SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob walked through the tunnels of Chase Center following the Valkyries' 71-60 win over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals with a message he wanted to get off of his chest.
"Print this: Gabby Williams is the best player in the world," Lacob told ESPN.
Williams scored a team-high 25 points Sunday afternoon and scored or assisted on 36 of the Valkyries' points. On the other end, she held the Aces to just 29% on 4-of-14 shooting as the primary defender. Williams, who also had 11 rebounds and five assists, became the second player with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a playoff game against the Aces. She is also the first Valkyries player to have a 25-10-5 playoff game.
After arriving in Golden State during the offseason, Williams has taken her play to another level with the Valkyries -- finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and also adding to her offensive game. So far, she's averaging 25 points during the playoffs, which is the third-highest scoring average of the postseason. Only Wilson and Arike Ogunbowale have scored more.
Early in the game Sunday, Williams felt that the Aces were trying to make her uncomfortable, throwing a mixture of coverages at her. That's when she made sure she was intentional about getting everyone else involved.
"There are five players on the court," Williams said. "We were running really well in transition, so I found [Kayla Thornton] a couple times, and things started to open up on their own."
The Valkyries' ability to get out and run was fueled by their performance on the boards. Golden State outrebounded Las Vegas 52-25 -- the second-largest difference by any team in a playoff game in WNBA history. It also held the Aces to a season low in scoring.
The Aces made pushes, clawing back from down by as much as 11, but they never took away Golden State's momentum and couldn't get their deficit below five points down the stretch of the game.
"All we talked about the last 48 hours was rebounding and blocking them out, and we did not do that. Period," Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "The good news is, we played like ass and only lost by 10."
A'ja Wilson finished with 24 points on 8-of-21 field goal shooting and went 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young combined for 25 points.
"I've competed against A'ja my entire career, and she will go down in history as the best player to ever do it," Williams said. "This is what you dream about. You dream to play against players like that. Going up against them is all I care about. ... I just want to win."
Williams rolled her eyes when she heard what Lacob said about her, but the belief he has poured into her is the reason she is leading the Valkyries in their playoff push. During every game, she seeks out a fist bump from the owner to "absorb" some of his energy. When she watches replays of the game, she zooms in to see his spirited reaction to big plays.
"There she is," Lacob yelled when he saw Williams standing in the hallway after the game, his arms open for a hug. "Best player in the world. No one is saying it, but they need to start saying it."
