Meet Ozzy! A 9-year-old Golden Doodle from Napa and an extremely devoted Sports Emotional Support Dog (not that we need that much as Valks fans in 2026)! I’d love to see Ozzy in a future Game Wrap! Thank you!!! — Jacob C
General offer to Valkyrie Nation: if you send me a tasteful picture of your loved animal, I will add it to the rotation of Game Wrap animal pictures. Please include a couple of sentences about them and how you want your name to appear.
Extra points if they are wearing Valkyries gear, but even without is okay.
No AI please.
Email to apricotan@gmail.com
Always Close Enough To Hurt™ or your money back
It’s okay if you don’t know what all these stats are. My high-strung computer calculates some rough advanced statistics for the game.
Teal = better, blood orange = worse.
Pregame Coach Nakase
Being mindful of practices, labeling them green / orange / red depending on what kind of intensity the medical team wants.
NN: My dad was an iconic dad. When I was 10, my dad said, “You have to be the best and outwork everyone.” Dad isn’t with me, but he’s watching from above.
Ceci is a game-time decision. She’s very smart. She and Gabby taught each other how to read different play options.
Her mentor Armand Hill told her it’s not so much about coaching, it’s like being a CEO. When she texted him, he corrected her grammar and said there are professional standards.
It’s a lot quieter without Kate Martin.
She added many good things that NN has said before (but not to the LAS press)
Coming back to LA? NN’s family is in LA. Grandma is coming to the game.
CP3 visited practice.
She spent 6 years with Chris Paul, picking his brain. He watches every game, so dedicated. That’s why NN is mad when the Valks aren’t watching other games.
Lots and lots of Valks questions for CP3; Valks want him to come back. Screen angles, pick-and-roll reads, pocket passing and timing, smalls defending the post, releasing pressure.
Kaila picked up plays really fast. They showed her in a room, not on the court, and then she executed in the game. Super selfless. Joyful. “Talks a lot, though.”
Q1
8:15: LA Sparks are guarding the pick-and-roll with Dearica Hamby in drop. This could leave the ball handler with lots of pull-up threes.
6:35: That’s one of the small blocks that the Valkyries offense is built out of. Kiah Stokes dribbles with the ball at two players on the right side. The Valkyries have to communicate whether the top player comes to take the dribble handoff or, as in this case, cuts to the basket. As soon as that cut happens, that automatically means that Kayla Thornton has to come up from the corner and be the one to take the handoff. Once you see this pattern, you’ll see it a few times throughout the game.
6:15: That was another super interesting possession. You can see almost every element of modern basketball and help and recover defense in this one possession, so I’m going to take time to explain every little thing that happens. It’s worth rewatching this until you see everything I’m noting.
LA runs an Erica Wheeler–Nneka Ogwumike pick-and-roll on the left wing.
Valkyries defend with drop defense from Kiah Stokes, meaning she is not defending right up next to the screener, who is her mark. She steps back about 5 ft to contain any drive from the ball handler, so Wheeler drives hard into Kiah Stokes to force Kiah to switch to her. You can see Kiah wave to Veronica to switch back to Kiah’s original mark (this is sometimes called a peel switch since VB peels off from following her mark).
So now, the whole rest of the possession, L.A. is trying to get the ball to Nneka who should have a size advantage over every non-Kiah.
Nneka cuts straight to the basket, and Veronica Burton already knows she doesn’t want to be guarding Nneka in the post, so she hands her off to Cecilia, who jams Nneka’s cut.
Then the Valkyries’ defensive scheme is to bring a surprise double-team to anyone posting up, and Kayla Thornton sneaks over from the right block. You can then see Kayla Thornton’s mark immediately lift up from the corner, looking to get the ball because she’s open now.
Once Hamby realizes she’s not getting the ball, she sets a screen instead for Rae Burrell. Notice how she signals Rae to take the screen with their hands.
Gabby Williams now has to fight around the screen to contest the three in the corner.
The three is successfully contested, so Burrell attacks the closeout.
