Game 40 wrap: Valkyries finally and soundly beat the defending champs Liberty

yeah it got a little dicey at times but hey

Box scores

• WNBA advanced box score

• ESPN Analytics

Apricot’s Laser Focused Live Game Notes

Nakase Pre-game

• Mo and Temi are the first to step up to answer hard questions or when NN yells at the team, and talk when things aren’t going well. Protective of the rest of the team that’s not comfortable responding to NN yelling. Mo is the mother of the team. 

• Asst coaches that have scout get to give a talk. Joe Mazzula mentored her to give asst coaches opportunities to speak in front of the team. Just the wins. 

• Carla’s growth. Her English is getting better. Speaking up. That’s why we did signals at the beginning. Last game, called a play, scored. Then she called the second option of the play..  NN and CL are talking better as the season goes along. Confidence is high.

• I used to call them quality shots, now call them family shots. Starting to understand how people like to run routes, score.  Play in flow and pace. 

• Armond Hill is a mentor on the staff. Ty Lue. Joe Mazzula in the offseason. Staff was connected. Couldn’t tell who the bench coach, PD, everyone took part of everything, shag balls and rebounding. No hierarchy means no one is bigger than the team. Assistants said everyone is empowered.

• NN. Prepared for everyone to play, no matter if questionable or out.  Sabrina is out, so we have to shift. Johannes also can shoot. Brought in Emma, the female Jokic. Stephanie Burton also. 

• Ja and Illy are good translators. Carla now cusses. She imitated NN at a dinner and cursed like crazy. 

• Kaila Charles starting again. Going to be hard to let her go when injured Valks return (roster crunch of 13). The most practical thing to do is to waive Kayla Thornton. Kayla gets full pay, is out for season anyway, and is unrestricted FA. Only loss is GSV can't supermax-core her. But looks/feels bad

• I shall now report the volume of cheers for the visitors.

  • Stewart 2, Fiebich 1, Jones 3,  Burke 1, Cloud 4/10

• Burton - Charles - Salaun - Rupert - Fagbenle all at about 6. 

• Two Bay FC players bang the opening drum. 

Q1

• 8.54. Veronica has been giving Cloud space on that play and daring her to shoot. Dare accepted, and the three-pointer is good. 

• 8.29, Iliana Rupert again with an excellent route on that fast break coverage. She veered early to cover the pass to Stewart and disrupted that layup beautifully. GSV has run this interesting formation twice in a row, putting Temi at the right elbow. Can't say it's been that effective. 

• 7.45. NYL offense looks better when Natasha Cloud just hits every jumper.

• There was some cat-and-mouse game there with last time NYL had the pick-and-roll—Stewart setting the screen for Cloud, and Stewart ended up popping out, which Burton covered really well. This time, Stewart rolled and tried to get inside position to seal Veronica. But Temi dropped down, which left the super hot fire Natasha Cloud open for another three. 

• 6.50 that was an awkward version of the Temi back butt screen play. But Temi just takes Jones off the dribble and scores. Next play, I think is the same play DHO style, but Veronica has a wild pass to the roller which is luckily saved. 

• 4.35. Interestingly, Veronica has tried to iso Jones twice and not really gotten anywhere with her. If Jones can stay playing Veronica with single coverage, that will be huge to keep the shell of the New York defense solid. 

• 4.28. California Academy of Sciences is giving away tickets and they showed video of their charismatic megafauna, the albino alligator. Shout out to my family friends who are really anti-alligator thinking that it is overrated compared to Methuselah, the ancient Australian lungfish. Shades of the LeBron-Steph rivalry in 2017. 

• 4.17 Emma Meesseman in and immediately airmails a jumper to nowhere. Can't expect that to keep up but we take it. Then Carla Leite isos her and really shakes her hard. That was a nasty inside out dribble I think. 

• 3.27. By the way, WTF, is it really fair that NYL can bring off the bench the greatest European player and also one of the great European three-point shooters in Johannes? 

• 2.56, Carla is really getting blitzed and not handling it well. But on that play, Temi still held the ball back as if to say, do not bully my sister. 

• Carla calls a triangle inbounds play. 

• 1.50 On the other hand, Valkyries' ball pressure has been causing NYL to be pretty sloppy with their ball handling. Monique Billings enters the game, her big return after several weeks out. Crowd cheer, volume 8. 

• Yes, I am measuring the crowd volume with Pure Vibes. I guess I should get a decibel measuring app? 

