Golden State's gritty win in Atlanta resets a tight WNBA Finals, even as the anthem debate threatens to drown out the basketball.
The Golden State Valkyries went into Atlanta and played a rock-fight on Saturday, beating the Dream 67-62 at State Farm Arena to pull the WNBA Finals level at two games apiece. After four absorbing contests, nothing separates these teams, and every possession from here on carries championship weight.
A low-scoring, physical afternoon suited the Valkyries, who made the Dream earn everything and held on in a tense finish. For anyone who came for basketball, this series has delivered tight margins, momentum swings and a real sense that one bounce could decide the title.
But the pregame moment drew a different kind of attention. Singer and actress Crystal Renee, known for her work with Tyler Perry, performed the national anthem before tip-off while the sellout crowd stood. Photographers, game officials and security took their usual spots around her. When the lights came back up, the teams returned to the floor to resume their shootarounds. For fans focused on the game, it barely registered.
For a loud section of the American political and media world, though, the anthem is still the main event. Seven years ago, Jay-Z said the culture had "moved past kneeling," a line that came as the NFL cracked down on anthem protests and other major US leagues eventually followed. Rightwing commentators and politicians have kept treating sports as a patriotism battleground anyway, and the sport itself is often what gets lost.
The series is level, the stakes are huge, and the Dream and Valkyries are giving the league a Finals worth watching for the hoops alone. What happens next on the floor is the story that matters.
