WNBA FINALS: DREAM VS. VALKYRIES

October 29, 2026

Karl Smesko

Angel Reese

Allisha Gray

Atlanta Dream

Game 6: Postgame

Atlanta Dream 80, Golden State Valkyries 69

Q. Yesterday we were chatting and just about the mindset of this team and the joy and the swagger that you guys love to play with, and thrive with. How much of a factor was that today?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, you could definitely tell we got our swagger back. First shout out to the crowd, being able to come here 12:30 on a Thursday and so many things going on in the world from school to work, to everything else, and we're just super thankful. We fed off their energy. They were loud from the beginning. So we're definitely thankful for that.

We wanted to make sure we maximize this opportunity. It's win or go home right now and I think everybody left everything they had out there and that's what was important to us.

We knew shots were going to fall. We knew it was coming because we put so much work in. I'm just really proud of our team for responding the way we did.

Q. And Allisha, the jump that you guys made to start the game, starting with a huge scoring barrage, what was working for you guys early on?

ALLISHA GRAY: Just offensive execution. We know when we play Atlanta Dream basketball and support each other and move the ball, we're successful. So the biggest thing was just executing offense.

Q. Angel, you talked about last game the physicality and the challenges that obviously that presents but tonight, you remained persistent, and you kept attacking. What was the difference for you in maintaining that level of attack, despite, you know, maybe not the most efficient shooting night?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, definitely was tough, and always frustrating, especially for threes, because they keep telling me to shoot and I don't like when I'm not making the shots. But my teammates still trust and pass it to me. I'm also really, really grateful to them for always putting confidence into me.

It was just a mental mindset of me just being able to go out there and try to lead the team as best I can, no matter how ugly it could be, as long as we came out with the win I just wanted to do whatever it took to win.

Q. Angel, yesterday at practice you guys talked about joy and there was a theme to coming back and playing with joy. How much of that started with you guys or perhaps started with Karl? Where did the conversation come to say, hey, we need to get back to playing with joy?

ANGEL REESE: Honestly I think it started with us, being able to have a little players-only meeting before film and talking through things, and getting our confidence back, getting our swagger back, and Naz really emphasized, remember who you are. All of us have been superstars on a team at some point and you've maximized things and done things that led to winning, and we needed the best out of every single person tonight and you could definitely see. Everybody came out super confident, anybody that got in, the people that were on the floor. It was just an effort that you could see that they were the best.

And I'm just really proud of this group, the punch first that we emphasized on. When we can punch first, we've won every single game.

So I'm just really proud of just how we came out tonight and we have to make sure we continue that going into Ballhalla.

Q. That first three you hit it, it took a bounce and rolled around the rim and fell in. How good did it feel to have that shot go in at the beginning of the game?

ALLISHA GRAY: It felt nice. My plan was to come out aggressive from the jump. My teammates were really on me to just play my game and having my back.

So just, I guess, got the shooter's roll but the biggest thing was me getting locked in and standing up to the challenge of what my coaches and my teammates challenged me to do.

Q. Coach, the greatest two words in sports: Game 7. How do you feel to be able to go there, and doing what you needed to do tonight to get there?

KARL SMESKO: It's such a great opportunity, such a great opportunity. I think our team is ready for it. We're excited for it. We'll take the next day to get as prepared as we can, any adjustments that need to be made.

But I thought, you know, from yesterday, the mindset was so good about what we are able of doing, and the way we came out today, I think there's a mentality right now that, yeah, we're happy we won but we know the job is not done. We've got one more game. We've got a great opportunity. And you know, we expect to go out there and play great.

Q. Yesterday you told me you were not playing at a hundred percent and today here you are with 23 points leading the team. I just talked about with Jordan and she said that the coaches challenged you and you obviously performed. How did you dig deep to find this performance? And what was it like to watch her when she's not a hundred percent do what she just did?

ALLISHA GRAY: Just like we talked about yesterday, just give myself grace and just letting the game come to me. It's the playoffs but the biggest thing for me is just doing other things to help my team out. Shots were falling today, so I'll take that. But I feel like it started on the defensive end. I was able to play defense, go for rebounds.

And the coaches and my teammates did challenge me, and I think -- well, I do believe I stepped up to the challenge and I know going to Game 7, not to take the foot off the gas and just, I feel like I can take it up even another level.

