Over the course of what's been a largely successful regular season for the Golden State Valkyries, there have been a couple of games where they themselves would say they have gotten “punched in the face.”
Back in June, it was a sobering 92-73 loss to the Las Vegas Aces when they were simply outmatched and out-starred by A'Ja Wilson and company. Back in August, it was a string of losses to the Minnesota Lynx and the Chicago Sky, in which the Valkyries found themselves scrambling for answers regarding their habit of slow, tepid starts.
And while the Valkyries have answered each of these nadirs in spades, whether it was rattling off a nine-game win streak after the Aces loss or finally taking down the Lynx and putting together a six-game win streak, Golden State is now faced with another moment of self-reflection. Because a lot of the issues and Achilles' heels that were on the back of everyone's mind when thinking about the Valkyries heading into the playoffs reared their ugly heads in their 90-82 loss to the Portland Fire.
The highs and lows of the Golden State offense? On full display after the Valkyries jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter before the ball movement stagnated, the energy dipped, and the flow ceased.
The shaky execution in crunch time? Certainly something to be monitored because while Golden State's been much better in the clutch this year, some of their bad habits from last year floated back to the surface. Up seven with 1:58 left in regulation and on the brink of putting down Portland, the Valkyries turned the ball over twice on a pair of careless passes to spark an 8-0 Fire run to take the lead. Golden State would get the game to overtime thanks to a Gabby Williams layup, but those are the kinds of mistakes that are life-altering in the playoffs.
And finally, the Valkyries lack of a de facto, go-to, A1-grade shot creator? A bit glaring in overtime and displayed a bit too poetically by Golden State's old friend in Carla Leite, who walked them down in the clutch, collecting 10 of her 18 points after the 2:00 minute mark in the fourth quarter.
When the Fire needed a bucket, they iso'd out Leite, let her hunt a switch off a screen, and let her cook as the 22-year-old Frenchwoman nailed the And-1 jumper to put the Valkyries away. Vice versa, Golden State shot 1-of-11 in overtime, with the offense stagnating badly as none of the Valkyries could create any separation from the Fire defenders.
“It is a wake-up call, and obviously we would probably have liked to avoid it, but at the end of the day, it happened, so we got to make the most out of it, and we need to learn,” Veronica Burton said after the loss. “I think Gabby said it, if we play like this, we're going to be out quickly. So we need to make adjustments. We need to understand like the sense of urgency that we need to be playing every single game with, and that's all of us.”
Worry for the Valkyries?
In the grand scheme of things, a loss like this one isn't anything to panic over. After all, the Valkyries have proven themselves capable of bouncing back and using their strengths like their defense, depth, and coaching to mitigate their weaknesses. That being said, losing in this fashion and effectively ending their chances of stealing the No. 1 seed from the Lynx raises some eyebrows.
Article Continues BelowNamely, getting back to their rhythm and flow before Game 1 of the first round this Sunday with only a game in between. This was Williams, Janelle Salaun, and Cecilia Zandalasini's first game back since the FIBA break and it certainly felt like it at times. Whether it was a clunkiness from the Valkyries as they settled back into their usual rotation or their self-professed “lulls” in communication and energy, everything felt off for Golden State.
“They played harder than us,” coach Natalie Nakase said. “Give Portland their credit; they played harder than us. That is unacceptable… the lulls in terms of communication; they need to speak up right away when you see a lull, I need to see players step up. I'm not sometimes down there at the other end, so I need to make sure we're all communicating, we're all staying on the same page, and we're all supporting and encouraging, and maybe saying some a little bit more direct things that they need to hear.”
Not a perfect feeling to have going into the playoffs, even though they were the hottest team in the WNBA prior to this loss.
Additionally, there were some tactical decisions that Nakase made that leave room for examination. Salaun and Zandalasini were not part of Nakase's closing lineup, two players who in theory could have injected some life into the offense that, again, went 1-of-11 from the field in OT.
Nakase's reasons were justifiable. The second-year coach said she liked the flow of the small-ball lineup and the switchability of that unit but admitted they could have been more intentional about their organization. As for the shots the Valkyries got, Nakase said she liked some of the looks but that she and the team could have done a better job lifting the Fire defenders out of the corners to better open up the spacing on those high-percentage shots.
Regardless, it's a loss the Valkyries will just have to take on the chin. In Burton's words, “It's good to happen now, but it's about how we respond now.” And while Golden State was mum on the message in the locker room after the game, what they did share was simple: “Time to watch film.”
“Time to watch film,” Nakase repeated. “Be honest with yourselves. How can we fight with a lot more energy? There's nothing to save up for. We have to continue to play hard all four quarters. So I have to figure out what what did what are they not doing. Is it off court? Is it my message? That has to be clear and direct going into LA because LA plays hard. They play very hard, so no underestimating. We got to go out punching.”
Golden State will face the Los Angeles Sparks in their final game of the regular season. A win or an Aces loss clinches them the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. And a loss opens the door for Las Vegas to win and drop them down to the No. 3 seed. There is still a lot left to play for.