How Sue Bird, Cheryl Miller see Valkyries-Dream WNBA Finals playing out

Sue Bird and Cheryl Miller, two of women’s basketball’s biggest names, will be front and center at the WNBA Finals as studio analysts for NBC. 

The two Hall of Famers had predictions and analysis leading up to Saturday’s Game 1 between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream. 

“I will make one strong prediction: No sweep,” Miller said in a news conference on Wednesday morning. “There will be no sweeps in this series.”

The Valkyries and Dream land in the best-of-seven series with similar strengths. 

Golden State boasts the league’s top defense and held the mighty Las Vegas Aces to no more than 81 points in any game during the semifinal sweep. 

The Dream clocked in with the league’s third-best defensive rating (103.5) in the regular season and swept the New York Liberty with a suffocating defense exemplified in Game 1, when they forced the Liberty into 19 turnovers. 

“This is exciting for me because these two teams are, in my opinion, mirror images of each other defensively,” Miller said. “So I can’t wait to see which team blinks.”

With two strong defenses going head-to-head, Miller predicted the Dream would have advantages elsewhere to win the series.

“The reason I give maybe a slight, slight razor edge to Atlanta is only because of the scoring power that they have,” Miller said. 

The Dream have an arsenal of scorers who thrive off spacing and second-chance opportunities. Angel Reese is a master at creating on the boards. 

The Dream averaged 91.3 points per game, a touch behind Las Vegas Aces’ second-highest scoring rate during the regular season (91.5 ppg). Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray are the primary perimeter threats, and Jordin Canada emerged as a potent scorer filling the need effortlessly – scoring on drives to the rim and from 3 – when Gray injured her hand during Game 1 of the semis and missed the rest of the series.

Gray had a minor procedure on her hand between series and her status for the Finals is considered day-to-day. 

The Valkyries swept the season series 3-0 against Atlanta, but their last matchup was July 4. Since then, the Dream added veteran DeWanna Bonner, who has balanced their bench as a scorer and added size as a strong rebounder alongside Reese. 

The Phoenix Mercury bought out Bonner’s contract on Aug. 24, allowing her to sign with a contender in what could be the 39-year-old’s final WNBA season. 

“Adding DeWanna Bonner is so important,” Bird said. “They needed a player that would be a calming force. They needed a player that would give them confidence in those tough moments.”

The Valkyries have stuffed their opponents with their defense and thorough game planning. When it comes to scoring in the clutch, Gabby Williams has emerged as the closer who has come up with big shot after big shot. Bird played one season with Williams; Bird’s retirement year with the Seattle Storm in 2022 intersected with Williams’ first year in Seattle.

Bird is also a big fan of Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase. As Team USA’s managing director, she helped pick Nakase to join the coaching staff for the just-completed FIBA World Cup. 

Bird, a four-time WNBA champion, noted Nakase’s “obsession” with preparation, coaching and winning – her collapse against Dallas in Round 1 and admission that she forgets to eat sometimes a sign (albeit, a scary one) of her dedication. 

“Nothing was going to be enough until they won a championship, and that’s how she approaches every day,” Bird said. “That’s how, even with USA Basketball, albeit a different role, that presence was there.

“And I think when you’re around her … she’s just a coach that really understands who she is and does a tremendous job of communicating that to her players. The buy-in that she’s gotten from the Golden State Valkyries, from that roster, from that franchise, I think that really speaks to her ability to communicate.”

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This article originally published at How Sue Bird, Cheryl Miller see Valkyries-Dream WNBA Finals playing out.