While the Golden State Valkyries have already secured their trip to the postseason, it doesn't soften the blow of another loss decided by a single possession.
The Valkyries came up short against the Seattle Storm, falling 76-73 on the road in a game that would have locked up the sixth seed in the WNBA playoffs. Down 74-73 with 19.2 seconds left in the game, thanks to Erica Wheeler's eventual game-deciding jumper, the Valkyries had a chance to walk out of the Climate Pledge Arena on a game winner.
Golden State's Janelle Salaün got two cracks at it but couldn't reach the bottom of the net. She got a solid contested layup attempt she couldn't finish and a contested corner three that touched every part of the rim. But Salaün, with her career-high 22 points, was hardly to blame for why the Valkyries fell to Seattle. After the game, head coach Natalie Nakase took the fall for the narrow loss.
“Just disappointment in myself. I don’t think I handled the game very well,” Nakase said in her post-game press conference. “Schematically, I thought I could do a better job.”
While Nakase declined to get into the specifics schematically, it was clear the Golden State offense fell into extended droughts at times. As a result, the burden offensively fell on the shoulders of Veronica Burton, who finished with 14 points and 11 assists. The Valkyries ran everything through Burton from the mid-third quarter on, utilizing their high pick-and-roll and horn sets to create their offense.
“We had a good third quarter. Defensively, we started out great. But again, we have to continue to execute and understand that every possession matters. To me, we kind of lost a bit on the rebounding. So again, that's something I have to be mindful [of]. Who am I putting in? What are the matchups down the stretch?… I can't make any errors down the stretch.”
No moral victories at this point in the season
After clinching a playoff birth last week, expectations have been elevated for the Valkyries. The days of being the feel-good story of the WNBA this season are long past. Golden State has a genuine shot of pulling off an upset in the first round, which was a pipe dream to everyone outside their locker room.
But going beyond the first round will come down to the Valkyries being the best versions of themselves. And it's something they are acutely aware of. In her post-game press conference, Burton gave small credit to the defensive outing from the Valkyries when asked about that end of the floor. But she was quick to say it's not good enough.
“I mean, it's good, but we lost,” Burton said bluntly. “It's not good enough if we want to go far in the playoffs. If we want to be a contending team. It's just the little things– the little possessions, fighting for every ball.”
It was an unsurprising somber vibe from Burton and Salaün in their post-game press conference. Both players reiterated that despite impressive performances and positives here and there, it wasn't enough to beat Seattle.
“We knew that they were desperate coming in here,” Burton continued. “And so, making just every extra possession, knowing what they want to do, knowing how they want to score, and keeping them from doing that. Making them get to a counter. Making them do something they're not comfortable doing. So yeah, it's a testament to our defense, but that's who we are. That's expected from us. But then we just got to take it to the next level.”
With one game left in the season, the Valkyries can only finish sixth or eighth. A win on Thursday over the Minnesota Lynx would secure the sixth seed and, coincidentally, keep them from facing the No. 1-seeded juggernaut in the opening round. Have to believe Golden State will do everything they can to avoid that outcome, as they are 0-4 versus the Lynx this season.
