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SAN JOSÉ — When Cecilia Zandalasini elevated over Minnesota’s Kayla McBride for a quick, stop-and-pop elbow jumpshot with 0.8 seconds left in a playoff elimination game, the always-thunderous “Ballhalla” fell silent. The sellout crowd of 18,543 fans held their breath. 

Natalie Nakase, the newly-honored WNBA Coach of the Year, watched in awe. 

“I’m like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m looking at Michael Jordan right now,” she said.

The buzzer sounded. The ball clanked off the rim. 

The Valkyries’ inaugural season came to an immediate halt. A 75-74 heartbreaker sent the WNBA’s top-seeded Lynx to the semifinals with a 2-0 series victory, and bounced Golden State into the offseason. 

After seeing themselves run out of Minnesota by a 29-point margin in Game 1 on Sunday, the Valkyries returned to the court for a competitive, physical, wild ride of what would ultimately become their season finale. Wednesday night at SAP Center in San José marked the fourth matchup between the two teams in under two weeks — and the Lynx had claimed each of the previous three. Nakase knew that for her team to pull off what they’d never done before, they needed a complete 40 minutes. A “perfect” game, she said pregame.

“Damn close,” Nakase admitted after the one-point loss. For three quarters, the Valkyries thoroughly outplayed the WNBA’s top seed. 

After a sloppy opening two minutes for the Valkyries, their first quarter was reminiscent of their opening frame in Sunday’s loss — connected play, shots falling. Led by a pair of 3-pointers from Veronica Burton, who was officially honored as WNBA Most Improved Player pregame, the Valkyries went 5-of-6 from the perimeter, taking a 27-19 lead after the first quarter. All the while, the 2024 runner-ups looked completely out of rhythm, frazzled by the fans that brought the Ballhalla atmosphere down from the confines of Chase Center in San Francisco. 

But unlike Game 1, there wasn’t a dropoff after the first ten minutes for Nakase’s team. There was a takeoff. Iliana Rupert, who got the start in place of regular starting center Temi Fagbenle, who was ruled out moments before tipoff with a knee injury, kickstarted Golden State’s hot shooting quarter with a triple. Burton found Zandalasini for her signature 3-point dagger and the Valkyries — and the soldout crowd at SAP Center — got going from there. The Lynx had no answer for Golden State’s momentum, totaling just nine points in the period as the Valkyries led by as many as 17. 

Cheryl Reeve proclaimed Minnesota was a “third quarter team,” but the Valkyries held a sizable 41-28 advantage into the half. The Lynx still made their long-awaited push. But it was one that the Valkyries matched.

Napheesa Collier and Bridget Carleton revived the Lynx and directed the start of a comeback, combining for 16 of Minnesota’s 21 points in a swing, but the Valkyries, with answers for everything, still outscored the Lynx and kept their lead in the double-digits. 

When Valkyries forward Monique Billings converted a layup with 1.5 seconds left in the third quarter and added a free throw to extend Golden State’s lead to 14 points, it seemed one more historic first was in the works.

Then reality set in. 

The Lynx opened the fourth quarter on a 11-0 run, and despite a jumper from Zandalasini and a 3-point laser from the corner from Kaila Charles, Minnesota refused to let Golden State regain control. The Valkyries, with 10 made 3-pointers on the night, got off just two attempts from the perimeter in the fourth and were forced into multiple shot clock violations late down the stretch. 

When Kayla McBride drove down the lane, practically unguarded, inside of three minutes to give Minnesota its first lead since the first quarter, the Valkyries were out of steam. 

Billings, who finished with a team-high 15 points, answered on the other end, but Collier wouldn’t be denied as she drilled another 18-footer at the shot clock buzzer to retake the lead 73-72 with 1:24 remaining. 

Zandalasini had a shot. Off the iron. Then Burton took a layup. Off the iron. On the other end, Courtney Williams hit a smooth jumper and gave a three-point Lynx lead.

