WNBA FINALS: DREAM VS. VALKYRIES

October 26, 2026

Natalie Nakase

Golden State Valkyries

Game 5: Postgame

Golden State Valkyries 64, Atlanta Dream 55

Q. Couple of games now where you've just won the turnover battle. What are you guys doing you think so well to just get in those passing lanes and create those live ball turnovers, and what's the adjustment been from the first few games where that wasn't happening as much?

NATALIE NAKASE: For us we are taking care of the balls.

Q. For creating turnovers.

NATALIE NAKASE: Oh, create turnovers? Just ball pressure. That's kind of been who we are, is that we have such very aggressive physical players, two-way players, more specifically, like our whole starters and bench, they could just be active, whether it's it their feet, their hands.

Just taking that extra level, like when we talk about playing our defense, our best defense out but just take it up a level. So I thought that's what we did.

Credit again. A lot of it doesn't happen if they don't take care of their bodies. We have true pros that can lay it all out on the line when the game starts.

Q. For the third time in five games you've held the Dream to their season low in scoring. What do you think about the way your defense has dictated these wins and do you believe that defense wins championships?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yes, to your question, defense wins championships, and just, again, we just talked about leveling up in the playoffs, like especially in the Finals. This is like from Dallas to Vegas, it's like how can we go one more, and so that's, again -- just like ball pressure, as boring maybe as that sounds, when you just put all your energy and all your fight into our defensive schemes, it's going to be really hard to get into your first action or any of your sets if you're being pressured, and we can do that one through five, yeah.

Q. You've coached Kiah Stokes through multiple playoff runs and won championships together. What's special about what you're witnessing her do right now?

NATALIE NAKASE: All her hard work is paying off. Now you guys get to see Kiah Stokes at her best and when she's bringing her best version of herself is in the Finals. She's been here many times. Nothing new. She's used to long playoff runs.

So that's why consistency with Kiah, that's kind of been her name. Like nothing rattles her, and I think when you have a player, a star like Kiah who doesn't feed into wanting attention, then it just keeps her laser focused because every day is the same. Every day, her habits are the same. She takes over, she has a smile on her face. She studies the game plan. She's always there, even with the highs and lows of the game, she just stays really composed.

So just leaning on Kiah's experience and now shooting that three ball like it's a layup, it was beautiful and I love how the players today were really trusting and moving the ball, whoever was open, you know, got the shot.

Q. So last game, Veronica, 17 field goals attempted; today 15. Was that increase in her field goals attempted like an explicit game, like -- sorry, was it an explicit game plan change or do you think she's just feeling more aggressive and confident out there? Do you think she just sees that's what the team needs?

NATALIE NAKASE: Just like with Kiah Stokes, whoever is open gets to shoot it. So since all of our players can shoot threes, like that's the beauty. You guys asked, who is our star? The whole team is the star. We're all stars of who they are in terms of their strengths.

Everybody can shoot threes. We talked about that at the beginning of season. That was going to be key and part of our identity and we can share to whoever is open. Whoever is open is going to get the open shot.

Just credit to everyone knocking it down but credit to everyone moving the ball and being selfless. We had how many players in double figures -- four? Again, I think that's hard to guard when you don't know who going to get the shot.

Q. What are your thoughts on the level of physicality in this series so far?

NATALIE NAKASE: It's the Finals. It's the Finals. This is it. Both teams really want to win this. You guys even said from the beginning of the Finals, this is two defensive-minded teams. So two defensive-minded teams, they like physicality. That's part of it.

You guys act like I'm shocked. I ain't shocked about this. You have an Atlanta Dream team that's well coached and has dogs, same as us. Yeah, it's part of us.

Q. And my second question, big picture with Kiah, and this isn't to knock anyone who was on this team last year but what does she bring to this team that was missing from last year?

NATALIE NAKASE: That Finals experience, it's untapped. I've been here as well but I was an assistant coach. I kind of know a little bit but I leaned, too. I always wondered, what if I was Becky in those situations?

You could just tell, like, yeah, we won. Uh-uh, the job ain't done. You could see it when I walked in that locker room, obviously a lot of smiles but like Kiah, just, job ain't done. We've still got another game to do. We did our job. We are supposed to win at home, and now how we have to make sure we are more mentally focused, the mental toughness to go to Atlanta. We want to win that next game. So we are winning on Kiah of that composure and consistency.

Nothing changes. Y'all go get your rest and recovery immediately. Family is family but y'all, we'll see them after the playoffs. No, but she's -- she's dead ass serious. She's, hey, don't change your steps right now.

So it's her consistency. It's her composure. It's not getting too high off a win and not getting too low. We have another game to win.

Q. All season long, you've mentioned empty the tank and defense need to be better and you guys are intensifying the hustle and effort game by game. What does it say about this team that the standard is always just rising?

NATALIE NAKASE: It's a must. You know, again, we just always want to bring our best version and you know, we do believe and we do stand on defense. So when we know that that can be raised another level, they want to know the answer, so they are going to ask in film sessions, what are the answers and how can we be better and especially just go out there, now let's do it better together.

