Hot dog! Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen bids for pregame levity on Halloween

Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen arrived at Chase Center for Game 7 in a Halloween mood, dressed as a hot dog. "Limited selections at Spirit Halloween," she said in explaining her choice. "I don't know, it was just great. I found it, I was like, ‘This is perfect.'" (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle) While Golden State Valkyries geared up for a do-or-die Game 7 on Saturday - managing nerves and preparations for one of the biggest games of the players' lives - guard Kaitlyn Chen brought a bit of levity. Game 7 tips off on Halloween evening at Chase Center. So Chen arrived at the game dressed in a hot dog costume and sunglasses."Well, it's Halloween, and it was either dress up and have to put on a normal tunnel fit or wear a Halloween costume," Chen said. "And obviously, a Halloween costume is way easier than actually dressing up."Why the hot dog?"Limited selections at Spirit Halloween," she said. "I don't know, it was just great. I found it, I was like, ‘This is perfect.'"Chen's teammates walked into the arena mostly dressed in their typical fashionable or comfortable attire, ready to play the Atlanta Dream for the title in WNBA's first Game 7 in league history. Head coach Natalie Nakase didn't see Chen's get-up before her pregame media session."Hey man, it's Kaitlyn being Kaitlyn," Nakase said. "I think the beauty of Kaitlyn Chen is that she's going to find joy in every moment and I think someone who can make fun of themselves - that's a rare thing."A bit of goofiness is welcome during the tension of a Game 7. There are few secrets and adjustments to make between two teams that have been battling back and forth for weeks. During a brief film session, Nakase sent a direct message to the Valkyries about the strategy for Game 7."We're punching first. It's non-negotiable," Nakase said. "We're coming out with physicality, a focused mindset, a dictation. We're dictating the first pass, we're dictating everything tonight. Like we're going to be super aggressive."Nakase also encouraged Valkyries players to make Saturday's historic game feel as normal as possible. Pregame, veteran Tiffany Hayes said she did her typical routine - walking the dogs, spending time with her family and preparing for the game. "We have so many levels of personalities that they can be themselves," Nakase said. "You got Kaitlyn trying to make everyone laugh. You got Tip Hayes, who stays cool, calm and collected. And just ready to fight. So they can do whatever they want as long as when they get into that locker room, we talk about pregame, we lock into our execution, our game plan, and then they get on it. We want to be the team that wants it more, and that's what matters."Staff writer Luca Evans contributed to this articleSubscribeThere’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Hot dog! Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen bids for pregame levity on Halloween.