept the liberty, breanna stewart said defense wins championships, and pointed out that atlanta has the top 3 players in steals (rhyne howard, jordin canada and angel reese) of the 29 wnba champions from 1997 to 2025, the team with the best offense in the regular season won 15 titles and the team with the best defense won 8 15 of the 29 were top 3 on both offense AND defense. 13 ranked higher on offense than defense, and only 5 ranked higher on defense 3 of the last 5 champions ranked 6th or worse on defense (2021 chicago, 2022 vegas, 2025 vegas). from 1997 to 2020 that happened 3 times (2007 and 2009 phoenix, 2019 washington) this year both teams in the finals are better on defense than offense (the dream only slightly better on defense). golden state allowed 8.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average and scored 0.1 fewer, so their offense is right at average. no champion has ever been that much better on defense than offense (the closest were the 2005 sacramento monarchs and the 2006 detroit shock) atlanta was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better than average on defense and 2.8 better on offense. they force the most turnovers in the wnba (19.2 per 100 possessions), but only 1 champion has ever led the league in forcing turnovers (the 2005 sacramento monarchs) golden state held opponents to the lowest effective field goal % in the wnba (47.8%), atlanta was 11th (53.1%). 6 past champions led the league in that offensive and defensive rating are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. effective field goal % is field goal % with threes counted as 1.5 makes. all ranks are regular season, among that season's teams, and the league had anywhere from 8 to 16 teams breanna stewart clip from the liberty's press conference after game 3 against the dream, via the balleres magazine stats via her hoop stats and wehoop #wnbafinals #breannastewart #goldenstatevalkyries #atlantadream