WNBA FINALS: DREAM VS. VALKYRIES

October 19, 2026

Karl Smesko

Angel Reese

Jordin Canada

Atlanta Dream

Game 2: Postgame

Atlanta Dream 79, Golden State Valkyries 65

Q. You guys closed that third quarter on an 18-4 run. What do you think helped you ratchet up the defense to help shift the game in that moment?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, I think last game we kind of did that, too. It was 17-9. We just got back to our identity about who we are and kept our foot on the pedal and we didn't let up and everybody was just on the same page. We had each other's back and that's just Atlanta basketball.

Q. You're the youngest player in WNBA history to have 30 points and 16 rebounds in a WNBA Finals game. What inspired you to have the game you had tonight? And what was it like to see her have this game tonight?

ANGEL REESE: For me, I think I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half. Not even just about scoring. My screen quality, me hustling and wanting to get rebounds and just doing the things that they know me to do. So I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark and did whatever I could to get the win, and I think I did that tonight.

JORDIN CANADA: Angel is such a generational talent. Just to see her thrive in the Finals has been really special to watch and you can just see that she wants it really bad. She's such a competitor and we feed off of her energy.

I think tonight she set the tone for sure and it just trickled down to the whole team. She was talking to us throughout the whole game and keeping us confident. There was one point, she's like, I need the ball, I need the ball, and we gave her the ball and she went to work and that's why she ended up with a 30-piece.

Just to see her end up in this moment on such a high stage and executing and doing what she needs to do for our team is just really special to watch.

KARL SMESKO: Yeah, even from going in the locker room, first person I made eye contact with was Angel and I'm like, oh, I like this look. I like this look (laughter).

She started off aggressive. One thing we try to do is just give her a couple more breaks during the game, so that she can just keep that intensity going throughout the entire game, and she was just fantastic. Just on both ends of the floor, just a superior performance.

Q. This one is also for all three of you. This is the first WNBA Finals win for the Atlanta Dream. What does that say about this team and what you all have built?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, I think it's just a start. Throughout the entire year, we just continue to stick together and know who we are. We have the city behind us. We have the team. We have the coaches and everybody rally behind us. So it feels really good. It's just the next step of who Atlanta is and who Atlanta is going to be continue to be for the next couple of years.

Q. Midway through the third quarter, you were backpedalling down the floor and you had not gotten a couple touches and you were talking to the bench. What message were you trying to send to the bench then, maybe Jordan spoiled it before with the "give me the ball" thing.

ANGEL REESE: I didn't -- I'm not going to tell you exactly what I said (laughter) but like I said, I think I let the team down last game by only getting two shots attempts and that was on me. I wasn't aggressive enough. I said it wasn't anything that they did. It was just me. I think I got a little lax. I didn't take advantage of the opportunities.

Karl always talks about the screen quality and that also helps me a lot when I can get and sets good screens, belly on body and pick-and-roll and find my spots, that makes it a lot easier.

I don't recognize it in the moment but looking at this game and being able to put a complete game together just goes to show, Karl was right.

Q. Jordin, you were close to a triple-double tonight and with as gritty and tough as this series it, how happy were you with the way you were able to affect many aspects of game?

JORDIN CANADA: Honestly, I don't think I played well. I think I forced a lot of tough shots for myself. I feel like I was just over thinking a lot. Defensively, I felt like I was giving a lot of opportunities for them to get downhill. I wasn't being as aggressive as I should have been, and then timely turnovers down the stretch.

So I feel like I could have played a lot better. The stats looks like I had a triple-double but to me, I know I could have played a lot better. But I'm just glad that, you know, we came together as a team. We were able to win. But next game, I'll definitely be better offensively and defensively.

Q. Angel, when you say you felt like you let the team down, what did you do last night or yesterday to reset? And then when Karl says you came in and he saw the look on your face, did you come in with a different feeling about yourself today?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, I was hungry. I wanted one and we let one slip away and you can't do that, especially on the road. This is a good environment and a good team. We all came together and we were pissed. We felt disappointed. We felt embarrassed, and we didn't like the outcome of that last game and we didn't want another one to let slip in.

