This is Linus. He is a one year old Golden Retriever. He likes to watch the Valkyries…but if we’re being honest, he probably loves watching the ball the most. At least he looks cute in purple!
Go Valks!
Hayley
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
Our long Valkyrie National nightmare has ended
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.
And here is a home-grown graph of the game win probability tonight.
It looks right to me, but if you use this for anything important or anything bad like gambling, then you get what you get.
Coach Nakase pregame
I came into the presser on Zoom in the middle. For some reason, a number of us are not getting notified of when Natalie’s availability starts, so we just have to guess. I always guess two hours before game time.
Defense is their identity and how it becomes extra important in the playoffs.
She’s watching players’ health, especially since they just played three games in five days (and are about to play three cities in four days).
No questions were taken from the Zoom.
Coach Nakase seemed to be in a good mood. It’s probably nice to get some new reporters asking her some new questions. Also, we’ve talked about how she loves road trips as a place for the whole team to bond. Apparently they play board games and are kind of cooped up together.
Q1
Kind of cute. When the Minnesota Lynx players come on the court. They get a little ball, which they hand off to a small child at half court.
There’s a different child for each player. Otherwise, they’ll be one small child carrying five enormous basketballs. That would cause liability and insurance issues.
8.23. I don’t think anyone will ever say this, but I don’t think the Valkyries 100% mind a shot clock violation if they’re going to not make a shot. This gives them a chance to set their defense. That could explain the statistic going around where the Valkyries use the most shot clock of anyone by far in the W.
7.10. Tip Hayes and Ja off the bench early today. I’m not 100% sure why the starters always fall behind. It might be easy to blame Kiah Stokes for messing up the spacing or the Valkyries going to Cecilia in isolation a lot, or the feeling that there are a whole bunch of reasons for it.
On the starters, one thing to consider is one of the first plays of the game, which was a Gabby Williams-Kiah Stokes pick and roll. Kiah Stokes clobbered Gabby’s defender with the screen. You can’t imagine a better screen, but all that did was get Minnesota to switch, so now Gabby has to take Howard off the dribble because Kiah isn’t a roll threat. Gabby bails out of that and that action got no advantage.
4.46. Tip battling Howard inside, but foul called. The video didn’t show it but I think Minnesota forced the switch by getting Cecilia’s mark to screen Tip.
If the Lynx can continue to have Howard switch onto a small guard defense without getting punished, that is going to make this game super difficult for the Valkyries.
3.52: Valkyries come out in a 2-3 zone, not an uncommon maneuver after a timeout, because these plays are usually called from the bench, and the zone usually messes up whatever they were planning.
3.25. in the counter attack, somehow Tiffany Hayes gets matched up with Napheesa Collier, which is surely not the default matchup (she should be guarding Caldwell). The Lynx enter the pass and immediately punish.
2.43. Nat calls OK down as the baseline out of bounds play. I couldn’t really tell what was special about that play. It just looked like an inbounds to Charles, who does a dribble handoff at the top.
2.10. Veronica Burton misses the three. Probably her teeny tiny hop was not teeny tiny enough.
1.40. Ja, Fast Break somehow manages to not score on Hamzová. She posts her up, calls for the entry pass, then bullies her way to a basket.
Now that’s the kind of teeny tiny hop we’re talking about. When do we start believing that Veronica Burton’s new three-point form is real?
0.37. Surprise zone with a double team on Phee. Turnover!
By the way, HERE COMES THE CHENERAL
0:00 After a first quarter where the Valkyries’ offense could have been an advertisement for constipation medicine, somehow, someway, the Valkyries are up 1.
Q2
The good news is that the Valkyries absolutely smited the Lynx bench. The bad news is that in the first quarter, I’m not sure Olivia Miles or Napheesa Collier broke a sweat. Still some very big guns for the Lynx to pull out.
9.30. Kaitlyn Chen does not get barbecued by Olivia Miles and instead causes the turnover. Grilled chicken of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.
9.06. Dorka, only the Euroleague MVP, plays the role of rim protector in the paint. You can tell I’m a bit bitter that MIN managed to add Miles and Dorka. Now, it’s not a slam dunk that Dorka can hang in the league. I’m curious if GSV tries to attack her.
8.08: Olivia crossed Kaitlyn into oblivion, tried the fake pullback pass to Collier with the kick out to the wing, but she outsmarted her own teammate, which prevented the highlight reel play.
7.50: Great play by Laeticia to get that rebound. Anti-great play to throw a wild pass to a wide-open shooter spotted up in the corner.
