Two teams that weren’t supposed to be there, were there, in a WNBA Finals Game 7, the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, taking place on a Halloween night.
There was nothing ordinary about this night.
And there was nothing ordinary about the play of Gabby Williams.
Scoring 2 Points in the first half, Game 7 Gabby dropped 28 in the second; personally outscoring her opponent, the entire Atlanta Dream, in the second half.
Williams walked up the court, splashed in-rhythm jumpers, and walked down every Dream defender in sight for bucket after bucket, mercilessly willing her team to victory in the biggest game on the biggest stage. She was so dominant in this final game, the voters had no choice but to anoint her WNBA Finals MVP as she individually willed the Valkyries’ to their first-ever championship.
Before Williams took over the game with her insane shot-making, she was already making a positive impact doing what she usually does – the dirty work, the hustle plays, deflections, blocks, steals – the plays that help teams win on the margins.
That’s what makes Gabby Williams such a special talent; she is one of the rare stars who provides the high floor of a high-end two-way starter and the even higher ceiling of a tough shotmaking assassin outside-in primary scoring option.
Her scalability and versatility provides the best of both worlds, fitting in with this team perfectly as a valued cog of the defensive machine that sometimes has nowhere else to turn but to her offensively.
Gabby Williams’ Stats & WNBA Finals Records you need to know
Averaging just under 20 points per game and just over 2.5 steals per game, Williams tallied the highest points and highest steals totals ever recorded in a WNBA Finals series.
Her all-time clutch 31-foot 3pt shot to put Golden State up 3 points with just over 2 minutes to play was one of the biggest shots in the history of the league. According to Michael Beuoy of Inpredict, this shot increased Golden State’s title chances from 54% up to 75%, making it the 10th-biggest shot in WNBA History, as measured by impact to a championship probability. (+21%)
Game 7 Gabby scored 30 PTS on a scoring efficiency of 59% TS% averaging 1.04 Points per Shot. She generated a reliable 0.9 Points Per Possession as the ball-handler in the biggest game of the season, giving her team a reliable half-court set to create a good look for herself a teammate.