WNBA FINALS: DREAM VS. VALKYRIES

October 21, 2026

Natalie Nakase

Golden State Valkyries

Game 3: Postgame

Atlanta Dream 79, Golden State Valkyries 71

Q. So much of this game, so many of the issues, turnovers, all that, looked the same as Game 2 in some ways. Why do you feel like you guys didn't make that adjustment? Or how do you look to change that going into Game 4?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah, I mean, I really think we tried to make the adjustment in terms of taking care of the ball. I mean, sometimes just way too many. It's just we have to be a little bit more, I would say, composed in moments when we look to attack. It's like looking at that next layer.

It's like right now, we're just trying to -- it's definitely not a me thing, but it's like let's see if we can continue to create for others. And I think sometimes some of our players like to put a lot on their shoulders. They want to do it for the team, where it's like let's just continue to keep trusting and moving it.

There's been a fine line right now that we are kind of -- we are trying to do it a little bit too much for myself or whatever, but it's not a selfish thing. It's like I want to do what's right for the team, and I want to help the team.

I told them film sessions, it's definitely going to be a double dose in terms of individual, and then it's going to be group, and then it's going to be team. We're going to be a lot more detailed.

Q. You guys don't let teams shoot 49 percent typically.

NATALIE NAKASE: Yep.

Q. What frustrated you most about the defense?

NATALIE NAKASE: Just undisciplined. We weren't, like, in our shifts correctly. We weren't communicating. We were late on certain rotations, which is just uncharacteristic.

I have to figure out and talk to them more, listening to them individually rather than groups of, like, are we confusing you guys in the game plan; and if so, how could I be more clear?

Because at the end of the day, like they are only going to follow my voice. They are only going to follow my leadership. If something is being a little bit unclear, then that's on me. I just wanted to have more conversations.

Q. Before the game, you said this would be the best fight from your team.

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah.

Q. How would you assess that, and if it wasn't to the part, where do you go from there when you're promising the best fight beforehand?

NATALIE NAKASE: Sometimes promises aren't kept, sometimes.

The beauty of this is the openness they had after the game of being super coachable and wanting information. So I don't ever go against that they don't want it and they don't want to fight. It's just sometimes, it's like, how do we make sure we can do it all together.

I think there's sometimes individual punches and some people with great spurts and some people with great energy. It's like, how can we do it all together and punch together.

I think that's on me because I think the will is there. The want-to is there, but the fight together, I'm missing the piece of putting it together. So I've got to just make sure I'm clear.

Q. You mentioned -- similar to that, but you mentioned the whole -- before the game, that you watched film, and there were times that you noticed that the team wasn't playing as hard as they perhaps thought they were.

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah.

Q. Tonight, did you say that again, that there was a lack of effort in that regard?

NATALIE NAKASE: No, I thought they did play as hard as they could. I thought there was a lot of emptying-the-tank mentality. I thought now the third quarter was like another level of, like, they came out of the gates really, really hard. But unfortunately, if you turn the ball over or you take a not-quality shot, then Atlanta is going to make you pay.

Yeah, just got to make sure we take care of the ball and take quality shots.

Q. You kind of answered the question, but the last two games in the third quarter, they have been able to build a lead in that third quarter. What have you seen? Is it just the way they have come out? What is it that you feel they have been able to win those third quarters and eventually take the game over at that point in time?

NATALIE NAKASE: I thought we came out punching hard. I thought our guards really took a lot of good punches in terms of moving the ball. Like I thought we found Ceci really well in that third, and then I thought V and Gabby were being able to get to the paint and getting their wide-open shots.

I thought we were connected. Again, it's just continuing to punch. Maybe, again, I could keep them in there longer, or sometimes I sub to give them a blow. I'm going to take a look at my pattern on like, hey, should I let you guys continue to punch, or do I sub? So that's just something I'm going to take a deep dive into.

