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The Golden State Valkyries could not have designed a better final-week schedule. Golden State returns Friday with a 29-11 record, four consecutive victories and an outside opportunity to overtake the Minnesota Lynx for the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs.
The Valkyries need plenty of help.
Minnesota leads Golden State by two games and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Valkyries would need to win their final four games while the Lynx lose at least three.
That scenario may appear unlikely, but Golden State’s remaining schedule makes it possible.
The Valkyries host the Portland Fire on Friday and the Seattle Storm on Saturday. They then travel to Portland on Sept. 22 before closing the regular season at Los Angeles on Sept. 24.
Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles have all been eliminated from postseason contention.
Valkyries face four eliminated opponents
Golden State is a combined 7-0 against its three remaining opponents. Portland enters the restart at 16-24. Los Angeles is 15-25, while Seattle owns the WNBA’s worst record at 8-32.
The Valkyries have more than the No. 1 seed to consider. Las Vegas begins the final week only two games behind Golden State. The Aces own a 3-0 head-to-head advantage, meaning they would move ahead of the Valkyries if the teams finished with identical records.
Golden State is guaranteed to finish in the top four and host Game 1 of its first-round series. Its exact seed remains unsettled. A strong final week could produce the No. 1 seed. A stumble could drop the Valkyries to third or even fourth.
Golden State’s immediate challenge may have less to do with its opponents and more to do with recovery.
Head coach Natalie Nakase helped Team USA win the World Cup, while Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaün, Cecilia Zandalasini and Miela Sowah competed in Germany. Williams and Salaün helped France reach the championship game.
That group faced a quick turnaround before Golden State’s Friday-Saturday back-to-back.
MORE: Why Fever-Lynx doubleheader could decide WNBA’s No. 1 seed
Gabby Williams returns after remarkable World Cup
Williams returns to the WNBA after another outstanding international performance. She was named the World Cup’s best defensive player and earned a spot on the tournament’s All-Star Five after helping France win its first medal in tournament history.
Her return strengthens a defense that has been Golden State’s identity throughout its first two seasons. The Valkyries are allowing only 75.4 points per game, the lowest mark in the league. Their plus-7.2 average point differential ranks behind only Minnesota.
Golden State’s defense gives it a high floor, but managing fatigue could become equally important. The Valkyries will play twice in approximately 24 hours immediately after several major contributors return from an international tournament.
Assistant coach Sugar Rodgers said Golden State intends to focus on the immediate challenge instead of becoming consumed by playoff possibilities.
“We just take it one game at a time,” Rodgers told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Just trying to win whatever game is next.”
The schedule offers Golden State a rare opportunity. Four wins would force Minnesota to respond while preventing Las Vegas from taking the No. 2 seed.
For the Valkyries, the final week is about more than completing a successful regular season. It is an opportunity to create the most favorable postseason path possible.
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