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Rookie head coach Natalie Nakase “doesn’t care” if her first-year team is slept on. To her, it’s all about blocking out the surrounding noise.

But on Thursday night, it was all about taking in the noise. The noise ringing around the Valkyries' beloved “Ballhalla” in celebration of the history made as Golden State became the first WNBA expansion team to earn a playoff bid in its inaugural season.

In 23 wins this season, the Valkyries have proved that nothing is too much to overcome. Not preseason naysayers doubting an expansion team, not a pile of injuries to critical rotation players, and certainly not a 13-point deficit halfway through the third quarter against Dallas on Thursday night. Behind Janelle Salaün's clutch fourth-quarter shooting, Golden State came from behind to outlast the Wings 84-80.

“This is awesome. It’s a testament to all the work that we put in and it’s a testament to the belief that our coaching staff had in us,” Burton said postgame. “Just to do it with the group that we did, just enjoying it, taking it all in. Obviously we have a long road ahead of us, but being able to enjoy it in front of this crowd was really special — a moment I’ll always remember.”

The atmosphere the Valkyries and their fans have created at Chase Center is unparalleled around the WNBA, but after clinching a playoff berth, the team sent an email to season-ticket holders explaining that the "Ballhalla" show will have to go on the road at the start of the postseason.

Due to a conflict with the Laver Cup tennis tournament, the Valkyries told season-ticket holders that Game 2 of the postseason will take place at SAP Center in San Jose, the home of the Sharks.

“That’s obviously above us, so we can’t control it. We have faith in our fans that they’re going to continue to show out for us wherever we play,” Burton said, after just learning of the playoff relocation on the spot. “We’re going to bring our basketball, so we’re confident, excited, and it’s another opportunity to compete.”

The scheduling conflict didn't overshadow what the team was able to accomplish in front of a 19th consecutive sellout crowd on Thursday.

The Valkyries still trailed the Wings inside of the four-minute mark in the fourth quarter, but free throws from Salaün, a jump shot from Carla Leite, and a fearless downhill attack from star point guard Veronica Burton turned into an and-one when she drew a foul from rookie Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers remained relentless down the stretch, pulling the Wings within two points on a layup with 12 seconds left, and again with seven seconds remaining following a pair of Burton free throws.

But Burton, who finished with 14 points, calmly drained two more to put the game on ice.

Now the sixth team to claim a postseason spot, the Valkyries have turned their playoff dreams into a reality with three games left in their regular season. Theirs was a path paved through highs and lows all summer long, and several pivotal moments define their march to this historic playoff berth.

Here's how Nakase's team made Thursday's celebration possible.

The Valkyries' ascent to an eventual playoff push began at the very beginning: their first-ever win on May 21, when they edged out the Mystics in the arena they quickly dubbed "Ballhalla" by just two points. At the time, the Valkyries had not found much semblance of consistency or efficiency from beyond the arc (they shot 18.9% from 3-point range in the matchup) like they have in the second half of the season, but this win showed how they could fight through adversity and close out a tight game. 

Burton led the charge with a near double-double, posting 22 points and nine rebounds while showing early signs of her leadership that would ultimately anchor this team down the stretch. This victory also proved that the Valkyries could enjoy success without a proven “star” player, but rather by relying on a balanced attack. Kayla Thornton added 18 points, in a start to her All-Star campaign, while a pair of French rookies, Salaün and Leite both chipped in 10 — a glimpse at the young core and depth developing on the roster. 

Sure, it was a feel-good moment in front of what was at the time their second sellout crowd, but it also set the tone for becoming the WNBA’s unexpected disruptor. This win was undeniably a launching pad and a moment that gave a brand-new team the belief that it could compete. Still learning each other’s habits and far from developing a fully formed identity, the Valkyries found something crucial that night: confidence. 

The month of June was an essential stretch that laid the foundation for Golden State’s rise. The Valkyries went 7-4 — winning four of their final five games — a strong record on its own, but even more impressive considering the circumstances. Four players, Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy), Salaün (France), Temi Fagbenle (Great Britain), and Julie Vanloo (Belgium, now with the Sparks), left to fulfill international duties at EuroBasket. 

