SAN JOSE — The Golden State Valkyries pushed Minnesota to the absolute brink on Wednesday night.
The Lynx, who finished the WNBA season four games ahead of every other team in the league, are a rigid test for any squad. Playing in front of an announced crowd of 18,543 fans at SAP Center, the Valkyries nearly passed.
Even in a 75-74 defeat, they won Minnesota’s respect, losing only when Cecilia Zandalasini’s midrange jumper rimmed out as the final buzzer sounded on Golden State’s historic first year in the WNBA.
“I’m super proud of us to come here to the craziness that Ballhalla is, and credit to them,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Shoutout to the fans. That’s exactly what the team needs. Their energy, their passion, they’re in it the entire way. You can tell they’re watching the game and willed them at times.”
The fans, and the team, built a 17-point lead in the third quarter and had the Sharks’ home arena playing its part as Ballhalla South.
But the Lynx are the WNBA’s best team for a reason, and they gradually whittled down the deficit until they took a slim fourth-quarter lead.
Afterward, Minnesota’s players noted just how hard it was for their group of five to overcome the collective will of thousands.
“They play so hard,” guard Kayla McBride said. “You can definitely tell that they’re well coached. They know who they are. They have an identity, and they stick to it. It’s a lot of players that believe in each other. The energy and the atmosphere in there is amazing.”
“Unbelievable,” forward Napheesa Collier said. “So loud, so fun. What they’ve built here is incredible. The fans are awesome. It’s a really fun environment to play in. I like this as an opposing player, playing in environments like this. It’s really fun, and I’m sure it was really fun for them being home to hear 18,000 people screaming for you. It was great.”
Reeve did express regret that the game was moved from Chase Center to San Jose. The WNBA has moved numerous playoff games over the years due to scheduling conflicts, and this was the latest example.
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Minnesota’s coach hopes the days of evicting WNBA teams from their home arenas for premium playoff games are now over.
“It’s obviously unfortunate,” Reeve said. “I think we’re beyond this, but despite that, the environment was just as good. But that’s unfortunate for the team. That shouldn’t be the case. Hopefully, all the WNBA teams, we can get to this space where we’re not getting bounced at the most important time of the year.
“I don’t know what all went into this, but we’re at the point where this is good business. You can’t tell me that there’s anything else coming into Chase Center that’s better than what you’re getting from the WNBA revenue. The environment was just as electric, just as passionate. Sounds a little bit different, like a hockey rink. The hockey rinks are just a little bit different.”
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