Steve Kerr Expects WNBA Finals Game 7 to Be a 'Street Fight' as the Valkyries and Dream Play for a First Title on Halloween
The Warriors' coach, who has lived Game 7s, gave the first one in WNBA Finals history its preview line on KNBR — and Saturday night at Chase Center, one of two title-less teams stops being title-less.
Steve Kerr knows what a Game 7 does to a basketball game. The Golden State Warriors head coach, whose team once lost an NBA Finals Game 7 at home after leading a series 3-1, weighed in on the Golden State Valkyries' Halloween decider against the Atlanta Dream on KNBR, the New York Post reported. 'There's the pressure that comes with the Game 7 itself and it just turns into a street fight. That's what I would expect,' Kerr said.
The occasion needs no embellishment. Saturday's game at Chase Center in San Francisco is the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, NBC Sports reported, and it guarantees a first-time champion: Atlanta has reached the Finals in 2010, 2011, 2013 and now 2026 without winning one, while Golden State is in its second season as a franchise. The Post reported the game is poised to be the most expensive in league history. The Warriors and Valkyries share an owner, Joe Lacob.
Atlanta forced the decider with Thursday's 80-69 Game 6 win at home, in which Allisha Gray scored 23 points with five 3-pointers, Rhyne Howard added 21, and the Dream's 13 three-pointers tied the most by a team facing elimination in WNBA Finals history, USA TODAY reported. Gabby Williams scored 26 and Tiffany Hayes 15 for Golden State, which now gets the last game at home, where it has beaten Atlanta twice in this series.
Tip-off is 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific) on Saturday, October 31, on USA, streaming on Peacock, with live coverage from 7 p.m. Eastern, NBC Sports reported. Halloween night, a first title, a street fight, by the home coach's own forecast — Austin's basketball audience has its Saturday night booked.