Q. You have a long time until Game 4 here on the road. Have you planned out like how you want these two days to go, and what are you going to -- is it mostly going to be film? Is it going to be just everything?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah, that's what medical asked right after I came here. So we're going to sit down, us and medical, we are going to sit down and make sure we plan what's right for each individual player. And then also with the film sessions. So we're going to plan that when I get back there.

Q. I realize the game just happened, but are you able to assess your team's confidence, and how do you get that back before Game 4?

NATALIE NAKASE: You don't think they are confident?

Q. That's why I'm asking you.

NATALIE NAKASE: They are fine. Yeah, they are fine. Like I said, like our fight has never not been there. I feel like this is just a long series. You know, we have been down before. We've come back from games where we've been down.

And so now you can just put it as a longer series. We fought back from 17. We fought back from 16 in Dallas. It's just a longer series, if you guys can map it out, like a long game.

So, you know, we're resilient. We've done it before. They know that, and again, it's on my shoulders, though. I've got to figure out maybe a couple of different schemes that could be a little bit more aggressive. I could be a little bit more clear on how I could make sure we're fighting with the right units.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is on me, though. Yeah.

Q. I know it didn't result in the win tonight, but how important was it for Janelle to get going in this game for the rest of the series going forward?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah, it was really good. Just obviously her spacing, just being ready to catch-and-shoot, that's Ja. It's the killer. It's the confidence. It's the floor space that's really good. But also, I liked her fight, too, on the defensive end. I thought she was in good spots. I thought she was boarding. I thought she was being really physical.

So, yeah, she was a nice little spark for us for sure, and now again I want to make sure I'm putting those right units together as super connected.

Q. It seemed like you had Gabby guarding Jordin a lot more than she had in the first two games. Wonder what you wanted to get out of that matchup and how you think it worked?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah, we just wanted to pick her up a little bit higher and just seeing different bodies, and also for us, rotating and making sure our legs were fresh. It was just a tactic of seeing different bodies, because V has been guarding her for a lot. So keeping legs fresh.

Q. You said the team is still confident. I know you guys do not want to go down 3-1, and Atlanta is going to want to go up 3-1. What conversations are you having with your team in terms of managing emotions? It's the heat of battle, but at one point today, it looked like you and Angel -- you know how she is, she's passionate --

NATALIE NAKASE: With me?

Q. Not anything bad. It looked like it --

NATALIE NAKASE: I never stuck to -- I stayed with my players.

Q. I'm just trying to understand, how do you manage -- make sure that -- you want to win the game. What are the conversations like to manage the emotions?

NATALIE NAKASE: I think we played very composed. That's what's brilliant about our team. We lost the game. Feel it, you know. Take however you want mostly with this, but we have got two days to prepare. We are good, too, usually, after times we've been punched. We know how to come back. What's good is that usually we come back even tighter. Like this is where we lean on each other more rather than we split.

So, you know, we respond really well with that. But it's good to have emotions. You're human. You know, you're supposed to have emotions. I'm definitely a fighter. Like for me, it's like it's not that I'm sad or anything. It's like now I'm excited to go look at film, be curious, and then build a better game plan to win the next game.

So, yeah, have emotions.

Q. And one follow-up. Because I don't want to sound like I'm trying to suggest not to have emotions --

NATALIE NAKASE: No, you're good.

Q. To clarify, Angel's passionate, she gets the crowd riled up, so not at you. So just managing that with the players on the court, I know at one point there was a tech tonight, and sometimes that happens. But there are all of these different stakes involved for the next game, and so you have no concerns over that, it sounds like?

NATALIE NAKASE: No. I mean, we want to win, too.

But the tech came out -- I was trying to protect my players. They were getting, like, laid down on the floor. So I'm trying to fight for my players. Anytime I get a tech, you know, I'm there to protect them. I don't want anyone getting injured on either team. I want to have a competitive Finals so you guys all get to enjoy like really good basketball, quality basketball, with the best players in it.

So that's usually why I get techs is to, like, let them know, hey, might want to call some fouls out there. Yeah, that's it. Thanks.