The Golden State Valkyries are staring down a 2-1 deficit in the WNBA Finals, and if they’re gonna climb out of this hole, they’re gonna need a whole lot more from 37-year-old Tiffany Hayes. This isn’t just some feel-good story; Hayes is putting up numbers when almost no one else is.
The “End” Was Just The Beginning For Tiffany Hayes
Remember 2023? Tiffany Hayes, after a decade with the Atlanta Dream, then a year with the Connecticut Sun, declared, “It’s the end.” She was done, body worn down, wanting more time for family, fashion design, and social activism. She’d won two NCAA championships at UConn and played in a WNBA Finals back in 2013 with the Dream, but a WNBA championship still eluded her. Fast forward five months, and guess what? It wasn’t the end. The Aces pulled her out of retirement to help defend their championship, and she snagged Sixth Woman of the Year before they were bounced in the semifinals.
Now, here she is, back in the Finals, 14 years into her career, still chasing that elusive ring. The Valkyries have had back-to-back abysmal shooting performances, but Hayes, playing significant minutes off the bench, is shooting close to 50% in those losses. Her ability to slash into the lane and force Atlanta’s defense to collapse was a rare bright spot in Game 3, even temporarily slowing the Dream’s momentum in the third quarter. After Wednesday’s Game 3 loss, she knew what was up, saying, “We’ve got to stay together, we’ve got to not get flustered. It’s us that has to make some adjustments.”
The Unmatched Fight of a Finals Veteran
“She’s a fighter… I don’t think there’s someone who really wants this,” Natalie Nakase said earlier in the series. “She wants this. And I’m going to put a little more energy into the film because I want to win this for Tip. (Her) type of fight is unmatched.” That fire is exactly what Golden State needs right now. Even Naz Hillmon, the Dream’s starting forward who was a rookie in Hayes’ final year in Atlanta, sees it. Hillmon called Hayes “a huge spark this year,” adding, “It’s crazy to see where she was four years ago and now seeing the work she’s continued to put in. I remember her being really tenacious and super fast. I feel like she’s kicked it up this year and gotten even faster.”
Hayes isn’t letting sentimentality get in the way of the series, even against her former team. “I’ve faced them in years before, too,” she said before the series. “It’s definitely a different feel, being in the Finals. But at the end of the day this is another team we’re trying to get past. So I’m just focused on whatever we need to do to do that.”
The Valkyries are down 2-1 in the WNBA Finals, and they desperately need to dig deep. The good news? They’ve got a veteran fighter off the bench who’s shooting lights out, and she’s not ready to call “it’s the end” on this season just yet. Can Hayes spark the comeback and finally get that championship ring she’s been chasing for 14 years? The next game will tell us everything.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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