The Valkyries and Dream squared off in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

Golden State earned its first Finals win in franchise history Saturday, but the event already made headlines because of what transpired before the matchup. Both the Valkyries and Dream were not present for the national anthem ahead of tip off.

Instead, the teams headed for the locker room during the song and returned seconds after.

It’s unclear whether that was an orchestrated concept by both teams, but Atlanta has protested the national anthem before. The Dream issued a team statement in 2020, saying  “the anthem does not represent freedom, justice and liberty for all Americans.”

It remains to be seen whether the trend continues for Game 2 and beyond.

The Valkyries protected home court at Ballhalla, the Chase Center, Saturday with a huge 68-64 win over the Dream. Golden State has proved to be a popular commodity all season long, selling out all home games in the regular season.

Now, the Valkyries have a 1-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals. Head coach Natalie Nakase has asked fans to “level up” for Game 2 on Monday.

“Once I get on there and I start to write my notes and I start to write my notes on the board, I kind of actually block everything out. But I did feel a different roar,” Nakase said. “I was excited, they were really screaming when they got announced. So great job, but hey, level up, right?”

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