• 0.40. Is it my imagination, or are the European players, Carla Leite and Iliana Rupert, playing a little bit frazzled while facing Meesseman and Johannes? Almost like they're a little more closely aware of their European reputation?

Q2

• 9:17. What a sweet pass threaded there. Veronica Burton. Mo Billings pick and roll. First time. NYL hard hedges, but Billings is not ready to roll to free space, so Veronica resets and rescreens. Same coverage. This time, Billings rolls to open space. The defenders are so tall, it's an awkward pass. Burton makes it work anyway. 

• 8:00. That was a very ridiculous shot from Marine Johannes. That whole play had the Valkyries bringing help on Meesseman postup from the far post in Billings, and NYL scrambling to try to find the open player, which they did not. Marine just saved them from a lost possession. 

• 6.44. You know all that stuff I was saying at the beginning of the year, how Veronica Burton can't beat a good defender off the dribble and finish in traffic? I guess I have to figure out how to delete all that from the internet. Jones looked like she had her completely under control and wham.

• 6.09 Veronica ISO'd on Jones again. You know how I said earlier this game Jones had completely stoned her in isolation? Well, she had Veronica under control there too, but Cloud and Fiebich got confused on the coverage. Cloud trailed the roller Fagbenle, but Fiebich jumped into the paint to defend her, expecting Cloud to scram switch to Kate Martin. Which left Kate Martin open. And she has a real itchy trigger and a knack for big plays. One FT coming for a 4 point play. 

• 6.00 That is a prototype of the ideal possession for NYL. Jones in the paint, Valkyries swarm with a double-team Jones kicks out to an open three which is missed, and then Jones gets the rebound again.

• 5.37. Aw, too bad. That was going to be an interesting play. It looked like a fake handoff from Veronica to Temi, and she was going to do a keeper and get a screen from Kate Martin. Instead, the defender Burke plows into Burton for a foul. 

• 5.12. Kaila Charles with the right idea, but the bounce pass was read completely. Maybe a pass over the top would have gotten there? 

• 5.04 Violet the Raven is now leading a karaoke cam sing-along to Whitney Houston's "I Want to Dance with Somebody." Only the most hard-hitting news from this source. 

• 5.00. Wow, Temi completely read that play like it was Reading Rainbow Time. Swingback pass to her mark which she takes all the way for a pick two plus and one. 

• 4.30. I was going to compliment how Kate Martin has developed a clear lack of conscience about firing up threes. She knows her role, whenever she touches the ball, is to shoot a three, and she seems to have fully embraced it.

• That time she showed some restraint, not shooting the first chance, but that second one—it's going to be her second fouled three-pointer of the night. And that did look like it could be a landing space flagrant also. 

• 4.24. In the finest Asgardian tradition, the denizens of Ballhalla have now begun the wave. Common foul though. 

• Uncharacteristically, Martin misses two out of the three free throws, leaving the door open for New York right now.  

• 3.45. Kate Martin is levitating the building right now. She has to take a bailout desperation three and hits it. Volume 10.

• 3.00. That was a sociopathic three from Kate Martin, but as I previously mentioned, that is in fact her team role. 

• 2.40. Burton embracing the ISO. NYL keeps straight switching that screen, trusting Jones to single cover Burton. Whether or not Jones can do it, you know that it's got to sting Veronica's pride. And it must be pretty satisfying every time they punish it. This play, she crosses over Jones and almost kicks it out to an open Iliana Rupert in the corner. 

• Valkyries are up 12. I guess I have to issue a half apology to APRIBOT. She said that the Valkyries were slight favorites in this matchup, and I did not believe that.  A very long way to go in this game, but the Valkyries have straight up outplayed the champs so far.  

• 1.47: A slightly broken play where they blitz Veronica instead of switching, but somehow the ball gets to Money Martin, who in fact is legal tender currency. Another three. 

• 1.03. Veronica ISOs Meesseman and does treat her like a traffic cone, but then she gets blocked at the rim and knocked down. New York has a 5-on-4 fast break the other way, and low-key fantastic team defense by the Valkyries to defuse any kind of advantage. 

• 1.01 Kind of a questionable foul call there. Let's go to the People's Court…  verdict is the call was unjust. 

• 0.10. The crowd spontaneously gives a standing ovation to the Valkyries who are up 14 on the defending champs. 

• Excuse me while I purchase for APRIBOT a Labubu of her choice. 

Halftime

• It will be interesting to see what New York's adjustments are. They have so many elite weapons that I'm sure Coach Sandy will pull out a few more wrinkles. 

