The Golden State Valkyries are one win away from completing the most unlikely championship run in recent WNBA history. In Game 5 of the Finals on Monday night, the first-year franchise held its opponent to 55 points—a Finals low in more than a decade—and took a 3-2 series lead with a 64-55 victory. Kiah Stokes, the 6-foot-3 center who spent years as a role player, recorded four blocks and anchored a defensive scheme that turned the game into a grinding, low-possession affair. The Valkyries lead the best-of-seven series and can clinch the title at home in Game 6.
The win was a testament to Golden State's commitment to defense, a philosophy that has defined the franchise since its inaugural season tipped off in April. Head coach Natalie Nakase, who spent years as an assistant in the NBA and WNBA, installed a switching, help-heavy system that has frustrated opposing offenses all postseason. On Monday, the Valkyries forced 18 turnovers and held their opponent to 32 percent shooting from the field. Stokes, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, has emerged as the defensive anchor the franchise envisioned when it built its roster from scratch in the expansion draft.
The expansion blueprint
The Valkyries entered the league this season with modest expectations. Expansion teams typically struggle in their first year, and Golden State was no exception early on—the franchise started 4-8 and looked overmatched against veteran-laden squads. But Nakase's system began to take hold by midseason, and the Valkyries finished 22-18, good enough for the sixth seed in the playoffs. The roster is a mix of cast-offs, undrafted players, and one marquee signing: guard Kelsey Plum, who left Las Vegas to join the new franchise and has averaged 19 points per game in the Finals.
The path to the Finals was improbable. Golden State upset the third-seeded Connecticut Sun in the first round, then knocked off the top-seeded New York Liberty in a seven-game semifinal. Now, with a 3-2 lead, the Valkyries are 40 minutes from a title. The franchise has sold out every home game in the postseason, and Game 6 on Wednesday is expected to draw a capacity crowd at Chase Center, the same venue where the NBA's Warriors have won four championships since 2015.
Our take
The Valkyries' success is a reminder that defense travels, even in an era of high-scoring, pace-and-space basketball. Nakase has built a culture around effort and discipline, and the roster has bought in. If Golden State closes out the series on Wednesday, it will be the first expansion team to win a championship in its inaugural season since the WNBA's early years. That would be a remarkable achievement, and a validation of the franchise's patient, defense-first approach. The Valkyries are not the most talented team in the league, but they are the most disciplined. In a Finals series that has been defined by grinding possessions and low scores, that has been enough.
