The WNBA Finals begin Saturday at San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will compete for the first championship in their respective franchises’ histories.
However, Atlanta’s hopes could be affected by the availability of star guard Allisha Gray, whose status remains uncertain ahead of Game 1.
Gray last appeared in the semifinal series against the New York Liberty before missing the final two games of Atlanta’s sweep.
The 31-year-old is listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision for the Finals opener, although she was spotted warming up before tipoff and adjusting the tape on her fingers.
Dream head coach Karl Smesko expressed confidence that forward Allisha Gray could recover from her finger injury in time to feature in Saturday’s WNBA Finals opener against the Golden State Valkyries.
“She’s going to go through the workout today. Everything’s trending in the right direction,” Smesko said before the best-of-seven series began at a sold-out Chase Center. “It’s a hand injury, so if she can go I don’t expect there to be anything (limiting) other than if she has trouble with it during the game.”
Gray participated in a limited practice session Friday after missing the final two games of Atlanta’s semifinal sweep of New York due to an injury to the ring finger on her left, shooting hand.
Dream fans were left concerned during Game 1 of the semifinal series against the New York Liberty when Gray went down in the opening quarter after seemingly injuring her shooting hand.
She briefly left for the locker room but returned to the floor with tape wrapped around her fingers. The problem resurfaced later as she attempted to chase down a loose ball, seemingly aggravating the injury. She was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the game.
Gray remains a crucial part of Atlanta’s bid to capture its first championship, having led the Dream in scoring during the regular season. The guard averaged 19 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.