The Golden State Valkyries are two wins from a WNBA title, and if they get there they'll do something no team in league history has done: win a championship without a first- or second-team All-WNBA player, the San Francisco Standard reported.
Why it matters: The second-year franchise has built its run on depth and defense rather than a single star, challenging the league's usual blueprint for a champion.
A different route
Golden State went 32-12 in the regular season and was 7-3 in the playoffs as of Monday, the Standard reported. Three teams have reached the Finals without a first- or second-team All-WNBA player, and none won: the 2001 Charlotte Sting, 2006 Sacramento Monarchs and 2014 Chicago Sky.
Gabby Williams, the team's most recognizable star, played about 25 minutes a game in the regular season. Starting center Kiah Stokes averaged 3.6 points.
The awards they did win
- Janelle Salaün was the unanimous Sixth Player of the Year, getting all 74 votes, the WNBA said. She led reserves at 12.7 points per game and set single-season bench records for points (509) and 3-pointers (93).
- Williams made the All-Defensive First Team and was runner-up to the Dream's Angel Reese for Defensive Player of the Year, and Veronica Burton and Stokes made the second team, the Valkyries announced.
- Coach Natalie Nakase finished second in Coach of the Year voting, 20 votes behind Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve, the Standard reported.
The Valkyries led the league in defense, allowing 75.1 points per game, according to the team.
What's next
Golden State has held the Atlanta Dream to fewer than 65 points in each of its Finals wins, the Standard reported. The Valkyries need two more wins to claim the franchise's first championship.