San Francisco City Hall lit its pillars violet and the Salesforce tower illuminated purple basketball playing silhouettes across the LED display on its tip.
The city is ready for the Golden State Valkyries‘ playoffs to begin. The Valkyries appear ready to rock, too.
The Valkyries will play the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings in the first round, having won their season finale to avoid a first-round matchup against Caitlin Clark and an Indiana Fever team that boasts one of the more effective offenses in the WNBA.
The Valkyries are in a different spot than they were in 2025. Getting their bearings in their inaugural season, the Valkyries stumbled injured, not able to play on their home court due to a scheduling conflict, into the postseason as the No. 8 seed pitted against top-seeded Minnesota.
They were swept last year, but came back in 2026 the No. 2 seed – not the newbie underdog – and will carry lessons from last year into Sunday’s Game 1 against Dallas. But this year’s team is not only coming back with experience as a franchise, but experienced players.
Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams scores against the Dallas Wings in the third quarter of a game in August. (Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle)
Kiah Stokes, Cecilia Zandalasini and Kayla Thornton have all won titles. And Golden State is coming back with prized acquisition and All-Star Gabby Williams, who has helped further solidify this team’s defensive prowess.
“Any time you get playoff experience, it helps,” said Veronica Burton, who was a key part of the Valkyries’ run last year. “Understanding that the stakes are much higher and you don’t have much time between games.
“You lose one, and the pressure is on more so and you understand what’s at stake, but you can’t afford to hold onto anything or wait until the next possession or game. You got to leave it all out every time you step foot on the floor.”
The Valkyries went 3-0 against Dallas this year, but the Wings are no treat. They’ve orchestrated a massive turnaround since last season, when they fell to the lottery pick, got the first overall pick and selected Azzi Fudd – who was out most of the season and will miss the playoffs with a knee injury.
Dallas is in the playoffs on the back of a turnaround season headed by star Paige Bueckers, their first-round pick in 2025 who averaged 20.9 points per game, fifth best in the WNBA. The Wings won a total of 19 games over the 2024 and 2025 seasons but were 27-17 this year.
Golden State’s strategy going into the series will at least somewhat mimic how it beat Dallas in the regular season: Pressure and physicality against the Wings’ Bueckers, Jessica Shepard and Arike Ogunbowale.
That means picking those primary ballhandlers up fullcourt and “making sure they’re under duress,” Williams said.
“Our energy has to be high defensively,” Williams said. “We have to pick them up high. We have to be physical with them. You definitely can’t relax because those players just need a little bit of space to get going. So just making sure we’re on high alert.”
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase talks with Veronica Burton, left, and Gabby Williams during a game in June. Burton and Williams are key figures for the Valkyries as they begin their postseason push Sunday. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)
The strategy has to kick to another level, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase added. One change the Valkyries noticed during film study in preparation for this Round 1 series is that Dallas coach Jose Fernandez is changing up sets to get Bueckers freer.
Golden State found success against the Wings partly by being able to limit Bueckers’ playmaking, preventing her from getting to her spots and mucking up screens. A freer Bueckers complicates their strategy.
“That respect level has to be even higher,” Nakase said. “Just because everyone raises their sense of urgency, their physicality. We studied, obviously, the film. There’s a three-headed snake with Paige, Jess and Arike. But their role players are playing amazing as well. So just meeting them early, pressuring as much as we can. But on the same side we have to execute.”
Homecourt advantage for the Valkyries is no small thing. The team sold out every game at Chase Center, where it was 17-5 this year.
Veronica Burton (22) and the Valkyries went 3-0 against the Dallas Wings this season, including a win at Chase Center on Aug. 17 that clinched a playoff spot for Golden State. (Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle)
The Valkyries are the first team in league history to make the playoffs in their inaugural season and now the first franchise to make the postseason in their first two years of existence. But Sunday will be the first time the Valkyries get to play a postseason game at Chase Center.
Last year, the presence of the Laver Cup at Chase Center forced the Valkyries to play their playoff home game against the Minnesota Lynx at SAP Center in San Jose.
“Everyone traveled to San Jose, so I really felt even last year that (SAP Center) was Ballhalla,” Nakase said. “It was just a different arena. So, like I said, our fans travel. It’s really important that they show up and show out because they never waver, Valhalla. So that teaches us. They don’t waver, we don’t waver. We’re one unit.”
Last year’s playoff run felt more of a test run, in retrospect, Nakase said. Before Thursday’s regular-season finale in Los Angeles, Nakase said she feels connected with her coaching staff compared to last year when everyone was still learning each other – how to communicate and strategize in a pinch.
Full houses at Chase Center have provided the Valkyries with a homecourt advantage this season. Another big crowd Sunday when the team faces the Dallas Wings in a playoff opener could make a difference in the outcome. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle)
“Last year, I felt like we were in survival mode a little bit, just because we’re out three starters and we’re kind of really pressing and reaching,” Nakase said. “This year, we’re calm, we’re composed and I think we’re really prepared this year.”
Golden State’s composure under duress was exemplified Thursday in Los Angeles when the Valkyries overcame a 16-point deficit to topple the Sparks on L.A. forward Nneka Ogwumike‘s retirement night.
In the comeback, the Valkyries showed the kind of clutch playmaking and scoring a playoff team must wield in October. Burton kept them afloat, Kaitlyn Chen took matters into her own hands and Williams delivered the game-winning plays in a matter of seconds.
“Gabby is our closer,” Nakase said. “You saw the last game, her going in and boom, hitting those two threes. But more importantly, how did she get into the flow better? She got two steals.”
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