Like JC said, I bring a lot of energy in the locker room, if it's just a joke, if it's just talking sh-- it's just my energy. I wanted to make sure I was ready and on my toes, and whatever the team needed tonight, I was willing to do, and that's just what the outcome was.

Q. Not much from Rhyne Howard offensively in tonight's game but she set a WNBA record for steals in a Finals game, wondering what you saw from her on that end of the ball and how impactful that really felt to you from the sidelines?

KARL SMESKO: Yeah, unfortunately, Rhyne got in a little foul trouble early and kind of limited her aggressiveness offensively. She was a little hesitant to get downhill for a minute. But boy, did she have an impact on the defensive side of the ball today. Deflection, steals, getting us out in transition, making good decisions with the ball. I mean, you know, she came up huge for us, despite the foul trouble.

Q. After Game 1, you talked about how you were really satisfied with the defensive effort, and then today, it was like even better. What adjustments did you ask them for?

KARL SMESKO: Well, I mean, we talked about some defensive breakdowns and you know, how to clean those up. But we were happy with how the intensity that we were showing guarding and that we were all working together to try and limit their good shots. We felt like we gave up too many second shots. So we just wanted to make sure we were doing our job on the boards.

And then, you know, offensively, is where we thought that we could play better. I thought our -- even though we didn't shoot it great again, our shot quality was better. Our pace was better.

So I thought the players did a great job taking, you know, from film, taking what we emphasized and then making it a reality on the floor.

So all the credit to them.

Q. This is the second straight game that you and Natalie have both come in and said that you thought you could have made more shots than you actually did. I'm just wondering why you think this has been a struggle with shooting series from both sides.

KARL SMESKO: I don't have the answer to that. You know, I do know both teams are defending at a really high level with a really high intensity. So you know, you may rush your shot. They are closing out hard. Could be a lot of factors. Maybe just both teams are settling in.

But you know, we'll keep track of how we're generating good shots, and as long as we are generating good shots, we feel good about it. We know we have good shooters. We know we have good attackers. And we know we can get extra possessions if we are doing the things that we need to do.

So we'll go back to Atlanta and hopefully -- and we'll have to; we'll have to play even better, and our team realizes that. We know how good Golden State is.

Q. Congratulations on your win for the first time in franchise history. Angel this question is for you. A couple of weeks ago, you mentioned that Nneka Ogwumike had mentioned how dig you would have to dig for the playoffs. That came to my mind and curious if it came to yours, where you absolutely needed to win before going back?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, I think it's been so many people that have poured into me in the last two months, from my teammates to former teammates to active teammates. They were telling me I was the youngest player, alongside of JJ and Stewie. They told me to go get it. You have to continue to be you and be aggressive.

It feels good to have vets, great people and great players in this league that have believed in me and poured into me and know who I am.

Yeah, I just try to go out there and do my best. That's all I try to do, just give it my all and do my best. I feel like last game, I didn't give it everything I could give, and I walked off the court not feeling like myself. And I wanted to make sure that this game, I did everything I could do to walk off the court and feel like who I am.

Q. When Angel demands the ball the way she did, and TV cameras caught her using some lively language, what impact does that have, beyond the practical of getting her the ball, what impact does that have on the team emotionally when she's that animated and fired up?

JORDIN CANADA: Yeah, we know who Angel is, we know she brings a lot of energy, and I mean, I did feel like a couple possessions where we went away from her and she was the one giving us that energy and giving us some great offense.

So when we had that timeout, right away, it was like we need to give the ball to Angel, and that's just something that she just demands. She was having a great offensive night.

Again, just the energy that she brings for our team, we feed off of that. So when she's in that mode, we know we've got to give her the ball to some form of capacity, and try to give her as much space as she can to attack and do what she does best.