I Went Back to the WNBA… This Time Was VERY Different | Riley’s Vlog
Riley Gaines and Louis Barker recap their courtside experience at the Indiana Fever game, from Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell’s standout performance to the very different atmosphere compared with Riley’s previous WNBA trip in Minneapolis. Riley also responds to the public conversation surrounding Simone Biles, Sophie Cunningham, Michael Buckley, and the ongoing debate over protecting women’s sports. She explains why she still wants to reach out to Simone, why Sophie Cunningham’s stance matters, and what the WNBA’s handling of these cultural flashpoints reveals about the league’s balancing act. Plus: Riley and Louis talk travel with an 11-month-old, seeing Brittney Griner in person, the power of sports to bridge political divides, and why Friday’s episode will be an Ask Me Anything. New episodes of The Riley Gaines Show every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
If you haven’t been paying attention to the WNBA Playoffs, you are missing out. Honestly, if you like basketball at all, this is the only thing going on, and the series, although short, has been awesome. We’ve already seen the Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever last night in Game 3, and we saw the Dream and Liberty sweep their series. The Liberty knocked out the top team from the regular season. Chaos at its finest. Tonight we have the other top team on the ropes as the Wings look to upset the Valkyries.
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The Dallas Wings are built on star power. They have two of the brightest young stars in the league, with Paige Bueckers in her first playoff games. They also have Azzi Fudd, but she has been out with an injury for the majority of the season. When the Wings received the #1 overall pick for the past two years, this is what they envisioned and what they were looking to build. However, it really isn’t Bueckers, and certainly not Fudd, who is making the impact in this one.
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Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basket against Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao (2) during the second half at College Park Center on June 24, 2025. (Chris Jones-Imagn Images)
Instead, this series was extended by Arike Ogunbowale. If you haven’t watched her play, I compare her to Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams or Jordan Clarkson. She is a starter, and most of those guys were role players or sixth-man candidates. Ogunbowale has been a starter, but can’t really carry a team on both ends. She certainly put the team on her back in Game 2, dropping 45 points in 42 minutes of action. She was incredibly efficient as well, shooting 52% overall, 63% from deep, and almost 90% from the free-throw line.
The Golden State Valkyries are built on being a deep, well-rounded squad. That can’t always work in the postseason. If you haven’t noticed in basketball, you need stars to win. It isn’t like the best player always wins, but just because you are a deep team doesn’t mean you’re the best team in the postseason. We’ve seen it over and over — you need a deep team to keep from getting too tired, and you need role players that can contribute, but you also need a guy (or in this case, a woman) to take over a team when you need a bucket.
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Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams is defended by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in the second quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 28, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
To her credit, Gabby Williams is having a fantastic series for the Valkyries. In Game 1, she dropped 20 points in 27 minutes while the team blew out Dallas. In Game 2, they lost on the road to the Wings, who put up a historic performance. Williams was equally impressive in that game with 36 points in 37 minutes. She continues to facilitate and be involved in rebounding as well. She has four other teammates averaging over 10 points per game, so she is getting help. The question is whether Williams can be the go-to scorer they need tonight when Dallas has both Bueckers and Ogunbowale.
Caitlin Clark made WNBA history again, but Golden State’s relentless defense and a hostile crowd powered a narrow win. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Being at home should certainly help the Valkyries, who have gone 17-5 at home this season. Dallas was just 11-11 away from their home floor. I do expect Bueckers to be more involved in the scoring tonight, but she might not be enough. This Golden State team knows they need to avoid a collapse. They also know that their defense can win them games. I lean to the under on this one, but will play Valkyrie -4.5 in the first half as I think the home crowd will give them the boost needed to get going early.
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