Despite these roster changes, Nakase’s team didn’t miss a beat. The Valkyries leaned into their depth, re-signing players such as Kaitlyn Chen and Laeticia Amihere from training camp, who proved they could adjust on the fly — eventually earning rest-of-the-season contracts. 

The month was filled with statement wins: a 27-point blowout of A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, two home victories over the Seattle Storm (who were in the top half of the standings at the time), and an 88-77 upset of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever — in which Clark was held to just 11 points and no made threes. These impressions earned Nakase the honor of WNBA Coach of the Month, an award that the teams’ stats backed up well — in the month, the Valkyries averaged 82.1 points and 18.7 assists per game. 

Fresh off the loss of Thornton to a season-ending knee injury suffered just after her first All-Star appearance, the Valkyries faced a brutal six-game, ten-day stretch, which included a five game road-trip. The team had yet to prove that it could consistently pull out wins away from its favorable home crowd — let alone without its leading scorer. 

A win over Dallas in the team’s first game without Thornton, who had been one of only two season-long starters at that point, was reason for hope amid the heartbreak. But then, a 30-point blowout embarrassment in Connecticut later served as a reality check: could Golden State win without Thornton, or was a decline imminent? 

The Valkyries’ response was one of resilience — they pulled out three consecutive road wins, with different players stepping up to shoulder the scoring load each night. First, it was Zandalasini’s game-winning jumper with 3.2 seconds left in a tie game to cap off her team-high 18-point performance and earn Golden State a landmark win outside of Chase Center. Then, Kate Martin scored 14 in a one-point escape in Washington before the team flew out to Chicago to take down the Sky 73-66 the very next night. Not only did the Valkyries prove their depth, ability to win on the road, and resilience through injuries in this stretch — they finally found consistency in their high volume 3-point efforts (making 10-plus in each game) and have been rolling on that front ever since.

Burton joined the Valkyries after averaging just 13.9 minutes throughout three WNBA seasons and collecting just 20 total starts. Nevertheless, the point guard was tasked with leading the charge — running the team’s offense, anchoring the team’s defense. And in face of the hefty assignment, Burton stayed nothing short of poised, and took off from there. 

While she showed spurts of her offensive firepower in the first half of the season, after the All-Star break, she hit a new gear. Burton facilitated Golden State’s halfcourt sets, averaging the fourth-most assists (5.9) per game in the league, and consistently created buckets herself. 

She put up 18 points in the Valkyries’ win in Chicago to start August off and later scored a career-high 30 points in Washington D.C. mid-month, a performance she followed up with a slew of six more games in double-digit scoring figures. The consistent scoring ability was just a bonus in addition to what Burton’s calming, stoic presence at the point has already done for Golden State in terms of fostering chemistry through changing lineups. The fourth-year WNBA guard’s jump in her role has not only put her atop the WNBA Most Improved Player conversation, but in contention for an All-WNBA nod as she guided her team to a historic playoff berth.

Even on a night when she struggled from the field, it was fitting that Burton delivered the game-sealing free throws against the Wings to secure a coveted playoff berth.

In the past week, the Valkyries have gone from fighting for a playoff bid to making their way up to the top half of the standings — courtesy of five straight wins. After besting the Wings in Dallas last week, Golden State brought its signature, suffocating defense home for four victories in front of its home crowd. A 37-point margin over the Mystics marked the franchise’s largest victory yet — and it included converting 15 turnovers into 19 points. In wins over the Fever and reigning WNBA champion Liberty, the Valkyries’ defense on the interior in particular proved critical; Golden State smoked Indiana in the battle for boards and held New York, the league’s third-highest scoring team, to its lowest output of the season, 58 points, with only 20 points in the paint. 

In the final game needed to seal a postseason slot, the Valkyries looked uncharacteristically flat, against the nine-win Wings, and entered the locker room at halftime with a nine-point deficit. 

But a team that has thrived inside Chase Center all season long treated its fans to a furious comeback.

It was yet another show of resilience, defining trait of a Valkyries team that has exceeded every expectation.