This time last year, Isobel Borlase was at home in Australia watching her national-team teammate Sami Whitcomb play in the WNBA Finals. Now the 22-year-old guard is in the Finals herself, as a rookie with the Atlanta Dream.

"I was in awe of it and now I'm like 'What the hell, I'm here!'" she told ESPN's Megan Hustwaite. "It's crazy and so exciting."

Her teammates made sure she felt at home. After a game last week, Angel Reese broke into an "Issy, Issy, Issy, Oi! Oi! Oi!" chant, a twist on Australia's famous sports cheer. Borlase says it's "a way of making me feel included and showing me that they care."

She was named MVP of Australia's WNBL in February. In Saturday's Finals opener, she had 4 points in 12 minutes, but Golden State won 68-64. Her secret: "It's all about belief."

The last time the Dream made the Finals, in 2013, Borlase was 9. Fun bonus: an Aussie is guaranteed a ring, since Miela Sowah is on the Valkyries as a development player.

What's next: Game 2 is Monday at 6 p.m. MT in San Francisco.