Sky rookie Sydney Taylor handed the Valkyries their second straight loss, forcing them to face tough questions after another slow start.
For a moment there, it looked like the Golden State Valkyries were about to walk out of Wintrust Arena unscathed.
It felt like, as Kaitlyn Chen finished an acrobatic in traffic, in the midst of one of her signature heaters, to put the Valkyries up 70-67, Golden State was going to fly out of Chicago unpunished. Maybe with some scars on their back, maybe with some angst for another dreadfully slow start to the game offensively, but with another example of their uncanny ability to find different ways this season, this time, their spirited bench mob guiding the comeback.
And then, Sydney Taylor burned them.
First, a wide-open triple at the top of the key. Boom, game tied at 70-70. And then came a marvelous, 25-foot moon-ball from her spot on the left wing over Veronica Burton. Boom, game over at 73-70.The win that could have window-dressed the Valkyries’ ugly 12-point first quarter (their lowest 1st QTR point total of the season) and 10-of-35 first-half shooting had slipped through their fingers. The win that could have spared Golden State from their second straight loss and some difficult questions had been snatched away by Taylor and the 15-22 Sky.
And as the Chicago Sky crowd roared and their players swarmed their unlikely rookie phenom, all the Valkyries could do was watch and soak in a bad loss that will force them to truly face the music for the first time in a long time.
“Incredible shot, credit to her,” Burton said in acknowledgement, before turning her attention towards herself and the Valkyries. “More so, a little bit disappointed in how we came out the last couple of games. We’ve talked about it. Can only say it so many times. And it’s a whole team thing, myself included. So we got to figure some stuff out.”
What the Valkyries need to fix
Figuring the stuff they need to figure out, according to Burton, first falls on the starters.
The Valkyries reserves were the ones who erased the Sky’s 21-point lead, first by finishing out the half on a 12-0 run and then by closing a 10-point deficit after Nakase went with an all-bench unit around the 5:39 mark in the 3rd QTR. That prompted Nakase to ride the hot hand and let the reserves surf the comeback wave they started, leaving all the starters on the bench, sans Burton, for the entire fourth quarter, including all-star Gabby Williams, who finished 0-of-6 from the field.
“We ask the bench to do a lot of heavy lifting,” Burton said, stepping in to take a question about the bench’s big night directed at Laeticia Amihere. “And they’re incredible players; they do it every single time. But we can’t put them in that position. We can’t continue to ask our bench to save us. It’s a whole team effort, and so yes, we have the best bench in the league. That’s without a doubt, and they play hard. They put us in positions to be successful, but it’s unfair to continue to ask them to save us every single game.”
The plague of slow starts put the matter of Golden State’s starting lineup into question.
The Valkyries have been hesitant to make any changes to the starters, save for the occasional injury. And so far this season, it’s been part of their winning formula, so they haven’t had much reason to jostle up the starters. Especially since their reserve unit has been the best bench in the league. To change the starting lineup is to change up the bench mob, which could have its give and take of prizes and consequences.
But given the Valkyries’ starters’ cold shooting starts keep happening, and that Nakase and Burton have been harping on that point for the past several games, it’s at least a question they have to think about. But when asked if she’s at a point where she might have to consider changing up the starters, Nakase balked at that idea, saying that solving the slow starts is more about fixing their mental focus.
Nakase and Burton give specifics on what needs to change
As for what specifically needs to change to fix their mental focus, Nakase pointed to the off-the-court aspect of professional basketball.
“Yeah…I don’t want to sound… How do I say…” Nakase said, searching for the right words after being asked the question.
“Mental focus comes with a lot of things off the court. That’s something I’m just going to make sure we talk about in terms of preparation, quality of sleep, all these little things. And so those, for me, are the check-ins that I have to do. Everyone’s different, though. Everyone’s mental focus comes from a different way. A different way of learning, a different way of coaching, a different way of need. And so again, I think everyone’s going to have to do a reflection today, including myself.”
It’s not panic at the disco for Golden State. They are still 25-11 and in prime position to earn a top-three seed. But for the Valkyries to dig themselves out of the funk they find themselves in, they have to solve whatever’s going on above the shoulders.
“I don’t want to make it bigger than it is because we’re fine and we’re gonna be fine. But it’s just playing our game,” Burton said when asked what specifically needs to change to solve their slow starts.
“Like, getting back to having fun. Getting back to playing how we know how to and with pride. I think there’s a dignity in playing with a lot of effort and just a pride of being a Golden State Valkyrie and just not letting someone punk us, no matter whether we’re at home or on the road. And it’s not for a lack of a talent or what. We’re gonna be fine. It’s just we need to dig deep.
“And it’s a long season, but we need to find it within us, all of us, one through 14, to have some pride and carry it through. Whether we’re scoring, whether we’re not scoring, whether a team is hitting a bunch of threes, whether they’re missing everything, the standard can’t change.”
For a moment there, it looked like the Golden State Valkyries were about to walk out of Wintrust Arena unscathed. It felt like, as Kaitlyn Chen finished an acrobatic in traffic, in the midst of one of her signature heaters, to put the Valkyries up 70-67, Golden State was going to fly out of Chicago unpunished.