The Valkyries have woven a dream season. Now, it’s hanging on by a thread

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It’s been 10 months since the Valkyries were built from scratch. They’ve taken that foundation and have woven a dream season — a historic 23 regular-season wins plus a playoff berth led by the WNBA’s AP Coach of the Year, Natalie Nakase. 

Now, it’s all hanging on by a thread.

After Sunday’s Game 1 101-72 loss against the Lynx in a best-of-three series, it’s win or wave goodbye when Golden State returns to the Bay Area for Game 2 against Minnesota at SAP Center in San José on Wednesday night.

Even for a franchise that has embraced — and thrived in — the role of the underdog all season long, and one that has labeled any given regular-season matchup as a “must-win,” another shot against a Lynx team that has stepped into its playoff gear is a new kind of challenge. 

After dropping their final three regular-season games including a 74-73 defeat in Seattle against the Storm that proved costly for playoff seeding, the Valkyries have now lost four consecutive matchups for the first time since May 27-June 5.

Staying in Minnesota after closing out the regular season against the Lynx on Thursday night meant more time for rest and recovery for the No. 8 seed. It gave Nakase a bulked-up scouting report with extra film to study, Valkyries players a now-familiar setting, and the entire team one less plane ride. Golden State tried focus on the silver linings of slipping into the final playoff slot and drawing a first-round matchup with the league’s top team. 

But after the Valkyries opened with a strong first quarter on Sunday, the Lynx responded like the seasoned contenders they are. Leaning on their veteran postseason experience, MVP-frontrunner Napheesa Collier’s team unleashed the full depth of its arsenal and laid bare the undeniable truth for Golden State: in its first taste of playoff basketball, this draw was a merciless one. 

Facing this Lynx team for the third time in eight days, the Valkyries came out adjusted and in rhythm. They opened with five first-quarter threes — a sharp turnaround from their uncharacteristic 3-for-27 perimeter nightmare just days earlier in Minnesota. Hot off their AP honors, Most Improved Player Veronica Burton and All-Rookie Team selection Janelle Salaün each knocked down a pair of triples to set the tone early. With Cecilia Zandalasini back in the starting lineup for the first time in nearly a month and Temi Fágbénlé anchoring the interior scoring, the underdogs surged to a 28-21 lead after one.

But in the second quarter, the Valkyries’ hot start began to cool. Off the bench, Natisha Hiedeman, who has averaged 22.5 points in her last two games against Golden State, pushed Minnesota’s agenda and pace. In tandem with Kayla McBride, the two engineered a dominant 20-6 run — a stretch that showcased exactly why the Lynx sit atop the league in both offensive and defensive rating. Still, traces of Golden State’s resiliency remained. The Valkyries held their ground and avoided a total collapse to keep within seven at the half, 47-40. 

Then came the avalanche. Collier hit off-balance jumpers. Courtney Williams started heating up. And a flowing transition offense — Minnesota poured in 32 points in the third — blew the game open as the Valkyries lost by 29. 

The defeat was the Valkyries’ second-largest of the year and just the third instance that their second-ranked defense allowed 100-plus points. The Lynx, now 5-0 against Golden State, remain one of only two teams that the Valkyries have not been able to crack in their first season. 

Golden State, opting for a shortened seven-player rotation saw little bench production outside of Kate Martin’s 11 points, pulled its starters halfway through the fourth. Minnesota, meanwhile, showed off the danger of its depth with 42 points from its second unit. 

“You feel it, you get frustrated with the things that we didn’t execute on,” Burton said of the lopsided loss. “But it’s a series for a reason … they were supposed to win at home, they are the one seed and it’s a home game, so they did what they were supposed to do.”

Penalized with her second technical foul of the season in the game, Nakase pointed to officiating as a “momentum-killer” in the Valkyries’ post-first quarter dropoff.

“We are playing the number one team in the league. The best team in the league. They don’t need help,” Nakase said postgame. 

The rookie head coach mentioned a pair of offensive fouls called on Iliana Rupert on the low block as a source of frustration. But in the end, the foul count differed by only one, and the Valkyries attempted four more free throws than the home team in the physical face-off. 

With elimination now looming back home, Golden State will need a complete 40-minute outing. In other words, against a stacked Lynx team, it might need a miracle.

On Sunday afternoon, despite owning one of the league’s best assist-to-turnover ratios, Burton committed seven of the Valkyries’ 16 turnovers. Beyond the opening ten minutes, the team struggled to defend without fouling and faced foul trouble down the stretch. And, the 48-18 points-in-the-paint discrepancy told the rest of the story.

“We had a pretty good first half, they are a very good team so if we want to beat them then we have to be consistent for 40 minutes,” Zandalasini said. “We played a solid half, but we need the second half as well, so that’s what we’re going to focus on going into the next one.”

So, above all else, the Valkyries know they’ll have to play lights-out defense and find — and maintain — a rhythm from beyond the arc.

“Now it’s our turn to do that at home and just learn from it,” Burton said. “If you get too wrapped up in this loss, then it’ll be over before you know it.” 

“We get to go to ‘Ballhalla’ and play in front of our amazing fans, play with the love and support that we always have,” Nakase said. “We have to do our job, so we’ll make adjustments as is, but we just have to make sure that through these momentum killers, we can be more effective.” 

Except it’s not the same “Ballhalla” the Valkyries have played at all season. A scheduling conflict with the Laver Cup will send Golden State down to unfamiliar confines in San José. 

The Valkyries haven’t played a game at SAP Center this season. And until now, they haven’t been faced with the reality that their dream inaugural season could end at a moment’s notice.