WNBA: Can the Valkyries punch their ticket to the playoffs?

This is the most important weekend of the season for the Golden State Valkyries (19-18).

Currently in the No. 8 seed, they’ll be playing the No. 10-seed Washington Mystics (16-23) on Saturday and the No. 6-seed Indiana Fever (21-18) on Sunday, two of their rivals for a spot in the 2024 WNBA playoffs.

The Mystics are basically out of the playoff picture, but they might be willing to put up a fight in order to go all out and salvage their season. The Fever did the Valks a big favor on Friday night by beating the current No. 9-seed Los Angeles Sparks (17-20). The Sparks are the two wins behind their in-state rivals and have a tough schedule remaining, as they are playing the Atlanta Dream twice, the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces, as well as direct playoff competition in the Seattle Storm and Mystics. Both the Valkyries and Sparks will face the Dallas Wings, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, but after this weekend, Golden State has it just as tough as LA. They are playing the New York Liberty (Sept. 2), the Minnesota Lynx twice (Sept. 6; Sept. 11) and the Storm (Sept. 9).

Injuries aren’t making it easy on the Valkyries and their playoff push, though. Tiffany Hayes and Carla Leite suffered injuries last week in the loss against the Mercury, and while Hayes’ status for the weekend’s crucial set of games remains uncertain, Leite should be ready to play. In an email exchange with Swish Appeal, she said that making the playoffs is the team’s main aim:

That’s our goal! We have two very important games this weekend, so we’ll work hard to win them.

And the way to achieve that goal? Team defense, which has allowed the Valkyries to become one of the best expansion teams in league history. As she explained:

The coach [Natalie Nakase] instilled this defensive side in us from the beginning of the season. We understood that it was the key to winning games and we are disciplined on that.

The Valkyries are sixth in the WNBA in defensive rating and third in opposition points per game, enjoying incredible success with their 2-3 zone. Golden State has held opponents to the fewest 2-point attempts per game, while also successfully limiting the opposition’s makes inside the arc. The 3-point line is the weak point of the Valkyries’ defense, as they allow the most 3-point attempts per game at 28.2, although opponents are hitting around 32 percent of their long-distance attempts, which is below league average.

One way to prevent opponents’ 3-point attempts—and avoid the repercussions of a hot night from behind the arc—is better communication, even though that has been at a high level for such an inexperienced team. As Leite explained, the fact that a a number of Valkyries come from Europe and share similar backgrounds has been beneficial for those who have never played in the WNBA. She shared:

Playing with European players helps me a lot! It’s easier for me to communicate and I also think we understand each other well on the court.