Some coaches give fiery speeches to their players. Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase gave one to the fans.

Before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, she had a clear request for the Chase Center crowd, nicknamed Ballhalla: get hostile. "You guys know since we're prepping for a great game plan, Ballhalla better be prepping for a game plan," Nakase said, per Athlon Sports. "So as soon as they're announced, I need some hostility. … If they do a challenge, I need hostility. If they're shooting free throws, I need that thing to be rocking."

Her reasoning was simple. "Get ready, get prepped, because we definitely got to use Ballhalla as our sixth man," she said.

The problem: Ballhalla is really nice

Here's the funny part. As the Chicago Sun-Times' Alissa Hirsh pointed out, booing isn't really in these fans' nature. They show up, all 18,000 of them, every game, in lavender wigs and sparkly accessories with witty signs. Hirsh compared asking them to boo to asking naturally positive point guard Veronica Burton to cuss out her teammates: they'll do it if you ask, but they'll go back to being themselves.

And they did try. On Saturday, the crowd booed the officials, worked up the confidence for some "Ref, you suck" chants and occasionally booed the Atlanta Dream's players, per the Sun-Times. Baby steps.

Did it work?

The scoreboard says yes. Golden State won 68-64 for the first Finals win in franchise history. The Valkyries are now 5-0 at home this postseason and had the league's best home record in the regular season, ESPN noted. They've also sold out every game at Chase Center in their two years of existence.

It was a grind. Golden State trailed late, then closed on a 7-0 run, with Gabby Williams scoring six of those points on her way to 26. "Even though we were down with a few minutes left, I think we had the game right where we wanted it," Williams said, per ESPN. She explained that she counts possessions in her head down the stretch, which earned her a "nerd" from teammate Kiah Stokes.

So did the fans pass Nakase's test? "I think so," she said, per the Sun-Times. "But I did feel a different roar. So, yeah, I was excited. They were really screaming when [the Dream] got announced. So great job."

Next up: the sequel

Of course, a coach is never fully satisfied. "But, hey, level up," Nakase said. "Like, [for] Game 2, it has to be better. We're gonna ask more from our players." Then came the line of the night: "So rest and recover, Ballhalla. Careful what you drink tonight."

Atlanta knows what it's walking into. "We do understand how loud it is here and how supportive their fans are and what a great atmosphere and environment they've provided the W," Dream coach Karl Smesko said before Game 1. The Dream need to win on the road at some point, and ESPN's Kendra Andrews wrote that Game 2 feels like a must-win before the series moves to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4.

Game 2 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET in San Francisco, with the Valkyries up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. Ballhalla, you have your homework.