Valkyries season ends with heartbreaking loss to Lynx

On Sunday, in the first playoff game in franchise history, the Golden State Valkyries were brilliant for one quarter, before falling apart against the championship-favorite Minnesota Lynx. On Wednesday, in the first home playoff game in franchise history, the Valkyries one-upped themselves, playing brilliantly for three quarters.

But ultimately, the result was the same: a painful loss to the best team in the league. This time the result was much closer, but much more heartbreaking: Golden State lost by just one point, and saw their magical expansion season come to an end.

It started and ended poorly, but everything in between was spectacular. The Lynx jumped out to a 5-0 run as the Valkyries searched for offensive rhythm, but then they found it. They started forcing turnovers with defense leading to offense, and their ball movement was flying. They answered that 5-0 run with a 10-2 run of their own, and from there they were off and running. The offense peaked at the end of the quarter, when Golden State seemed to get everything they want, which led to a brilliant two-for-one to end the frame, and a 27-19 lead. Things were looking good.

The game slowed down in a big way in the second quarter, which tends to favor Golden State’s tough, defense-led charge. And indeed, even though the Valkyries couldn’t find a way to score, their sensational defense — including a lockdown effort on MVP favorite Napheesa Collier — kept Golden State in control of the game. Finally, as the quarter neared an end, the Valkyries started to find offensive rhythm, and bursted out for an 11-2 run near the end of the frame. Behind 7-for-11 shooting from distance, they led 41-28 at the half, and SAP Center — where the team was displaced to due to a long-standing commitment at the Chase Center — was an absolute party.

While the first half filled every Valkyries fan with confidence, a second-half answer was expected from the Lynx, who are not just a calm and composed veteran team seeking a second straight Finals appearance, but also employ one of the sport’s greatest coaches in Cheryl Reeve. Yet the Valkyries were able to keep such a response at bay for the entirety of the third quarter.

They played the frame like the team that had been there before. They were composed and confident. Every time Minnesota made a run, Golden State had an answer that seemed to both debilitate the Lynx and bring the crowd to their feet. Minny threatened a few times, yet the Valks pushed the lead all the way to 17 points in the process. They even ended it with a highlight, when Monique Billings got her own rebound and went back up for a three-point play, sending Golden State to the fourth with a 63-49 lead.

And then, at long last, came the expected run from the team that finished four games ahead of any other franchise in the 44-game season. The Lynx forced the issue to start the fourth quarter, and completely shut down Golden State’s offense. The Valkyries couldn’t get any good shots off, as Minnesota scored the first 11 points of the frame to make it a one-possession game.

That was the point in the game where most teams would fold. The Valkyries had already blown past expectations this year, and no one expected them to be competitive in this series. They were 0-5 against the Lynx going into Wednesday’s game. Minnesota had finally pulled close, and no one would blame Golden State for putting their hands on their knees and quiet quitting.

But that’s not how Natalie Nakase’s team operates, and it’s not how they have ever operated. Instead, the Valkyries scored the next five points, prompting Reeve to call a timeout and sending the crowd into a frenzy. It looked like they might take control of the game.

The Lynx had another response though, and took the lead with just under three minutes remaining. The Valkyries retook the lead on a Billings tip-in with 1:49 left, but Collier answered with a long two on the next possession.

With tensions high, the teams traded stops, and no one scored for about a minute. Minnesota finally broke the seal when attempting a two-for-one, with clutch veteran Courtney Williams sinking a mid-range jumper with 29.8 seconds remaining, giving the Lynx a 75-72 advantage.

What followed was perhaps the most impressive moment of the year for Nakase, whose brilliance in her first year as a head coach led to winning the WNBA Coach of the Year award earlier in the day. Even though there were less than six seconds separating the game and shot clocks, Nakase opted for a two-for-one. She called a timeout to advance the ball, brought in Iliana Rupert off the bench, and drew up a brilliant ATO. Rupert found Cecilia Zandalasini, who made a layup to cut the deficit to one point with 28.0 seconds remaining.

Golden State buckled down and played their best defensive possession of the game, taking advantage of a conservative Minnesota offense that was trying to nurse the clock. The Lynx never came close to getting a shot off, and committed a shot clock violation with the ball 40 feet from the hoop. The Valkyries would get the ball back with 4.0 seconds remaining, with a chance to win and force a winner-take-all Game 3.

Minnesota had a foul to give, and used it on the inbounds, which managed to take 1.2 seconds off the clock. Nakase drew up another nice play, which put the ball in the hands of Zandalasini, moving away from the defense. Zandalisini, who had a superb year, got to the right elbow and pulled up for a slightly off-balance but clean look, but missed just long. The Valkyries had lost the game 75-74 and the series 2-0, ending their historic expansion season.

But even in heartbreaking defeat, there was nothing to hang heads about. Collier, in her on-court post-game interview appeared visibly relieved to have finished the series, praising Golden State’s competitiveness and work ethic, and expressing awe at the atmosphere created at Ballhalla … even when Ballhalla had to move down the road. The packed SAP Center, sad but most definitely proud, stood as one to give one final standing ovation to the team they spent all summer cheering for.

And so ends a truly magical first season. Here’s to many, many more.

0 Comments