• The problem is all the turnovers and their inability to get passes through the paint. The Valkyries have just been so sharp at deflecting those. Valks have been bringing extra help in the paint, and New York cannot rotate the ball fast enough to punish with threes often enough (35.7%).

• It's also a little outrageous for New York, who has such a strong advantage with bigs, that they've only shot 1 for 2 on free throws, and the Valkyries have shot 9 for 12. 

• And New York can't depend on the Valkyries shooting worse. I mean, GSV historically has been horrible at shooting threes. But this game, GSV has only shot three for 12 (25%). It just feels like a lot more because Kate Martin has gone three for six and they've all been spectacular.  

• I think New York's best bet is to continue the general idea of getting bigs in the paint, but they may have to change the formation of how they're getting the ball into the paint. Maybe more straight post-ups and just dare the Valkyries to double and live and die with the open three-point shots. 

Q3

• NYL starts the third quarter with Johannes. That signals a possible approach like I'm talking about where they just kick out from the paint and just have slightly better three-point shooting on the perimeter. 

• 9.25. Okay, that was a Johannes - Jones pick and roll with Johannes throwing a ridiculous blind over the head backwards pass. But it still counts for zero points, despite the entertainment value. 

• 9.00. NYL is leaning into the Johannes-Jones combination. That time, Johannes missed an open three. 

• 8.45. Johannes gives back a little bit on defense. There she lets Charles swing out to the wing for an open three. 

• 8:17. Okay, NYL trying a different angle to get the ball to Stewart in the post. She gets it on the move, crossing the paint. Johannes skips to the opposite wing, for a better angle to Stewart.

• 6.54. Have I mentioned that the Valkyries were actually shooting worse than their usual three-point percentage in the first half? It's now up to a slightly good 35%, and they are now up 20. Wow. 

• 6.44. That ended up in two free throws for Stewart, but... She was literally trying to drive through four defenders. That's just not a high percentage shot. 

• 6.23. The story of that possession was Johannes got switched on to a big and GSV spent the clock trying to find that mismatch. Johannes cleverly scram switched herself off of it. So Temi had to pull that basket out of nothing. 

• 5.00. Veronica patiently works the pick and roll, forcing a switch from the smaller Cloud onto Fagbenle. Instant post up from Temi for the mismatch. Fagbenle gets frustrated that the ball doesn't get to her. Play totally stagnates with Salaun getting the ball on the wing and naturally she drills a three in Stewart’s face.  Up 24. 

• 3.48. Veronica telegraphs the pass to the pin down and fueled by anger and embarrassment, gets a 50% buff in speed and dexterity and yoinks that ball right back. 

• 3:42. Cloud, Burton and Gardner are taking turns making +++speed hustle steals. 

• 3:06. Another touchy foul call. Let's go to the people's court. The people's verdict is… Ref You Suck. 

• Carla Leite in the game. She had a pretty shaky first half. Let's see if she plays a calmer game now. 

• 2.52. And again Gardner is a one player wrecking crew. 

• 2.31. Sorry, Cloud also. Two player wrecking crew. 

• Nakase has to pull Leite. She was getting the ball stolen every time.

• 1.20. Uh oh. NYL has sliced it to 12. That's what happens when you get GSV to turn the ball over six times in a row. 

• 1.00 In their darkest hour. Golden State goes to the old reliable Veronica Burton bowling ball.  VB stops the bleeding with two free throws. 

• 0.35, Veronica calls the parabola wing pick-and-roll. Gardner immediately recognizes and signals the play back to her teammates. VB gets stuffed. New York ran a pretty complex defense there. Emma first played drop and then on the rescreen she showed and recovered. And then when Veronica got it back and quick attacked, another defender dug in from the wing. That's a lot for an exhausted Burton to handle. 

• 0.20. They bring Carla Leite in for this defensive possession, giving Veronica a little chance at a breather.  Charles guards Johannes the way someone might guard Steph Curry—give her absolutely no space and run hard through every screen. Well done. 

• Score-wise, the Valkyries are obviously in good shape, up 12, but their offense completely collapsed for the last five minutes there. They need some adjustments. 

Q4

• Gardner has scored zero points, but she's been hugely disruptive on defense. 

• 9.30. I don't understand the logic of that play. Carla forced a switch onto Johannes, but instead of ISOing Marine, she ran another pick and roll. I think they need to be picking on Marine right now. 

• 9.03. Okay, that time Leite got the switch from Johannes again, but did not give it away. She isos Marine, gets the defense to collapse, kicks out for a very open corner three, which misses. 

