In Game 1, The Dream And The Valkyries Tried To See How Gross They Could Get

SAN FRANCISCO — Technically, every basketball game is zero-sum. An offensive rebound is a missed defensive rebound; a basket scored is a basket conceded. But you never feel that fact more acutely than in a game between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries, two teams built to chase the same advantages. The Valkyries' 68-64 win in the first game of the WNBA Finals on Saturday afternoon set up the central tension of this series: It isn’t really possible for Atlanta and Golden State to play well at the same time. Or at least it isn't possible for them to look good at the same time. Saturday's low-scoring game felt more enriching than enjoyable. Call it cruciferous hoops. The two teams combined to shoot 46-of-142 from the field and 11-of-58 from three, making Game 1 one of the worst-shooting Finals games in league history. To some extent, this is what a Dream-Valkyries Finals has to look like. Each side had three players named to the All-Defense teams this year, accounting for six of 10 selections. Awards can get a little circular—voters tend to reward good defensive teams with more picks—but the defensive star power in this series is real. Rhyne Howard led the league in steals this season; Gabby Williams and Angel Reese are switchy, chaos-making rovers; rim protector extraordinaire Kiah Stokes keeps an almost hermetic commitment to only playing this side of the ball; and point guards Veronica Burton and Jordin Canada are the best defenders at their position.

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