LAS VEGAS – Unbelievable.
Stunning.
Insane.
Pick your adjective. Gape open-mouthed at the Golden State Valkyries and what they have accomplished. Be giddy over the preposterous history they are making.
But they won’t join you. Because this was their plan all along.
On Friday night, in their headiest moment, at their historic apex, as they coolly came back from a double-digit deficit and knocked off the defending WNBA champions, the Valkyries remained level-headed. Grounded.
While the basketball world around them was stunned, the Valkyries – while clearly thrilled with their 87-77 overtime victory that completed the sweep of the Aces – behaved like a group that had ticked the box. Had achieved a goal. Had not yet completed the job.
“To be here in this moment, we’re making history and it’s like so unimaginable, but for us it’s so realistic,” said Veronica Burton, who played all of the fourth quarter and overtime despite carrying five fouls during most of that critical stretch.
“It’s what we expected, it’s what we worked toward, it’s what we believed in the entire year. Even in the beginning when we were losing some games. When we were 0-3 against the Aces. We had the ultimate confidence coming in here.”
This is a team, a franchise, that refuses to accept any limitations. Any conventional perceptions of what is possible.
The Valkyries are an expansion team that has sold out an NBA-sized arena for every single home game they have ever played. They have the highest valuation in the WNBA, at a billion dollars. They are the highest earning team in the WNBA, surpassing $100 million in revenue.
And now, oh by the way, they are in the WNBA Finals. In just their second year of existence.
The setting for the Valkyries’ first playoff road win in franchise history was dramatic. The Aces are the team that had previously set the bar in the WNBA, winning three championships in the past four seasons. A’ja Wilson was being celebrated by the crowd for winning her fifth MVP award; the only basketball players to reach such heights are Michael Jordan and Bill Russell, with five NBA MVPs each, and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar with six.
In the earlier game, the Atlanta Dream completed a sweep, on the road, of the New York Liberty. But no chance the reigning champs would get swept, right? The Aces had swept the Valkyries in their three regular-season contests. For all their achievements, the Valkyries had yet to win a road playoff game.
When the Aces built an 11-point lead early in the third quarter, that championship DNA seemed to be asserting itself. Except that the Valkyries then went on a 17-0 run to take the lead, flexing their muscle and building their confidence. When they fell behind by six in the fourth quarter, they fought back to force overtime.
“It says a lot about who we are,” Burton said. “In big moments, we’re able to come together, string together stops. That’s what we talked about.”
Before the game, Aces coach Becky Hammon said how hard it is to “play from behind in someone else’s gym … you have to exert so much energy just to crawl back into the game.”
Yet there were the Valkyries, behind in the Aces’ gym and crawling back, thanks to their strength in numbers, their waves of fresh substitutions.
“Our depth has allowed us to stay healthy and fresh,” Gabby Williams said. “Especially compared to how I felt at the end of last season, I feel much better. I only played 28 minutes today.”
Williams had a slow start. In an on-court interview, she said, “you can say I was A-S-S.” But she was the maestro in the second half and took over the game in overtime, with eight points and a key steal.
“But I wasn’t worried at all when I was missing shots, because I knew, OK, Tip has it, Chechi has it, Kiah’s got it,” Williams said, referring to teammates Tiffany Hayes, Cecilia Zandalasini and Kiah Stokes. “Someone else has it and when my number is called I’ll try to do the same.”
In contrast, the Aces’ best players looked gassed, with shots that usually drop for them – like Chelsea Gray’s jumper that could have won the game in regulation – not falling.
In overtime, the rout was on and as the Valkyries opened up a 10-point lead the Aces fans started heading for the exits, leaving their building to a few thousand crazed Valkyries fans who stood in the stands cheering their hearts out.
“It’s incredible, when you have a crowd that travels like, we love them,” Burton said. “We appreciate them and it helps us. When we hear ‘G-S-V’ chants when we’re here that changes the game for us.”
The fans were giddy, wild with joy. They almost can’t believe this magical season.
But the Valkyries can believe it. They planned for it. They worked for it.
“I think when you love something, if you put the amount of time in that we have, big dreams – like going to the finals in our second year – can come true,” head coach Natalie Nakase said. “My dad instilled (in me) that if you just outwork everyone, good things are going to happen.”
The Valkyries had a plan. They put in the work. And now good things are happening: Valkyries-Dream, in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, next Saturday at Chase Center.
Believe it.
WNBA Finals: Valkyries vs. Dream
Golden State Valkyries vs. Atlanta Dream
Best of seven series:
Oct. 17: 12:30 p.m. at Chase Center NBC
Oct. 19: 5 p.m. at Chase Center USA, CNBC
Oct. 22: 5 p.m. in Atlanta USA, CNBC
Oct. 24: 12:30 p.m. in Atlanta NBC
Oct. 26*: 5 p.m. at Chase Center USA, CNBC
Oct. 29*: 5 p.m. in Atlanta USA, CNBC
Oct. 31*: 5 p.m. at Chase Center USA, CNBC
*: If necessary.
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This article originally published at Valkyries prove big dreams can come true by reaching WNBA Finals in Year 2.