The WNBA Finals are set! First look at how Valkyries, Dream match up

After two sweeps in the semifinals, only two teams are left to compete for the WNBA crown. The Golden State Valkyries downed the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, winning Friday's game in overtime. The Atlanta Dream earned their finals slot over the New York Liberty. Whichever team wins, we'll have a first-time WNBA champion.

What has stood out about both teams so far? What does each need to do to win its first title? And who are the players to watch each roster? Our ESPN experts break it all down.

Golden State Valkyries vs. Atlanta Dream

For those who wanted some fresh faces in the WNBA Finals, this is your year. Past champions Las Vegas and New York were eliminated in surprising 3-0 semifinals sweeps, putting the No. 2 seed Golden State Valkyries and the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream into the best-of-seven series that will begin Saturday in San Francisco.

The Dream are on a franchise-best 10-game winning streak and will be taking part in the WNBA Finals for the fourth time. They were swept in their previous appearances in 2010 (by Seattle) and 2011 and 2013 (both by Minnesota).

The Valkyries are in just their second season as an expansion franchise and go from a first-round exit last year to the Finals this year.

If you're looking for a common denominator between Golden State and Atlanta, it's defense. They were 1-2 in defensive ranking for the regular season, and both performed admirably on that end in these semifinals series. But both teams also got some key offensive performances as well, and they both played with greater energy and aggression than their opponents.

Last season was the WNBA's first with a best-of-seven Finals series, but Las Vegas beat Phoenix 4-0. This series could be a lot closer. -- Michael Voepel

Golden State Valkyries

What stood out most as the Valkyries swept the defending champion Aces?

Most of the WNBA champions have had clear superstars -- starting with Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets and most recently A'ja Wilson with the Aces. Golden State is a group that relies more on great teamwork, chemistry and depth. That doesn't mean they don't have very talented players, but they don't rely on any one person to be their marquee player.

Aces coach Becky Hammon complimented the Valkyries for those qualities after Friday's game.

"They really play great team ball," Hammon said. "On any given night, any of them could have 15 or 20 [points] because they share the ball. It seems like nobody cares who gets the credit, and that's a really special thing to have in a team."

Las Vegas guard Chelsea Gray added: "They come in waves. If somebody doesn't have it that night, somebody else picks up the slack. They play for one another."

Why will (or won't) it work against the Dream in the finals?

The Valkyries swept the Dream in the regular season, but the most recent of those game was July 4. As Golden State center Kiah Stokes said, that was a long time ago. And she pointed out that Las Vegas swept the Valkyries in the regular season, yet Golden State turned that around completely in the playoffs.

"It's a clean slate," Stokes said of not paying much attention to regular-season results going into the Finals. "[The Dream] are a great defensive team. They're physical. They rebound really well. They have great shooters."

As we've mentioned, the Valkyries and Dream are a strength vs. strength matchup on the defensive end. Atlanta has been able to turn over its playoff opponents and translate that into easy points, which is something the Valkyries will look to avoid.

The other interesting aspect is that coaches Natalie Nakase and Karl Smesko are both in their second seasons as WNBA head coaches. Nakase previously was an Aces assistant and Smesko was a longtime college coach, spending 22 seasons at Florida Gulf Coast.

Both already have proven themselves as top-notch strategists, so the coaching matchup will be intriguing to watch.

What player needs to step up -- or keep it up -- to earn Golden State a title?

Stokes won three titles with the Aces before moving to Golden State this year as a free agent. She knows the feeling of playing in the WNBA Finals very well. While Stokes is not known for her offense, she has been a defensive force since entering the league after a successful college career at UConn.

Stokes will need to continue that defensive effort against the Dream. They are more perimeter oriented in their scoring, and Stokes will have to contend with Atlanta's guard penetration along with the rebounding prowess of forward Angel Reese. -- Voepel

Atlanta Dream

What stood out most as the Dream swept the Liberty in the semifinals?

The swarming defense. Atlanta forced 38 turnovers in the first two games and turned them into 60 points. New York's Big Three of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu had to work for everything they got. Nothing came particularly easy for the Liberty. Maybe that success on defense shouldn't be a surprise from a team that ranked No. 3 in defensive rating, No. 4 in scoring defense and led the league in steals throughout the regular season. But this was against a New York team with a pair of MVPs and a four-time all-WNBA selection in Ionescu, a squad that won a title in 2024. The Liberty averaged just under 90 points per game in the regular season and ranked No. 5 in the league in scoring, but they never seemed completely comfortable against the Dream, even in a Game 2 that went into overtime. -- Kareem Copeland

Why will (or won't) it work against the Valkyries in the finals?

The way the Dream have played this postseason, they would be effective against any team. Their confidence has been soaring since a victory at Las Vegas on Aug. 18 -- Atlanta has lost just one game since then.

While there is concern about guard Allisha Gray's availability, the Dream have good defensive matchups to go against the Valkyries. But Golden State looks to have more depth, which has been one of the Valkyries' biggest strengths.

The regular season matchups all went to Golden State: 77-66 on June 24, 78-75 on June 26 and 88-83 on July 4. But that was during the worst stretch of the season for Atlanta: a five-game losing streak in which three of the defeats were to the Valkyries. And two of those games were at Golden State.

Atlanta has grown a lot as a team since then. Golden State has too, but the Dream's cohesion, guard play, defense, rebounding and swagger at this point make them very dangerous. -- Voepel

What player needs to step up -- or keep it up -- to earn Atlanta a title?

Jordin Canada seems like the wild card for the Aces. Everyone knows what you're going to get from Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray (assuming she's healthy). But Canada adds an extra defensive spark and timely offense as her fourth-quarter triple gave the Dream a lead it never surrendered. She finished with 19 points and 11 assists in the deciding game.

"In the playoffs, she's even taken it to another level," Dream coach Karl Smesko said. "She's a great leader for us. She's been making really good decisions. On top of that, she's been shooting the ball really well. On the defensive end, she competes on every single possession. She's just a competitor, and now the stakes are the highest, she's been playing her best." -- Copeland