Janelle rips the rebound away from Dorka. Is it my imagination, or does Janelle play with an extra level of confidence against all European players?
7.23: Was Minnesota trying to pull a two-three zone of their own? Gabby drives into the seam. Kaitlyn Chen’s guard has to rotate to the wing, which means it’s time to throw the inCHENdiary device.
6.34. What a block from L.A.
5.58. Valkyries pull out the 2-3 zone again. Minnesota does a good job confusing the zone with some cuts. I have to watch that playback to see exactly why Miles got that open, but it looked like Minnesota managed to get three shooters across the top and two of them pulling down the arc, which left no one to guard Miles. If they can do that regularly, that will definitely make the Valkyries stop running the 2-3 zone.
5.30. Caldwell has been such big found money for MIN
4.38. Nat with a grabbing signal, probably play call. Looks like a simple wing pick and roll?
4.04. Huge steal from Tip. If they can gum up that Miles-Howard PNR, that will be so huge.
3.20. Minnesota switches to zone. Is that a 1-2-2 zone? I’m not sure, and I’m not sure that Olivia Miles is sure. She never quite figured out who or where she was guarding after the offensive rebound.
2.50. That would be a super interesting play to look at some time on replay. Minnesota runs two cutters off of a screen by Howard. Veronica Burton yells for Gabby to switch to her mark. Well done. Then Minnesota flows to a ghost screen on the wing, which is also defended well by Valkyries, but Tip Hayes is one step too far in and in pre-help. That lets the fully en fuego Caldwell to reposition on the arc and hit another gigantic three.
The ball is off Tip, but isn’t she getting shoved by Howard? MIN is using “What’s Up?” for their challenge, by the way. That song is tainted for me. Everybody do the wave in Farhalla. IF I COULD TURN BACK TI-I-ME
1.31. I think it’s the Kaitlyn Chen rip cut play, but Caldwell stops Tiffany Hayes from getting open by using grab technology.
1.03: That play was too mucky to tell if that was a zone from the Valkyries or not, but notice Veronica Burton follows her mark, cutting through the paint, but then just stays in the paint to serve as a sneaky double-team.
0.30: I have a standing official complaint that Napheesa Collier is too good at basketball. Sneaks up the surprise shot right around the 30-second mark, which is game-theoretically good so that the Lynx will get the last shot of the quarter.
Q3
8.40. Little thing: I like how Kayla Thornton came from the opposite side of the shot to rebound that three, and she tries to push Collier under the basket. Kevon Looney had a theory that most three-pointers, the rebound goes to the opposite side. This time it worked, but the rebound was too far for her to track down.
6.09 That play had a happy ending, but Veronica Burton and Janelle Salaün were very much not on the same page. Early I think Veronica wanted Ja to set a wide screen for Cecilia, but Ja didn’t, and then eventually Veronica signals for her to clear out completely. Zandalasini’s mid-range jumper could be an important factor for the Valkyries, just like Courtney Williams gives shot diversity to the Minnesota Lynx diet. The Lynx defense is going to be giving up mid-range jumpers since they are not efficient as a first option, but as a last option, it’s great to have someone who can hit those.
Coach’s Challenge. The arena is playing “Sally When the Wine Runs Out”. What’s the connection to challenges again?
Yeaaaah, Sally, you did it! No foul on Tip. But... MIN gets the ball back? I guess what you win is having more minutes of Tiffany Hayes.
Can’t count on Kayla McBride missing this many threes in the future, but we take fortune any way it comes.
5.07, interesting that Minnesota puts Olivia Miles off-ball there. The Valks have had a lot of luck attacking her dribble and passes today.
4.43. Ex-Valkyrie Chloe Bibby is in the game for MIN. She misses the three, and she misses so badly that she threatened low-flying aircraft. However, next play she gets a hand grenade at the last second and chucks in a prayer of a shot from the free-throw line.
3.00. In a low-scoring game like this, the whole thing might be decided by one player getting hot from three from here on out.
Valkyries switch a screen, and Olivia Miles gets ISOed on Kiah Stokes. Interesting that Olivia does not feel confident enough to try to treat Stokes like a traffic cone. The Valkyries digging in from near help has just been too good this game.
2.40. HERE COMES THE CHENERAL
JA AVEC LE NON NON OUI TROIS
Sorry, have to fix that sticky caps lock
2.00. Key moments here. Minnesota has their bench in, which I believe the Valkyries smacked around last time. The bench, they are really getting into Kaitlyn Chen’s body. Gabby hits the aforementioned inefficient mid-range jumper at the shot clock buzzer, big time.
