Valkyries 74, Sun 57: "Let it fly"

One of the most common criticisms of the modern NBA is that the number of three-pointers taken has ruined the game, it’s a glorified game of HORSE, no one plays old-school basketball anymore.

Back in my day………

If you live in Boston Celtics’ country, I’m sure you’ve heard it, especially when they go cold and lose a six-game series to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals like they did last season.

But it’s all math, folks. Shooting three-pointers at a 33.3% clip is the same as shooting two-pointers at 50%. And there are some good things that come from missing as well, like long offensive rebounds, not turning it over, and spacing the floor so that there are more driving lanes when the defense has to extend.

Violet debuted Monday night.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Golden State leads the league in three-point attempts, led by Natalie Nakase, who spent nearly a decade as an assistant in the NBA and the G League (which sees even more experimental strategies sometimes). So Monday night at halftime, with her team struggling from the field, Nakase didn’t look to force the ball inside more, she just said, “Let it fly.”

The result was the Valkyries burying the tired Sun with 10 three-pointers in the second half on their way to a 74-57 win, closing Connecticut’s west coast road trip at 0-4.

For whatever reason, possibly fatigue, many of the threes in the second half Golden State were barely contested, but give them credit as well, Nakase’s team got plenty of paint touches before kicking out to wide open shooters, and at this level, lots of people are going to hit wide open three-pointers (even Olivia Nelson-Ododa hit one Monday night).  

What else did we learn Monday as Violet hatched from an egg (maybe that sparked Golden State)?:

 

1. Golden State’s defense is fascinating  - Most of my journalism experience is covering men’s college basketball in the past, and there’s some irony that - given what you just read above - the Valkyries lead the WNBA in defensive field goal percentage, yet give up the most three-pointers of any team in the league (42.5%). The keys are contesting as much as possible (32.5% ranks near the top of the league in defensive threes), while under no circumstances allowing opponents to get to the rim (like Virginia and Texas Tech, men's teams who overachieved over a long period of time). Only 11.1% of opponents’ attempts are layups. Connecticut checks in at 23.8%, second worst in the league (Chicago). Golden State is also third in the WNBA in defensive rebounding, while the Sun - of course - are dead last. 

2. Catching the ball seems hard at the moment - You can’t argue the hustle of Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards, but Edwards especially had trouble holding on to the ball, which led to three turnovers. We can chalk it up to nerves, I guess, Edwards did manage 8 points and 5 rebounds in 18 minutes, while Nelson-Ododa had one of the best offensive games of her career, scoring 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting. But she only had 4 rebounds in 30 minutes and finished a team low -21.

3. Without Mabrey and Charles… -  I’ve been asking for a lineup without Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles, and with Charles out, we got a little of it, and boy was it pretty ugly offensively. But with a bunch of rookies out there, it’s a good chance to learn, especially against a defense like Golden State. Leila Lacan had perhaps her worst game in her young WNBA career and there was no flow to speak of. But that’s going to be the future, so they need to learn.

Player of the game:  Aneesah Morrow - Morrow finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds, tying a Sun season high in boards. She still only shot 5-for-13 from the field, but she did hit a three-pointer. I think she can shoot that in the future, and she’s going to need to.

Inside the numbers : 7 -  Number of turnovers for Golden State, which may be the strongest sign on the stat sheet of a tired team. The Sun as they’re currently constructed have to force turnovers, even Lacan didn’t have a single steal in the game. Hopefully they can find a way to rest before a winnable game against Chicago Wednesday. 

Under the radar: Some were disappointed that Violet is not some kind of warrior princess type mascot, but - like everything else Golden State seems to have done - I think they got the mascot thing right. It’s unique, and while it will be compared to Ellie, competing directly against Ellie seems silly, so they went a little different. This is no disrespect to Blaze, who has been a quality mascot for a long time.

The Sun got a layup on the opening tip, the first time they've won the tip since Morrow took Nelson-Ododa's spot in the lineup. Maybe Golden State forgot Nelson-Ododa can jump high?

Quotable:  “I“I really believe she (Veronica Burton) deserves most improved player in the W because she can impact games without even scoring. So 10 assists, especially versus a team like Connecticut, like their guards are vicious on the ball, like they’re scrappy. They pressure us, and so just credit to V on being able to get to the paint, make the reads. She gets her players involved, and that’s what you need from a point guard, is someone who constantly impacts the game regardless of their scoring.” - Natalie Nakase

Next up: Wednesday vs. Chicago, 7 p.m. EDT