Izzy Borlase’s dream of winning a WNBA championship ring with Atlanta remains alive and kicking after the Australian rookie helped the Dream drag the finals series into a winner-takes-all decider against the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco.
Game seven in San Francisco on Sunday (AEDT) should be a Halloween spine-tingler, with 22-year-old Borlase dreaming of joining 11 previous Australian winners of WNBA championships.
Opals ace Borlase was one of only seven players picked by Atlanta coach Karl Smesko as the Dream powered its way to an emphatic series-levelling 80-69 victory in front of a noisy near sellout crowd.
The Dream brushed aside the irritation and indignity of having to play the pivotal game six at lunchtime, rescheduled to accommodate a regular season home game for men’s counterparts the Atlanta Hawks.
Izzy Borlase was used sparingly as the Dream leaned on the starting five. (Getty Images: Kevin C. Cox)
Increased interest in the Dream’s finals run saw a number of games shifted to the home of the NBA’s Hawks, which can accommodate 17,000 people, but game six was initially scheduled to be played at the Dream’s regular-season home arena, with a 3,500-seat capacity.
After an outcry about the sixth game of the Hawks’ 82-game regular season taking precedence over the Dream’s push for their first title, the contest was moved to the bigger venue but forced into a 12:30pm (local time) slot to allow the Hawks to face the Cavaliers in prime time.
Borlase played very much a support role in her 12 minutes of court action as Atlanta’s powerful starting line-up took control in an opening blitz and never looked back after holding a 17–point advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Dream was sparked by Allisha Gray (23 points), Rhyne Howard (21) and another double-double from star Angel Reese, who had 14 rebounds and six assists to go with her 15 points.
Atlanta, shooting hot, only ever looked remotely rattled in the final quarter as the visitors, seeking to seal the win that would have brought them the title for the first time in just their second season, got to within eight points going into the final minute.
But there was no cause for alarm as Gray sank a three-pointer under pressure to get the home crowd roaring.
This marks the first time the WNBA Finals has gone to a decider since 2019, when the Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun 3-2 in a best-of-five series.
This season marks the second time the championship has been decided in a best-of-seven format, with last year’s victory by the Las Vegas Aces over the Phoenix Mercury coming via a 4-0 sweep.
AAP/ABC
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