The Golden State Valkyries did everything wrong to get to the WNBA Finals.
Get there they did, and in dominant fashion. They had the best net rating in the league this season and the second-best record in just their second season of existence. They swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the second round to reach the WNBA Finals. And they did it all wrong.
At least, according to how they were "supposed" to do it.
The Valkyries didn't tank their way to a contender
There is a tried and true method for building a contender in the WNBA. You are bad for a few seasons, hoping to find a diamond or two in the rough while you lose enough games to get a top draft pick and find the next franchise cornerstone coming out of college.
Look around the WNBA, and you'll find just that. The Aces have won three championships in the last five years, and they did so on the backs of three consecutive No. 1 picks (Kelsey Plum, A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young). The New York Liberty won in 2024 with No. 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu playing a key role.
The Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings each just banked a pair of No. 1 picks (Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark in Indiana, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd in Dallas) and hoped to be the next great teams in the WNBA. And yet the Valkyries just passed them by.
Even the Valkyries' opponent in the Finals, the Atlanta Dream, have a No. 1 overall pick in Rhynne Howard starring for them. Success in the WNBA has come down to lottery luck and tanking seasons. Except for Golden State.
Not only did the Valkyries not tank in their first season in existence, but they went out and made the playoffs in year one. They took undervalued players that other teams didn't want and built a playoff team out of them. Then they turned that success into free-agent pitches to Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes, turning a good team into a great one.
At last year's draft, armed with the eighth overall pick, the Valkyries traded out of the pick entirely, flipping LSU forward Flau'jae Johnson for a pair of seconds. They were widely panned for the move at the time, but it's hard to say they haven't benefited from giving that roster spot to a player ready to contribute in the Valkyries' specific system this season.
The Vlakyries stayed the course
During the season, Golden State also seemed to "get it wrong" in how they managed things. They were told again and again by the media that they couldn't win without an offensive go-to star, that they needed to trade for such a player. Kelsey Plum may have compromised their defensive integrity, but she was worth the offensive oomph, the advice went.
The Valkyries ignored the noise, exploring their trade options but staying the course with their current roster. It has led them right to the WNBA Finals, with Gabby Williams quite comfortable in that starring role.
Speaking of Williams, the Valkyries let her prioritize her national team commitment to France this season. They reduced her minutes and gave her multiple games off in order to maximize her impact for France in the World Cup. Surely that would backfire! They needed to tell Williams that her WNBA commitment was the greater one!
They did no such thing, accepting the hit of regaining their rhythm at the end of the season heading into the playoffs. It hasn't mattered a bit, and Williams has been energized and locked in, the best player in the WNBA playoffs thus far. Vegas star A'ja Wilson sat out the World Cup to be at her best for the playoffs, and Williams and the Valkyries just ate her for breakfast.
The task is not done; the Dream (and No. 1 pick Howard) stand in their way, and they are playing every bit as well as the Valkyries right now. No matter what happens, however, Golden State is vindicated for doing things "wrong" -- it has certainly been right for them.
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