KARL SMESKO: We're all super proud of Lish. Everything that we've talked about that we've wanted to see, she did it exactly. Like the execution from film and practice to the floor, was flawless on her part. You know, obviously these are as big of games as anybody has been a part of, and just to take what she saw and just implement it to that level, I mean, it was the first thing we said in the locker room, how proud we are of Lish.

ANGEL REESE: Lish does what Lish does and honestly she's never made an excuse for anything. She might be hurt but you can't tell. She comes out every day and she puts in the work. I'm just proud of her. She's very coachable. She takes the film and makes sure she executes it in the game every single time.

Me and her had a conversation on the way back from San Fran and I told her it's going to be a mental game, who is going to be mentally better. You can't let anybody check you out. You know exactly who you are, and I just want her to continue to be confident of who she is. I always remind her, you're that girl, you're a superstar. Act like a superstar and always be a superstar and we fall in right behind you.

Q. You joked about not being somebody that blocked shots but to have it show up on the stats sheet, how does it feel to know the defense translated there?

ALLISHA GRAY: Just being locked in and not giving up on the play. I feel like even though I get hit by a screen, which I try to avoid, just not giving up and giving that championship effort. Just knowing that we need to win Game 6 to force a Game 7. It's like I had to give it my all regardless of what was going on on the court, just not giving up on any play and giving my hundred percent effort.

Q. As you mentioned, the offensive execution, did it feel an uptick in flatter spacing looks from the offense, what did you like from those looks?

KARL SMESKO: I'll be honest, I didn't hear everything, it was about offensive execution.

ANGEL REESE: Did you like it?

KARL SMESKO: I liked it (laughter).

We played with a different spacing and pace, like, in truth, it's how we are supposed to play. So it's just getting back to like our fundamentals of how we like to play offense, and in the first half, you saw it. The catching array to shoot, the pace of one action leading directly into another action, to getting the ball out and going and putting some pressure on them in transition. It's just the way that we are capable of playing and the way we're supposed to play.

I give our players so much credit for the way they came out today. They were relentless.

Q. I wanted to know, after the last game, you said you guys did need to make some more shots. Is it as simple as that? I'm wondering, in the games you won, you got out to big leads or won by double digits but the games you lost ended up being closer. What do you think accounts for that difference?

KARL SMESKO: Well, I think the biggest problem is when we're not playing at our pace, and if the game is at their pace, they have an advantage. If the game is at our pace, we have an advantage. We have to be just locked in to the way we play and we can't let them take us out of that.

I think that will be the challenge in Game 7 for both teams, probably.

Q. You talked about just the mental toughness, especially down the stretch. What's the message to this team, especially in Game 7, because it is going to be very mental, more physical than anything?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, one, our job is not done. We definitely could be happy about it for now but we have more work to do. I think we definitely have another level that we can get to, like Lish was saying. We shot a lot better this game, for sure, but I think we just continue to grow from this.

I think our spacing was great tonight. We were able to get out in transition a lot more. We didn't force shots. It's something that we emphasized was upgrades. Like being able to upgrade and when two come, being able to kick it out to the three.

I think we did a great job of incorporating film to court, and just being able to do that same thing, like there are going to be a lot of things that we talk about in this next film session, making sure we implement everything from film to court and do the same thing, and I think that's what helped us a lot tonight.

Q. You mentioned how great the crowd was for the games here, what are you expecting in Game 7? And as a leader, how do you keep the team from not allowing their crowd to impact the game for you guys?

ANGEL REESE: Luckily we've been able to play there, what, three times now? So just containing ourselves and containing our emotions and valuing possessions, something we've kind of been doing all year. I think that the crowd doesn't really get to us much but I think, obviously, Game 7 is going to be a lot louder. The energy is going to be electric in there.

So just honestly staying poised, staying together, and I think we'll be fine.

Q. You guys obviously look different. There's more smiles in your faces and more joy, energy. What felt different out on the floor? I know you guys say there was a mental thing and momentum thing. What felt different and that you can take away going into Game 7?

ANGEL REESE: I mean, I think it really helps when the work shows. And it's been frustrating for all of us not being able to shoot great, and the shots that we've been getting and the open shots that we have been getting, not hitting them at the right time. I always told the girls, like, it's not going to rain forever. We were able to maximize that moment today, and the sun peeked out a little bit more today and gave us a little bit of an opportunity to see Game 7.

We are just going to continue to get better. We are going to continue to shoot great. We are in a great mindset. All we needed was a little bit of swagger going into this, a little bit of confidence, and I think everybody is just in a really great head space right now.