Nakase drew up a quick layup answer for Zandalasini out of a timeout. Then, in what would be their last stint of the defense where they “hang their hats” as a team, the Valkyries forced a Minnesota shot clock violation. Four seconds remaining, the ball inbounded in Golden State’s halfcourt, and a beautiful look for Zandalasini. 

It was a heartbreaking finish to an otherwise remarkable year.

“That’s a really tough way to go out, when you have a lead for the majority of the game. We’ve had a few games like that this year so it stings even more,” Burton said postgame.

The team huddled at halfcourt, holding Zandalasini’s head up. They waved goodbye around the arena as the violet-clad crowd echoed “GSV” for minutes beyond the final buzzer. 

“It’s bigger than basketball right now, and just appreciating where we are, appreciating being in the Bay in front of this fan base. It’s just been really special,” Burton said.

A year ago, the Valkyries were just a vision. A concept sketched out in plans and press releases. But when the fully-formed product – roster, coach, and all – stepped onto the WNBA scene in May, they (internally) refused to let the label of an “expansion team” dictate what was possible. That meant no excuses, and no lowered expectations. Comparisons based on the last league newcomer, the 2008 Atlanta Dream 17 years ago — unwelcome. 

To Nakase, her group was simply a new team. That was the mindset Golden State fully embraced. And in doing so, it rewrote the script on what’s within reach for new franchises entering the WNBA. 

The Valkyries’ inaugural season was historic across the board. They posted the best-ever record for a first-year WNBA team, shattered attendance counts in both total and average home game turnout, and became the first expansion team in league history to punch a ticket to the playoffs in its debut year.

And it was a dogfight to get there. More lineup and roster changes than any other team this year, a season-ending injury to their emerging star, multiple hardship contracts offered just to keep enough bodies on the bench. 

Through it all, Golden State learned to thrive in the margins, and built the resiliency to gut out close games — 13 of its wins were decided by 10 points or fewer. Nakase set the tone from day one, opening training camp with defense-only practices. The result? Complete buy-in on her disruption-first philosophy for a team that finished third in the league in defensive rating. 

And leading the line, Burton’s runaway breakout season enabled her to pocket the WNBA Most Improved Player honor after more than tripling her averages in both points and assists per game from last year. 

“Coach Natalie has genuinely changed my career. Her belief in me has been something I can’t even thank her enough for,” Burton said after the season finale. 

But she wasn’t the only one to level up. Perhaps the most remarkable part of the Valkyries’ first season isn’t just what they built — a playoff team, a loyal fan base, a selfless on-court identity — but how they built it. Nearly every player on the roster took their calling to Golden State and made a significant leap from the season before. 

“That’s the embodiment of Golden State — we all did more. We all got out of our comfort zone, and it wasn’t just one person, we all did it collectively,” Nakase said after the team’s first practice at SAP Center on Tuesday. And I think that’s why we always continued to stay together in tough times and good times. We’re all pushing each other to be really great.”

Before her season-ending knee injury, Kayla Thornton was a staple in the starting lineup, the team’s leading scorer, and a first-time All-Star — despite never solidifying a starting role through her two years with the Liberty. Fagbenle, who had started just two games for Indiana last season and only four in her entire WNBA career, found herself thriving in Nakase’s system and starting 38 games.

Rupert, who joined midseason from France, embraced an expanded role in the Valkyries’ high-volume perimeter shooting gameplan and hit 44.2% from 3-point range — the second-best mark in the league. Janelle Salaün and Carla Leite emerged as confident, clutch-time playmakers in their rookie seasons. Charles delivered a comeback campaign, bouncing back after being waived by Dallas earlier this season and navigating a career previously built on short-term and hardship contracts. 

“The people that we have on this team are dogs. From day one, we bought into [the coaching staff] and they poured into us,” Burton reflected. “We surpassed a lot of expectations, but I don’t think it was necessarily surprising for any of us.” 

Nakase, who’s seen plenty of stars in her days with the WNBA’s Aces and NBA’s Clippers, didn’t inherit stars here — she helped make them. And that matters in a league that’s now growing faster than ever, with more eyes, more revenue, and more movement to come on the horizon.