The Valkyries make a Golden Statement with history-making WNBA Finals berth

· Yahoo Sports

The Golden State Valkyries. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A Golden Statement.

The Golden State Valkyries, in just their second season as WNBA team, are headed to the WNBA Finals.

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And on top of that already audacious achievement, they swept the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals to get there.

It required overcoming a second-half double-digit deficit, plus overtime, but the Valkyries survived and thrived on the floor of the three-time champions, winning 87-77 to advance to the Finals.

The No. 2-seed Valkyries will have homecourt advantage over the No. 4-seed Atlanta Dream, hosting Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals on Saturday, Oct. 17.

But first, let’s appreciate how Golden State booked their history-making Finals trip.

As is often the case with the Valkyries, there’s credit to be shared.

The 17-0 run that vaulted the Valkyries back into the game featured scores from Kiah Stokes (including a 3-pointer), Kayla Thornton, Tiffany Hayes and Kaitlyn Chen. Those players, and others, also combined to impose the scoreless stretch on the Aces.

Then, Gabby Williams, who was not enthused about her first-half performance, elevated in the most critical moments.

With just under two minutes to go, she swiped the ball from A’ja Wilson, with the takeaway turning into a Thornton score that tied the game. Williams would go on to score half of the Valkyries’ 16 points in overtime, not missing a shot or a free throw. That included hitting arguable dagger—a money midranger over Jackie Young with just under a minute remaining that extended Golden State’s advantage to nine points.

Gabby finished with 16 points, as Thornton led the scoring with 18 points; she also grabbed nine rebounds, including four offensive ones.

Tiffany Hayes added her now-signature off-the-bench boost, with 11 points, six boards and four assists. Stokes, logging a team-high 38 minutes, tallied an 11-point and 10-rebound double-double, adding three blocks. Veronica Burton was right behind her with 37 minutes as she finished with eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

And yet, it’s not simply all the players who made all plays at all the right moments that has fueled the Valkyries’ historic run to the WNBA Finals.

It’s their mentality.

This was supposed to be the Aces’ edge. As Zack Ward wrote late in the regular season, Vegas possessed a proven resiliency that, combined with an intimidation factor, made the the favorites.

Golden State, however, wasn’t intimidated, and they were more resilient.

Originating from head coach Natalie Nakase and echoed throughout the roster, Golden State has fostered a togetherness, allowing them to weather adversity, believe in their processes and achieve something thought impossible.

Reflecting on what she told her team at halftime, Nakase shared after the game, “I told them to remember our response is to come closer together, come tighter, to huddle up and grab hands, to communicate.”

Burton likewise emphasized:

We just kept believing in each other…. when it mattered most, that’s when (the shots) started falling the most. And we continued to rely on different people. Every single person stepped up.

And here’s how Williams put it:

It feels special because this is a special group.

We are going to get some bandwagoners because we weren’t getting no love all season. Honestly, no one believed in us, but it honestly made us smile. All we need is each other. We just need to believe in each other. We know we weren’t a team that was talked about…

…but just the culture, going to work every day, we just felt that we had something worth fighting for.

The eliminated Aces also recognized the rare culture that their former assistant coach has built in the Bay. Vegas head coach Becky Hammon, never one to offer empty or unearned praise, insisted:

That is a TEAM, and I think they really play great team ball, you know?

On any given night, any of them can have 15, 20 on you because they share the ball, and…it seems like nobody cares who gets the credit. And that’s a really special thing to have on a team, and I think Golden State has that.

Wilson likewise gave effusive credit to Nakase, asserting:

Nat is special because she’s a coach that she will make you want to run through a brick wall for her…

And I think she has a great group…They’re bought in, they’re on board, and that’s what it takes to win a championship. That is what it takes to be top two in the league…What sticks out to me is they just bought in. They’re a really bought in group, from top to bottom…

[Nakase] has been working her tail off to get to this point. So it was just a matter of time…

The time has arrived much sooner than anyone, even the most ardent Golden State believers, anticipated.

A five-year plan realized in Year 2? Ballahalla is Finals-bound.

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