The Golden State Valkyries made a statement early in the season, winning two of their first three games. They beat the Los Angeles Sparks and Washington Mystics—two first-round playoff exits at best. Valkyries fans were in good spirits and rightfully so. Golden State showed plenty of great things over its short-lived win streak and will continue to be a fun team to watch.
However, the New York Liberty couldn’t help but rain on the parade, handing the Valkyries a brutal 95-67 loss and a reality check. Golden State may be able to hang with and beat some of the less impressive playoff hopefuls in the league but is no match for an experienced, championship-level team like New York. That is unlikely to change this season.
The Valkyries struggled immensely against the Liberty
The Valkyries have a healthy mix of seasoned veterans and interesting young talent, but they had to face the Liberty without veterans Tiffany Hayes, Cecilia Zandalasini, and Monique Billings. Hayes’ absence was sorely obvious offensively.
The Valkyries struggled to create any kind of offense against the Liberty’s half-court defense. New York closed passing lanes and played great one-on-one defense. As a result, the Valkyries could rarely move the ball and get anything other than tough, contested shots against good defenders.
Golden State shot only 33.9 percent from the field and turned the ball over 23 times for 32 points. The Liberty’s defense was too much for the Valkyries to deal with. The Valkyries also couldn’t slow down the Liberty’s offense enough to make the game competitive.
Nevertheless, the Valkyries never gave up and managed to close the gap somewhat in the third quarter. With a big lead, the Liberty got sloppy, and Golden State took advantage of it. While it was not enough to get the win or keep the score close, the Valkyries’ fight was impressive.
The loss was no surprise
Seeing the Valkyries lose to the Liberty by almost thirty points was no surprise. The game looked exactly how you would imagine a game between a veteran championship team that has played together for a few seasons and a new expansion team without a clear-cut star that is still building chemistry to look like.
Valkyries fans should be prepared for a few more games like this. The team’s next four games are against the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, and Las Vegas Aces.
However, this loss to the Liberty and any other losses to strong teams shouldn’t take away from what the Valkyries have built early in the season. The two wins, big games from Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün, and the team’s defensive intensity are still encouraging signs of what the Valkyries’ future holds.