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Valkyries and Dream focus on defense, but why can’t WNBA Finals produce more scoring?

The opening games of the championship series have been defined by historically poor shooting performances from both the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries. During the first two matchups, both squads fell below thirty-four percent from the floor, contributing to low-scoring affairs that saw the opening-game victors score sixty-eight points and the second-game winners post seventy-nine points.

Despite the offensive struggles, coaches Karl Smesko and Natalie Nakase remain focused on the elite defensive identities that brought their teams to this stage.

While elite defensive ratings from the regular season and physical play can partially account for the cold streaks, the shooting woes extend across the board from long-range jumpers to close-range finishes. The Valkyries in particular maintain a slow offensive pace that burns the shot clock and limits transition opportunities in favor of setting a tough defensive wall.

With missed shots piling up across every part of the court, neither group is overly concerned with the statistics as long as their high-effort defensive approach delivers results.

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