
Not much was expected of the Valkyries in their first year of WNBA play. While Bay Area fans were excited to add a Golden State women's franchise, becoming the first franchise in women's sports history to eclipse 15,000 season ticket deposits according to the team, conventional wisdom was that the product on the court would take some time to develop.
Coach Natalie Nakase and her scrappy start-up roster threw that notion right out the window from the start of the season, culminating in Thursday's 84–80 win over the Wings, which clinched a playoff berth.