Golden State leads the Atlanta Dream 3-2 as Game 6 looms on Thursday afternoon, and if you are looking at who is truly playing Finals MVP ball, we gotta talk about Kiah Stokes. Forget the regular season MVP metrics, for the Finals, it’s all about who is actively contributing to those crucial Ws, and Stokes is absolutely locking it down when it matters most for the Valkyries.
Stokes Is The Valkyries’ Unsung Hero In Wins
When you crunch the numbers for the Valkyries’ wins, Kiah Stokes isn’t just good, she is essential. Her stat score, which is points, rebounds, assists (x 1.5), steals, and blocks, clocks in at 23.3 per game in Golden State victories. That is third on the team, right behind Gabby Williams’ 27.8 and Veronica Burton’s 25.2. But here’s the real kicker: Stokes is the only Valkyrie significant contributor shooting a fantastic 61 percent from the field, and she is even 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Her blocks are huge for that stat score, yeah, but she is also dropping 8.7 points per game in wins, which is serious business in this low-scoring series. And remember Game 4? She pulled down 16 rebounds, split evenly between defensive and offensive boards, just a monster performance. But honestly, her biggest, most undeniable contribution is shutting down Angel Reese. Reese went off in Atlanta’s two wins, but in all three Valkyries victories, Stokes has been the absolute hero with her defense on Reese. That’s Finals MVP stuff right there.
Clutch Plays Define Williams And Burton’s Impact
While Stokes is the defensive rock, Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton have delivered some seriously clutch moments for Golden State. Gabby had the Valkyries’ only real scoring explosion this series, dropping 26 points in Game 1. She was ice cold from the charity stripe, hitting all six free throws in the final 2:15 of that four-point win. Super clutch! Her 17 points in Game 4 were also the team’s next highest scoring output. Plus, she is snagging two steals per game in wins and brings that defense that doesn’t always show up on the box score, just like all the Valkyries. Now, her shooting percentage, 32 percent from the field and 14 percent from three, isn’t exactly lighting it up. But you can’t deny her impact.
And then there is Veronica Burton. Her field goal efficiency is actually lower than Gabby’s at 28 percent, and she is not much better from deep at 20 percent. But when Game 4 was on the line, Burton stepped up HUGE. She scored the Valkyries’ final six points, draining a three for a nine-point lead with 4:23 to go, sinking a fadeaway in the paint for a seven-point lead with 34 seconds left, and then adding a free throw with 27 seconds remaining to push the lead to five. She’s been one of Golden State’s most clutch players in these Finals, no doubt.
The Valkyries are up 3-2 heading into Game 6, and the stakes could not be higher. Does Stokes keep Reese locked down and cement her MVP case? Or do Williams or Burton have another clutch performance to steal the show? We’re about to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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