Game 7, for the First Time Ever: Allisha Gray's Five Threes Save the Dream and Send the WNBA Finals Back to San Francisco

By Danielle "Dee" Ortiz, RF Sports Radio WNBA voice

Hoops fans, I told you Thursday was title day in Atlanta. The Dream had other ideas. Now the WNBA gets something it has never had before: a Game 7 in the Finals.

The facts

Atlanta beat Golden State 80-69 on Thursday to tie the series 3-3, per the Associated Press and ESPN. Allisha Gray scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3, with two steals and three blocks. Rhyne Howard added 21 with four 3-pointers, and Angel Reese had a 15-point double-double. The AP said the Dream held off a late Golden State rally.

ESPN's Kendra Andrews laid out how fast it turned. Atlanta won the first quarter 32-15 behind six 3-pointers, the first 30-point quarter the Valkyries have allowed in franchise history. The Dream led by 25 at halftime, the biggest lead by a team facing elimination in Finals history, and their 13 made 3s tied the Finals record for a team facing elimination. Gray held the Valkyries to 2-of-17 shooting as the primary defender, and her corner 3 with under a minute left sealed it.

"I am just locked in. It's Game 6 -- win or go home," Gray told ESPN. ESPN reported this is the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, set for Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern, which is 7 p.m. Central, at Chase Center in San Francisco.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: Atlanta did not get lucky. It got loose. For five games the Dream shooters looked like they were aiming. On Thursday they let it fly, and the whole building felt it in the first eight minutes. Golden State's defense has been the story of this series, and it gave up 32 in a quarter. That is not a fluke. That is a team that finally broke through.

But do not crown the Dream yet. Golden State won Games 4 and 5 by grinding, and Game 7 is at home in front of the loudest crowd in the league. Shooting nights like Thursday are hard to repeat on the road. If the Valkyries drag it back into the 60s, they win.

My pick for the key: Gray's defense, not her shooting. Two-of-17 as the primary defender is the stat of the series. Do that again and Atlanta has a real shot at its first title.

What to watch next

Game 7 is Saturday at 7 p.m. Central. Watch Atlanta's first-quarter 3-point volume and whether the Valkyries can slow the pace. For my Game 6 preview, read our Oct. 29 Game 6 preview, and catch all our Finals coverage on the WNBA Playoffs page.

Radio question: in the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, do you take Golden State's home crowd or Atlanta's hot hand?

Sources: AP News - Gray scores 23 as Dream beat Valkyries 80-69 to force Game 7; ESPN - Allisha Gray, Dream beat Valkyries, force Game 7 of WNBA Finals; ESPN - Dream 80-69 Valkyries box score and recap; WNBA.com - Valkyries vs. Dream Game 6 summary.