The Golden State Valkyries had ample opportunity to secure the No. 6 seed in the WNBA playoffs. Three cracks at it in fact. And while each crack at it was against playoff-bound teams, all the Valkyries had to do was win one of them. But in their final opportunity, the regular season finale, the Valkyries fell 72-53 to the Minnesota Lynx, officially dropping them to the No. 8 seed in the WNBA playoffs.
That means an extremely unfavorable matchup against Napheesa Collier and company – the very same team that decided their playoff fate tonight. It was the Valkyries' third loss in a row to close the regular season, which could very well dictate the fate of their storybook season. In her post-game press conference, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase shared her takeaway from the loss.
“Make shots,” Nakase said when asked what Golden State needs to do in the upcoming playoff series with the Lynx. “We had a lot of, I thought, good looks. I thought we moved the ball really well. We do have to take care of [the ball] a little better. So we got to get off it a little bit earlier because we got a little too deep at times. But we just have to make shots. I know the capability of our players.
In Golden State's first three matchups with Minnesota, the offense had trouble shaking the Lynx's size and length. The offense had an assortment of good looks but the Lynx still worked hard to force the Valkyries into low-percentage looks.
And while the Valkyries' defense muddied the waters for anyone not named Collier and Heideman, the Lynx dispatched the Golden State's comeback hopes with a casual 9-0 run to open the fourth quarter. After the game, Veronica Burton spoke about why the Lynx are such a tough team to beat for the Valkyries.
“They're incredibly connected. And you can see there's experience there. They've been playing together, their core unit, they just flow,” Burton said. “I think sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot, and a team like that is going to make you pay every single time.
Iliana Rupert's mid-game injury
If falling to eighth wasn't bad enough, Valkyries' starting center, Iliana Rupert, exited midway through the fourth quarter after landing awkwardly on the foot of one of the Lynx players underneath the basket. Rupert was able to hobble around after the fall but was quickly subbed out and went to the locker room. And while the game was already lost when she left, Rupert did not return to the game.
It's highly important to the Valkyries' upset chances that Rupert's able to play. She leads the WNBA in 3-point percentage among eligible players. Rupert also leads the Valkyries in net rating among the players on the team with at least 800 minutes played this season, with a plus-9.9 mark. Golden State is flat-out better offensively with Rupert as they boast a 107.8 offensive rating when she's on the floor.
After the game, Nakase emphasized it's important to get Rupert healthy in the coming days as Game 1 on Sunday approaches. Nakase did state that she believes Rupert will be okay moving forward.
The positives from the loss
Despite the loss, Nakase focused on the positives from the outcome. She cited not having to travel to another city, as well as understanding the problems they had were within their control as takeaways from the game.
“I'm really obviously hopeful. I'm glad. I know, as ironic as that sounds,” Nakase said, referring to her chipper demeanor post-game. “But playing somebody now and having a good look, it's not like we have to completely change a ton of things and completely embrace and learn about a new team.
“I'm taking this as a positive, and we get to stay here. We don't have to travel, and you know how I feel about travel. So being healthy, we got to get [Rupert] healthy and then get ready.”
Rest and rhythm have been Nakase and the Valkyries' motto for the past week in the lead-up to the postseason. We'll see Sunday if that mindset pays off as they look for an upset on Lynx's home floor.