0.40. Oh wow, Coffey saved the Lynx’s hide there. GSV played a lot of good D on that extended possession, to no avail. Whoa, they’re going to count that basket?? What an amazing Coffey putback if so. That looked so after the buzzer.
And, won’t count.
Q4
In the intermission, the Minnesota Vixen, the Women’s Football Alliance champs, are honored.
10.00. Come for Kaitlyn Chen’s drive penetration into the paint, forcing help to rotate. Stay for Kiah Stokes, setting a hammer screen on her own defender so that she can’t rotate out to contest Ja’s corner three. NON NON OUI!
8.50. That was an uncharacteristically inefficient quick shot from Phee.
8.41. McBride having a horrible jump shooting game, mixes it up by going to the basket. The Lynx haven’t posted up Napheesa that much this game. I guess we’re gonna leave that bullet in the holster.
8.27: Kaitlyn Chen and Zandalasini. Notice it’s an empty side pick and roll, meaning no one is on their left, so there’s no defensive help coming from that side. Cecilia just misses the bunny.
8.16. I really don’t like that quick shot from Olivia Miles either. She’s guarded by Janelle Salaün, which means she should have an advantage attacking the basket. However, because she hoists up the three, that means Janelle runs down court and Miles has to guard her. Janelle is almost surprised to see this is happening, and she gets the ball for what should be an easy post up, but Howard makes a wonderful help dig. Howard barrels down court, and Kaitlyn Chen narrowly misses getting pancaked by a falling Howard.
6:30: Veronica feels pretty comfortable isolating Miles. This time she hops back for a calm elbow jumper.
5:54. I don’t know where this came from, but the shot making from both teams has suddenly gone off the charts. Gabby Williams pulls up for a reluctant three, which made me involuntarily utter the words “Oh my God.”
5.00 mega big play from Janelle Salaün, there, hustle rotation to get to the open Coffey at the top of the key, and then when the close out is attacked, I think she knocks it loose. In metrics, megabig play means the effect of 1,000 big plays.
4.39. Then next play, Zandalasini gets a simple dribble handoff from Veronica, but Veronica nails McBride with the screen. Coffey is too slow to switch, and Zandalasini is too in rhythm from all those midis.
This must be the most the Valkyries have been up on the Lynx in a very long time, maybe the most in franchise history? Is that crazy to say?
Oh I think GSV was up double digits in last year’s Game 2.
After this game, win or lose, Courtney Williams may demand a raise.
4.30. I don’t understand why Minnesota has Natasha Howard spaced out on the three-point arc. She finally ducks into the paint to post up Cecilia and gets a foul.
3.50. They run the same play as before: a wing dribble handoff from Veronica Burton to Cecilia, but that’s covered well. Then they go to Cecilia setting a screen for Janelle and popping out instead of rolling. That doesn’t work, so they just chuck the ball to Cecilia and run the play: “Save us, Cecilia,” and she trebuchets an emotionally satisfying three.
THE TREBUCHET THREE COUNTS
OH YOU KNOW WHAT 14 RIVALS QUIZ I’M RUNNING TOMORROW
ALL FURTHER COMMENTARY WILL BE IN CAPITALS, THANK YOU
2.56. CE CI
2.28. Okay, MIN starters are gone. The offense is literally throw it to Ceci every time. Is this necessary?
VERONICA_BURGLAR.GIF
1.46. Gabby throws CZ the hand grenade... Is this a team-wide mission to try to get Zandalasini to 20?
1.25. You can see Veronica hold up the HORNS symbol and also say the word HORNS. Naturally, the play is a kick out to Cecilia.
CEEEEELEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON
I understand that a lot of these notes are just incoherent yelling, but there was a lot of X’s and O’s in there, too.
The game wasn’t technically close in the fourth, but just given all of the weight of history, I deem this game still fulfilling the corporate mission of Always Close Enough To Hurt™.
ahahahahahaha
Veronica post-game on USA
VB is playing it ultra cool. She displays all the excitement of someone waiting to go in for a dental cleaning.
Veronica post-game
Avoided taking threes that let them get out in transition.
Nakase post-game
Huge leap to play well for all 4 quarters.
Landon’s scout.
Best defensive performance of the season? Hard to say. But no dips in effort and execution.
No letdown today from V. Staff has been working on her to keep going and give what the team needed. She made all the play calls.
Eric: These press conference zooms in MIN have ended ultra abruptly. No “thanks everybody” no “questions are closed”. It’s like they’re talking and then suddenly EARTHQUAKE and they dive under the table and the zoom turns off.
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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