• 8.11, Charles with the big time play there to get the turnover on Marine. 

• 7.45 Carla with an extremely weird play there, which I think can only be described as the hula hoop of chaos?

• 7:28. Coach Sandy with a gift technical foul there. 

• 7.09. NYL has been burning GSV with these runouts, which is a pretty smart idea. Another challenge. Let's see if we have a second wave today. 

• 5.53. Carla Leite gets Johannes again on the ISO. I like that she attacked in ISO. I don't like that she settled for that long step-back three. 

• 5.41. Controversial jump ball call. Ooh. It did look like Meesseman got a lot of body there and not very much ball. But the Valks get the jump ball. I guess (jump) ball don't lie. 

• 5.20. Carla Leite, this time, insta-attacks Gardner, gets the step, defense collapses, Carla throws a dying quail of a bounce pass to the corner, but Temi is so open that she has time to load up a three and hits a magnificent one, up 16 with five minutes to go. 

• 4.31. It's interesting that Carla Leite opted into that pick and roll. It resulted in the same New York Liberty coverage of hard show and recover that she’s not been able to beat. Carla tried to string it out as far as she could and pass back, but it was the world's slowest bounce pass. And Veronica had to hoist up a prayer. 

• 3.30. I don't know about that play. That was a Carla - Veronica, small - small pick and roll. And that just brings Gardner and Cloud into the play. There's no advantage to running that pick and roll. Then Carla turns it into an ISO on Gardner. Jones rotates. Carla tries to kick it out and it gets intercepted. 

• 3:20 - NYL throws out a surprise full-court press. Valkyries handle it.

• 3.04. I really don't know about this offense. This time they give Kaila Charles a chance to iso Cloud. If you're gonna iso, at least get the switch onto a big. She gets bailed out with a foul call. It’s 13 with three minutes to go. 

• 2.55. Breanna Stewart is doing a Veronica Burton bowling ball offense, but she's so long that it's more like a car wash balloon man foul drawing technique. 

• FYI, for the t-shirt toss, we got a full version of Takedown by Twice from K-Pop Demon Hunters. Only truly exclusive insider information from this account. 

• 2.55. 11 point lead, 3 minutes to go. 

• 2.34. Big charge taken by Veronica, but the Liberty are being spoil sports and challenging. How rude. 

• Starting again with the wave for the third challenge of the night. After last game's infinite time loop, I can't really complain about game delays anymore. 

• Challenge is successful! Two big free throws to slice it to 9. 

• 2.00. NYL attacking again with the runouts. That's been a huge part of their comeback. GSV dodges a bullet. 

• 1.30. The Valkyries' offense has been extremely stagnant. It's basically been a prevent offense, trying to run the clock down that possession. I think there's a mix-up in the NYL defense. So Veronica got all the way to the basket. 

• 1.00. That time NYL tries to throw a surprise trap on Burton. She ejects to Carla Leite, which I think is the whole reason she's on the court, who finds Temi, who gets a layup with just under a second left on the shot clock. That could be the game-sealer. 

• 0.40. I don't really like this small - small screen, as I've mentioned. That gets Fiebich off Burton and Gardner on her. I don't consider that an upgrade. Anyway, I don't know why Jones helped off the corner there, but the Valkyries got a pretty decent shot out of it. 

• VALKS HOLD ON. I believe this is the second time in history that an expansion team has beaten the defending champions. 

Temi and Kate Postgame

• Temi says the crowd is fantastic but complains that the crowd is too nice… there should be no cheering for the visitors. “They should feel unwelcome.”

• Temi says we are so supportive of each other, whoever steps up. It’s not jealous. “It’s a great team to be part of” while laughing and elbowing Kate.

• Kate says GSV was communicating really well making a wall to stop pass outs from the paint.

• Temi: it’s a journey, get 1% better each day. We want to be a great communicating team, we’re all so selfless it’s going to work. The buy-in.

Nakase Postgame

• Offense was hurt by their hard hedge. But THEY WERE FOULING US.

• NN says she should have called the counters earlier.

• It wasn’t a NYL blitz, it was a hard hedge.

• We feel like we have each other’s back no matter what. 

• Me: Carla had some trouble with the ball pressure and hedging. But you brought her back down the stretch. Did you prep her in any way?

  • I told Carla, I don’t care if you turn the ball over. I’m going to put you back in and you’re going to kick ass. I believe in her completely. Carla was huge down the stretch. Not scared to make big plays and you need those kinds of players..

Valkyrie Valor

Iliana Rupert, the previous winner, is not eligible.