I think the coolest thing was that communication -- even the time-outs, they are talking about how they made adjustments and boom, we are trying to make adjustment right from that time-out. Now that they are able to study some of their sets or ATOs or whatever, the players are adjusting, and I think that's the coolest thing, there's no, are you sure, are you sure -- the way they are communicating, it's with conviction, it's with confidence, and you can see that when we are confident coming out of these huddles, we know how to get stops, and I think that's really cool.

Q. During pregame, you said that in your DNA there's obsession extremist. Curious if you could define that a little bit more clearly?

NATALIE NAKASE: What did I say?

Q. You said it was in your DNA, as an obsession extremist wanting to win quickly.

NATALIE NAKASE: Obviously basketball is my love, my passion. I'm an extremist to where I can eat the same thing every single day or wear the same thing every single day. To me that's what's called an extremist because I can keep doing the same thing over and over again until I get amazing at it and I can perfect it.

That's maybe probably why I felt like if I could perfect the perfect game plan that I could win it right away, I think that's what my mentality was probably going into the Finals, or again, after it didn't come to fruition, listening to my players of, like, hold on, long series. Kiah Stokes, right. Long series, Coach. Like take a breath, listening to my mentors.

It's going to be a battle. It's going to be a couple punches, so why don't you just take a beat, let's clear -- make sure we understand what your game plan is, and make sure we are digesting it because it seems like it was -- to me, it was hazy. It was hazy at times. So I don't think it worked.

I gave myself an F minus in Game 1, 2 and 3. My communication was poor. What did my players say? We were undisciplined, we didn't recognize who we were and we were not shifted and that was because of me. So sometimes maybe extremist doesn't work well in a 7-game series.

Congratulations.

Q. Thank you.

NATALIE NAKASE: She got married.

Q. Thank you. What a community, I love this. We all in the media have been talking about the narrative of the adjustments you made at the top of Game 4 has been the game changer in this series but I'd love to know from your perspective, what are your thoughts on what changed in Game 4, and you've seen the product of the adjustment you made in Game 5, what's your perspective on that?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah, listening to my players after, you know, losing two. That's when we really learn from our losses and they become super vulnerable. At the same time, I really, really listen, like something is going on. Like this is a game plan but why aren't we doing this?

I thought V and Kai, specifically, like really were very -- like Coach, I need this and I need to you do this and if you were a little bit more like this, I think we can come to a conclusion on being a little bit more clear, and we'll do it for you. Because their hearts and their will and their want-to was always there, and I kind of doubted that because I was like, why aren't you guys doing the game plan. They are just, no, no, we are a little confused.

To me it was their vulnerability and me listening to them rather than me demanding something that was a little bit hazy, if that makes sense. They wanted clarity. And I wasn't giving that to them.

Q. Veronica has played more than 75 minutes the last two games, committed two turnovers. What does that say about her leadership, how necessary has that been? And related question, about two minutes to go, you guys were on offense, she was right in front of your bench, and you seemed to kind of guide her to the corner to kind of catch her breath it, looked like.

NATALIE NAKASE: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, to me, I think V -- I mean, hands down, I think she's the best point guard right now in the league. I mean, that amount of minutes like you just said, and having two turnovers, right, and it may not look, you know, fancy and pretty, you know, as maybe you guys have seen other Finals but this is her way. You know, it's her way of showing she's one of -- she is the best point guard in the league.

It's that grittiness. It's that leadership. It's that toughness. It's diving on the floor, getting knocked down, getting back up. That's another way that you can show being the best point guard.

And now, if you think about it, valuing that ball, that's huge, two turnovers in 70 minutes, I didn't even know. Her blocks today, she has four blocks what is she, 5-11? 5-9? Sorry. And then she got eight rebounds, like, I mean that, to me is her resilience, and again, she just took another step today. She leveled up for sure.

Q. You guys have played great paint defense all season but what you've been able to do the last two games, is that as good of paint defense as you've played when you consider how well Angel was able to score in games 2 and 3 and how much you were able to frustrate her and the other Dream players the last two games?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah, just team defense, again. I know Kiah Stokes won't take full ownership of that matchup but she's right. It's team defense. It's always been team defense. We have not wavered away from that. Yeah, she is our anchor though. She is our last communication in the back and she is dangerous at that rim.

Like she said, she's head down, blue collared. It's a different way you could win. She asked, did defense win championships? That was part of what our identity was from the jump. This is how we feel we can win it, and more importantly, Kiah Stokes will be, you know, our MVP. I heard chants, I heard "Kiah" tonight, Ballhalla, I appreciate you guys, that type of love, chanting, "Kiah, Kiah, Kiah," couldn't be more proud.

Q. She said as much as we love Ballhalla we want to get this thing done in Atlanta and we don't want to come back here. Can you speak to the urgency to get this thing done on Thursday?

NATALIE NAKASE: Yeah, again, rest and recovery. Our habits don't change. They are doing it right now.

And understand, there's a team out there that wants it just as bad, right. So you cannot overlook that. Yeah, we did our job here but now it's about getting our rest and recovery because we have to level up. That's going to be a very ruthless Atlanta team that wants it as much. You can never count them out. They are well-coached. They are well-balanced. They have dogs. They have great leadership.

So we have to go in that mindset of being mentally tough and more connected than ever. We have to fight, I have to keep my words right -- we've got to fight to our best ability coming next game in Atlanta, yep.