By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer
ATLANTA — Angel Reese has always exuded confidence on and off the basketball court.
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In her first season with Atlanta, she’s already become the team’s emotional leader and now has the Dream two wins away from the first WNBA championship in franchise history. Game 4 is Saturday (10 a.m. PT).
“I just want to be able to come in every day and just pour into everybody, bring energy, bring the morale because I think it’s contagious,” Reese said after a 97-71 victory over Golden State in Game 3 on Wednesday night. “I’m hype all the time and bringing confidence into everybody. Like, you’re not taking this from us. In my heart, I’m not letting you take this from us, and I think it becomes contagious within the team. They feel that confidence, too.
“So that’s kind of been my mindset throughout the entire season. Just being able to want it more than anybody else.”
Reese, who came to Atlanta from Chicago in an offseason trade, has made the most of her first postseason appearance since coming into the league three years ago. She became only the second player in WNBA Finals history with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games, joining Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson.
At 24 years old, Reese also became the youngest with three straight double-doubles in the Finals.
“Angel shows up in every game,” said point guard Jordin Canada, a two-time champion. “Some people only show up at big games, but she’s consistent with that, and she brings her teammates along.”
Reese has raised her game offensively this postseason and is averaging 21.7 points and 13.7 rebounds in the WNBA Finals to help the Dream take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. She always has had an incredible motor where she has been able to outwork people on both ends of the court. Now her offensive game has caught up.
“It’s really hard to match Angel’s energy, but we just try to do our part … just doing the little things to get into it. She brings a ton of energy. It’s very infectious,” Dream forward Naz Hillmon said. “She brings her teammates with her, as (everyone) can see. So just continuing to beat into it and go along with what she’s got going on.”
Reese entered the WNBA with criticism of her offensive game. She didn’t shoot much outside of the lane and detractors said many of her rebounds came from her own misses. Now she is shooting 47% from 3-point range in the postseason and about the same percentage from the field overall thanks to the trust she had in Atlanta coach Karl Smesko to change her shot.
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Now she’s only two wins away from adding a WNBA title to her ever-growing resume. She won an NCAA championship at LSU and a FIBA World Cup title this past September. When asked after the Game 3 win if she belonged in the conversation with other Atlanta sports greats like Hank Aaron, Dominique Wilkins and Deion Sanders, Reese deflected the notion.
“I’ve only been here six months, so I don’t know how y’all can give me that yet,” she said. “My goal was to come to Atlanta and win a championship. And I think you become one of the greats and you come one of the best when you can win and impact winning. And that’s all I wanted to do coming here. Everything else really doesn’t matter to me.”
GRAY PLAYS THROUGH HAND INJURY
Allisha Gray’s left hand isn’t 100% yet, but the Dream guard is doing all she can to help the franchise win its first championship.
Gray injured the hand in Game 1 of Atlanta’s semifinal series against the New York Liberty. After missing the final two games of that round, she returned for the WNBA Finals.
She’s averaging 15 points so far in the Finals, but is shooting just under 29% from the field, including 22% from 3-point range.
“The biggest thing for me is giving myself a lot of grace. I am literally playing with eight fingers,” said Gray, who wore a black velcro brace on her shooting hand while talking to reporters on Friday. “It’s knowing I am not 100% ‘Lish,’ the one that can hit shots and things like that. But if I give myself grace, I know the other ways I can impact the game.”
Gray is averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists to go along with her points.
“I know that a 10% Lish is better than a 0% Lish,” she said.
Gray briefly left Game 3 after Valkyries star Gabby Williams made contact with her injured hand. She did return a few minutes later and continued to play.
The 31-year-old Gray knows she will have all offseason to let the hand heal and it that process would be much sweeter with a first WNBA title in hand.
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VALKYRIES AT DREAM
What: WNBA Finals, Game 4 (Atlanta leads 2-1)
When: Saturday, 10 a.m. PT
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
TV: NBC (Ch. 4)