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The No. 8-seed Golden State Valkyries went 0-4 against the No. 1-seed Minnesota Lynx this season.
The expansion franchise lost the first two games to the franchise that has won four WNBA championships by 11 points each, before losing by six in the third game. In the final game of the season, played this past Thursday, the Lynx demolished the Valkyries by 19 points.
Were there any bright spots during the games signaling that the Valkyries have a chance of winning Game 1 (1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN), let alone the series?
Back in June and July, the Valkyries were a different team, relying on Kayla Thornton and Stephanie Talbot to play big minutes. With the former injured and the latter preparing to fight for the title with the New York Liberty, the first two games are off the table. The other two, played this month, indeed may provide a good perspective on what to expect from the series.
And to be honest, things don’t look good for the expansion team from the Bay.
The Lynx have just too many weapons to contain, even for a defensive-minded team like the Valkyries. In the last two games against the Valks, Kayla McBride was 4-for-23 and Bridget Carleton went just 2-for-11 from the floor in total, but the Lynx still overwhelmed them on offense. Napheesa Collier is coming for her first MVP, and looking at her resume, it seems that there’s not much that the Valkyries will be able to do to slow her down. She needs to be closely guarded on the perimeter and around the basket, which usually requires a lot of switching, but Golden State will be hoping that their signature zone defense works.
It’s somewhat surprising that casual fans still tend to overlook Collier and her impact on the WNBA. The Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA) recently released a list of most collected playoff WNBA athletes of all time and Collier is seventh, behind the likes of Aliyah Boston and Satou Sabally. If Phee needs any extra fuel to exceed her incredible 50-40-90 season and cap it off with a championship, she’s got it.
The Valkyries’ issues don’t end there. The Lynx are not only the superior offensive team, but they also have the best defense in the league. The fact that Golden State was 10th in points per game and ninth in offensive rating doesn’t help their case. If they were a fastbreak-focused team, they possibly could challenge the Lynx by playing with a swift pace and through crisp ball movement. But the Valks were dead last in pace, which further limits their chance at surprising their rivals with quick counters.
Then again, if there’s one coach who can do a lot with little, it’s Golden State’s Natalie Nakase. So expect the Valkyries to come out with a winning strategy. Executing it against the best team in the league will be a different story, though.
