Valkyries’ season ends in heartbreak, but their rise is just beginning

SAN JOSE When Cecilia Zandalasini s fading jumper from the right wing bounced off the back of the rim as the final buzzer sounded the roar from the Ballhalla crowd momentarily turned into a sigh As the visiting Minnesota Lynx celebrated what became a comeback conquest for the ages to advance to the playoff semifinals the Italian sharpshooter laid on the ground with her hands over her head deflated defeated and in shock that the Valkyries season ended right then and there For a brief moment time seemed to stop Then her teammates pulled Zandalasini to her feet wrapped her into an embrace and guided her to midcourt where the Valkyries huddled one last time Valkyries' Cecilia Zandalasini is comforted after missing a shot at the buzzer against the Minnesota Lynx at the end of the fourth quarter during Challenge of the WNBA playoffs at SAP Center in San Jose Calif on Wednesday Sept Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group There players gathered under the bright SAP Center lights specific with tears in their eyes others expressing satisfaction through the heartbreak for one last embrace to share how proud they were of what they accomplished this season The crowd s sigh turned into loud passionate chants of GSV as the expansion unit s season crescendoed into this one final moment But for all the sting the Valkyries carved out something greater than what they evidenced on the floor Wednesday night Related Articles The first Valkyries season was good Minnesota demonstrated them how to be great Minnesota Lynx praise Valkyries fans SAP Center atmosphere They willed them at times Valkyries season ends as Golden State collapses in decisive Contest vs Lynx Valkyries bring capacity pageantry to San Jose dub SAP Center Ballhalla South for historic WNBA playoff championship Valkyries Natalie Nakase named WNBA coach of the year They exhibited the world who they were A association that s determined fearless and unafraid of the biggest stages They established that an expansion gang can not only belong in the playoffs but can reshape expectations in Year We re the first expansion group to go this far We basically just made history Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase declared I m just so proud of them for just allowing me to push them past what they felt that they can do That s not easy A lot of people kind of like to stay put They like to be stagnant Not this group This band Don t like to be stagnant They like to be challenged Golden State Valkyries fans react in the last minutes of the fourth quarter of Event of the WNBA playoff competition against the Minnesota Lynx at SAP Center in San Jose Calif on Wednesday Sept Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group While the final outcome wasn t what the Valkyries ultimately hoped for it s clear that the foundation of what could be was built Nakase and the Valkyries defied all the odds in their inaugural season overperforming what majority of experts concluded was going to be a rocky developmental year Golden State overcame losing most of of its rotation to the EuroBasket tournament in June losing lone All-Star Kayla Thornton to a season-ending knee injury midway through the season and rotating through over players over the syllabus of its games And while the Valkyries embraced the underdog mentality they rejected the notion that they needed a marquee household contestant on this crew to succeed For what they accomplished this year they were right People in this group are special rookie forward Janelle Sala n declared Yes we don t have a big name Yes there were no stars but we re expletive underdogs We re fire Despite having a -point lead going into the fourth quarter the Lynx never felt absolutely out of the match With all the star power the top-seeded association had one more run felt inevitable The question was were the Valkyries going to withstand one last Minnesota punch Valkyries' Janelle Sala n takes a shot against Minnesota Lynx's Kayla McBride in the third quarter during Event of the WNBA playoffs at SAP Center in San Jose Calif on Wednesday Sept Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group The Lynx opened the final period with a - run to turn what was a assured margin from the home organization into a sinking lead The comeback was methodical Nothing special just a wave of buckets and stops In crunch time Minnesota in the end took a one-point lead on a jumper from Napheesa Collier that silenced the Ballhall faithful The teams went back and forth in the final minute but the difference was ultimately the Lynx s ability to get production from each one of their star players down the stretch Even after Zandalasini s last-second shot bounced off the rim and the Lynx sealed their fate to move onto the second round the Valkyries earned the respect of the league s top company The two teams played each other a total of six times this season including twice in the final week of the regular season Though Minnesota won all six games it was clear nothing came easy for the star-studded Lynx They play so hard you can definitely tell that they re well coached Lynx All-Star forward Kayla McBride disclosed They know who they are They have an identity and they stick to it But I think it s a lot of players that believe in each other It starts with Veronica Burton and just trickles down to everybody It s contagious Golden State Valkyries' Cecilia Zandalasini fail to figure the winning basket against the Minnesota Lynx in the last second in the fourth quarter of Meeting of the WNBA playoff tournament at SAP Center in San Jose Calif on Wednesday Sept The Valkyries lost - Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group The Valkyries may not have advanced but they walked off the court to something more enduring a fan base that claimed it as its own What began as curiosity in April had transformed into a roaring loyal following by September filling Ballhalla with chants that carried the club through every run every rally and every impossible moment In the span of one season Golden State didn t just build a crew It built a way of life One defined by resilience connection and the belief that no challenge was too steep For a franchise still in its infancy those intangibles may prove to be the bulk vital victories of all As the players lingered on the floor long after the buzzer waving to fans who refused to stop cheering the future already felt a little less like a mystery The Valkyries had set their standard and in doing so had ensured that Year won t be about proving they belong but about how far they can go Subscribe to our special Valkyries newsletter for encounter analysis scores and everything you want to know about the club from Ballhalla