Kayla Thornton, in the meantime, has been watching this all unfold, and she’s been waiting in the paint in case Burrell attacks the closeout. Now Burrell knows that there’s someone open because there are two people guarding her, and she is waiting in the paint. She knows that there’s someone open because there are two. In her chaotic way, she successfully kicks out the ball to the top for an open three for LA.
Really good play from both sides with good communication.
5:40: Gabby Williams does the exact same thing Wheeler did in the epic novel I just wrote. Dearica Hamby is in drop coverage, so Gabby drives right into her to force the switch, but then realizes she can turn the corner and hits a floating layup right in her face. That was not expected.
5:00: Hey Joseph! How about that Kiah??
That was a good, super fundamental, basic play to understand. Veronica Burton is on the left wing. Kayla Thornton runs over to set a screen.
VB’s defender Wheeler is positioned to follow Veronica over the screen, so Veronica says, “Surprise! I’m rejecting that screen,” and she drives the other way, which means Hamby has to help on the drive from the left block. Hamby is guarding Kiah Stokes, so Veronica throws it over to Kiah for the completely open three, which she lasers in. I mean, laser, with the flat trajectory of that shot, but it still counts for three points no matter who’s carping about it.
All right, I’ve gone pretty deep into the super technical analysis, so I think it’s just going to be dumb jokes from here on out. The hardcore basketball X’s and O’s enthusiasts have already gotten their money’s worth.
4:03: Emotional status of LA Coach Lynne Roberts: indigestion.
3:38: I don’t know what kind of ailment Cecilia had that made her a game-time decision, but would it be wrong to make sure she has it every game? Three for three on threes.
3:08: You can see this play, run by Laeticia Amihere, is the left-side mirror image of the play I spelled out at 6:35. LA dribbles towards two players. Janelle Salaün cuts to the basket, which means automatically that Cecilia lifts up from the corner to get the dribble handoff. I’m not positive that this is a read-and-react. It might be pre-planned that the top player always cuts, but you can see how this could be turned into a read-and-react that has a different option for the top player depending on how the defense is playing everything.
Am I overcompensating for blabbing so much in the previous game notes? This has been like a real chalk talk. Where is my clipboard?
3:02: I was trying hard to see if I could steal the signal for this sideline out-of-bounds play. This is the same play they run for Kaitlyn Chen all the time. L.A. sets a flat back screen for Veronica, who cuts straight down. L.A. has scouted it out properly, and they have help rotating from the other side.
2:13: I noticed that the Valkyries have tried to get Janelle Salaün attacking those closeouts a bit more, and she seems not completely comfortable with that.
1:20: And there, Janelle, showing some more growing pains in her transformation into a small-ball center. She’s picked up by Ariel Atkins, who is a small mismatch. Janelle immediately drags her into the post to attack this mismatch. Valkyries get the ball to her with a little relay to improve the angle, but Janelle was sitting in the paint for more than three seconds, which is not something perimeter players really have to worry about.
Okay, everybody. I admit I went into a little extra detail in the first quarter because I was hoping the Valkyries would be able to take care of business for the rest of the game and I wouldn’t have to write notes. So if we’re lucky, the Valkyries will not make it close enough to hurt, and this will be the end of the notes.
Q4
3:37: Not happy to be back on the keys here. I guess the fourth quarter is the new third quarter.
2:43: The offense has devolved a little bit into Save Us Gabby and Save Us Veronica, and there is no saving on that possession.
1:52: Valkyries look a little bit tired. Tip Hayes did get open on the pin-down screen, then saves the Valkyries with a long three.
1:30: Wow, the shot-making is crazy here!
1:18: They run the same staggered screen for Tip that got her open on the previous play. She slips on the way down. L.A. races out, and then Gabby, with one of her incredible turbo-button steals, absolutely saving the Valkyries again. Then comes down on the ISO and makes a difficult bank shot.
1:03: Despite everything, the Valkyries still have a three-point lead. You can hear Nakase talking in the timeout, saying that she has one timeout, and she made a horn signal with her hand. I don’t know if that’s a play call. We’re gonna see if there really is a horns play when the Valkyries get the ball back.
0:52: I don’t know about that shot from Nneka, but that almost went down so early in the shot clock. I really think you need to get the shot clock lower because this timing (0:52) sets up a very easy shot for the Valkyries around the 30-second mark, which will then leave the Valkyries the last shot.
