The Golden State Valkyries are in a very different position this year than they were last season. While they desperately wanted to win a playoff series last year, there was absolutely no outside pressure on them to do so. They had already made history and had to face one of the overwhelming title favorites going into the postseason.
This year, the Valkyries are expected to win at least one series and maybe even compete for a title. They are a top-three seed after all. With a win over the Los Angeles Sparks, they can clinch the No.2 seed. A Phoenix Mercury win against the Las Vegas Aces would also lock them into second place, but the Valkyries should want to control their own destiny rather than hoping for an assist from another team. So, they need to get that win over Los Angeles after suffering a surprise upset against Portland.
Securing that No. 2 seed is important for the Valkyries because it will result in a first-round matchup with the Dallas Wings. The Wings are locked into seventh place, and while they are not an easy matchup, they are still the best option for the Valkyries.
Golden State played Dallas well in the regular season, and the Wings will be without Azzi Fudd. If Alanna Smith plays, she might not be at 100% after suffering yet another injury during the World Cup.
The Valkyries swept the season series against the Wings
The Valkyries, Aces, Fever, and Mystics are the only four teams that can still move up or down in the standings. If the Valkyries were to fall to third place, they would face the Fever or Mystics, depending on which team clinches the No. 6 seed.
Both of those teams beat the Valkyries in the regular season. The Wings did not. In their last meeting, the Valkyries held the Wings to just 70 points. They scored fewer points than that only once in the season.
Paige Bueckers, who averages just over 20 points per game, only reached that mark once against the Valkyries. She also shot well below her average field-goal percentage in two games against Golden State. They also held Jessica Shepard to six and four points in the last two games against the Wings.
The Valkyries have the defensive infrastructure to bother Bueckers and Shepard. If those two aren’t producing at the highest level, the Wings will struggle to come out of a series victorious, especially with Fudd sidelined.
Facing a shorthanded Wings team that couldn’t beat the Valkyries in the regular season definitely beats going up against the Fever’s big three of Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark, or a Mystics team that can bring the same defensive intensity as the Valkyries and has been surprisingly effective in clutch situations.
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