WNBA playoff takeaways: Dream stars shine; Valkyries make big statement

The WNBA's semifinals began on Sunday with the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries securing Game 1 wins in their respective series.

Here are some of the key takeaways from Sunday's games. 

Atlanta Dream's stars shine in Game 1 win

The Dream's 92-82 Game 1 win over the New York Liberty was highlighted by some massive performances from the team's biggest stars.

That includes an especially big game from Jordin Canada. She not only finished with a team-high 25 points, but she also recorded five steals, making her just the sixth player in WNBA history to record at least 25 points and five steals in a single playoff game.

Along with her two-way play, Angel Reese finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Rhyne Howard finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. 

DeWanna Bonner also had a huge game coming off the bench with 23 points and nine rebounds in her 30 minutes of action. 

The Dream also had three players (Naz Hillmon, Canada and Howard) finish with at least four assists.

Unselfish, balanced play with multiple players capable of beating you is a pretty good recipe for success in the playoffs.

Allisha Gray's injury worth monitoring

That balanced play was important because the Dream suffered a potentially significant injury when Allisha Gray had to leave the game with a hand injury.

She was limited to just 11 minutes in Sunday's game. 

That is a situation worth keeping an eye on because she was Atlanta's leading scorer during the regular season. 

While the Dream officially called it an "upper-body injury," it was pretty clearly an issue with her left hand, which also happens to be her shooting hand. 

Golden State Valkyries deliver big statement

The Golden State Valkyries may have finished the regular season one game ahead of the Las Vegas Aces in the standings, but this is still the Aces' league until somebody knocks them off the top.

That is what being the defending champion gets you.

That is the respect that three championships in four years commands.

Especially when you still have the best player in the league (A'ja Wilson) on your roster and playing at her peak level. 

That is also what makes Golden State's 71-60 Game 1 win so impressive.

They didn't just beat the defending champs; they completely shut them down in a way no other team in the WNBA has done this season.

Las Vegas' 31 first-half points? It's the team's lowest total of the season.

Las Vegas' 60 points for the game? Also its lowest total of the season. 

Gabby Williams was the big star of the day for the Valkyries, building on her strong second half from the decisive Game 3 win in the first round. She finished with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the floor, including a 4-for-7 day from 3-point range. 

Along with Williams' standout game, the Valkyries bench was fantastic with 27 points as a group. 

Depth has become a big concern for the Aces, especially with the injury to Jewell Lloyd that forced her out of the game after playing just 17 games. 

It is still a long way before the Valkyries can win this series, but this was a huge first step for the second-year franchise. It was a big statement that not only is the moment not too big for them, but they are not going to be intimidated by Las Vegas.

Becky Hammon furious with Ace's performance

While Golden State was outstanding, Vegas was clearly not at its best, and head coach Becky Hammon was livid about it. She not only called it their most atrocious game of the season, but she said the only positive was they "played like a-- and only lost by 10 points."

Not hard to interpret her feelings based on that. She did not like it. Expect them to be better in Game 2 on Wednesday night. They have to be.