0:37: Oh, this is great. The Sparks are having their huddle and play call broadcast and miked clearly. It’s going to be a ghost screen, which means that there’s gonna be a screen, but the screen is gonna be immediately departed. We need more huddles broadcast like this.
0:34: OK, LA defenders. Didn’t you read on the scouting report not to get too close to Janelle Salaün?? Here comes the Ja-neral!
Now that I’ve seen the play, I’m going to admit I don’t really see where the ghost screen was, but maybe I’ll see it better on a replay.
0:21: Really good fundamental box out from KT and then really big free throws from KT, and that will probably seal the game.
Kiah Stokes officially has a neck contusion.
Never in doubt?
Postgame: Ceci and KT
KT: we didn’t let the comeback get us down.
What’s the secret to the locker room togetherness?
KT: Jesus. (long pause, then looks at Ceci and giggles)
I think the press conference is Marisa Ingemi and a Sirius XM reporter. That means Marisa has gotten 5 questions instead of the usual 1 (or 2).
Q: how important is it to finish in front of LVA.
KT: important, but we’re not focusing on that. Focusing game by game and getting better.
Q (MI): Ceci in the zone?
KT jumps in with a very enthused speech that you have to hear to get the fun soaring inflections. I hope you get to hear it.
(with gusto and eloquent fervor) Cecilia Zandalasini!! You know? ... Um, the way she shoots is just smooth. Like, she just smooth. You know what I’m saying? So, I mean, whenever she gets the ball in her hand, it’s, you know, I’m back on defense because why we got to rebound, you know? But, I mean, the girl’s just phenomenal. You know what I’m saying? Italy’s Best. Bella! Y’all see it!
Kayla Thornton with a top tier freestyle about Cecilia Zandalasini, starting around 3:53.
Postgame: Coach Nakase
Kiah is smiling, but I’ve never seen her NOT get up in all the years I’ve coached. I was scared
Q4 LAS attacked the ball, early shifts, better job on the boards. Thank god we shot well in Q1. Good composure, V called the plays and didn’t ask much.
Were you happy with the good start in the first quarter?
Yeah... IN THE FIRST. How many quarters are there? FOUR.
Credit for keeping composure and not complaining.
You were upset about defense last game. Do you like the adjustment tonight.
No. (icy stare)
The players can do what the coaches asked. We talked about it, but they didn’t do it. So I’m still mad.
There was some guy who asked a long question (maybe the same as the last asker) which was about being contenders and then couldn’t handle Natalie’s self-deprecation and just talked over her for a couple of minutes saying GSV is really good.
(It wasn’t me.)
This guy will not stop mumbling, trying to force Nat to say they are contenders. I think Nat is getting a kick out of it. It’s just mowing down time that she doesn’t have to answer questions.
At one point Nat very very kindly said the guy should be on her staff with his pep talk.
Unless he’s someone with immense clout, I’d guess we’ll never see that guy in a press conference again.
If I didn’t include your favorite player, sorry! There are only 5 slots available. Write a tribute comment at Valkyrie Nation instead.
If you don’t know what Discord is, you can ignore this. If you like how the site is now, then don’t worry. This site will still work the same and I’ll still post game previews and wraps over email and the web, etc.
However, if you are wondering where everyone is during game day, it’s the Discord server. For instance, for the IND live game chat, there were 880 messages (that’s a lot, even if 150 of them were Kaitlyn Chen puns).
Basically Discord is a group chat where you can engage with me and other readers. It’s good for conversation that’s a bit more casual than leaving a web site comment. You can also respond with emojis and multimedia.
I have been posting my live game notes in the Discord chat as I write them. I even live-commented the media-coaches game over Discord and answered questions. Questions and comments sometimes turn into things I write about for the newsletter.
For now, I’ll keep it open to everyone, but I reserve the right in the future to restrict it to paying subscribers.
Many thanks to Marisa Emi and Tac0maAr0ma for volunteering to moderate the Discord and generally reorganizing it intelligently.
The invitation link for August: https://discord.gg/3P5XTuwAd
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