SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A year ago, the Golden State Valkyries made history by reaching the playoffs as an expansion team, then had to host their only home game nearly 50 miles away because Chase Center had been booked before they even existed by the Laver Cup tennis showcase. They wound up losing to the Minnesota Lynx by one point.
A year ago, Gabby Williams played for the Seattle Storm and her now-teammates with Golden State had no way of knowing just how much her addition would matter in the franchise taking its next major step.
“I came here just because I just wanted someone to believe in me, that's really it, in the league at least,” Williams said of proving herself in the WNBA after previous success internationally.
Oh, everybody does now - no doubt about that.
The second-seeded Valkyries are on to the WNBA semifinals for a date with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, who will have to deal with Golden State's devoted, delirious “sixth man” home crowd in San Francisco.
Game 1 in the best-of-five series is Sunday afternoon at Chase Center, with raucous “Ballhalla” clamoring and ready for another round of playoff basketball.
The Valkyries had to rally from 16 points down to get past Dallas 77-73 in the deciding Game 3 of the first round Friday night.
“Amazing after all that hard work of fighting and clawing back, doing it with this team, it was amazing,” said guard Tiffany Hayes, who scored 18 points off the bench in the first-round clincher. “I can’t think of any other word but amazing. Just proud and grateful to be here with this team.”
No arguing the Aces believe in A'ja Wilson, their do-everything, reigning MVP center and the WNBA's leading scorer this season at 26 points per game. She's the league's top shot blocker, too.
Still, Wilson insists she is determined to do more. She scored 36 points as the Aces eliminated Caitlin Clark and the Fever in their Game 3.
“That's my approach to what I do every single time I step foot on the court," she said. “I know that everyone's going to try to be their best against me. If not they're going to be their best against me because of the resume or because the team that I'm on. And so I can't take any days off. I have to constantly keep my guard up because if I want to continue to be the best and be on the best team with the best players I've got to hold my end of the stick.”
There's plenty of familiarity with these teams: Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was an assistant under Becky Hammon with the Aces from 2022–24 as Las Vegas captured consecutive titles in 2022 and '23.
In Friday's clincher, Nakase went down to her knees on the court with 1:40 left appearing to not feel well. The team said afterward she was fine and expected to coach Sunday in Game 1 but assistant coach Kasib Powell addressed the media in a postgame news conference where she typically speaks.
Williams can't wait for everything this series will bring her way. She scored 19 points in the clinching win to wrap up the first round against Dallas on Friday night.
“I love these situations, I love high-pressure situations,” she said. “I'm best when I don't have a choice but to do my best so I like being put into that position.”
Williams hit a go-ahead 17-footer with 1:17 remaining Friday and had two 3-pointers late in the third quarter to help fuel the comeback.
“Big shot Gabby,” as Hayes called her. “She's our leader, she's the one we go to, and she showed you exactly why she is who she is.”
With little fanfare, the soft-spoken Williams alongside fellow veterans Veronica Burton and Hayes has taken the Valkyries to another level: They earned the No. 2 seed and energized a diverse Bay Area fan base that has embraced this franchise since Day 1.
"We definitely owe Ballhalla a big thank you for tonight," Williams said.
Williams is clearly thriving in her new surroundings.
Before calling it a night from her postgame news conference, she added a final observation of how she defended Paige Bueckers:
“Also, I blocked Paige's shot at the end and I did not get credited.”
And she knows there will be more stingy defense needed in the next round.
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