How the Golden State Valkyries' historic defense has them on brink of WNBA Finals berth

SAN FRANCISCO — Whenever Chelsea Gray receives an inbound pass, she knows she'll likely be met with limbs. Taller limbs. Longer limbs.

Sometimes it's Kayla Thornton, the Golden State Valkyries' starter at the 4. It might be Cecilia Zandalasini, known less for her defense and more for her back-breaking, end-of-clock turnaround jumpers.

It could be Kaila Charles, an energetic reserve who may be overqualified for that role at this point. Maybe it's former Las Vegas Aces teammate Tiffany Hayes, whose pressure can force one to dribble off their own foot.

Regardless of the participant, Gray has to deal with it. Over, and over, and over again.

"Nobody likes to get picked up full-court," Aces head coach Becky Hammon told Yahoo Sports when asked about the Valkyries' high pick-up points ahead of Game 2, which Golden State would win 83-81 to take a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday.

As disruptive (another descriptor used by Hammon) as that early pressure can be, it's only the beginning.

The Valkyries' pressure ramps up in the half-court. Off-ball actions are stifled by early prep work and tons of (legal) physicality. On-ball defenders are in the jersey of whoever is tasked with initiating offense for the Aces, hounding them while they wait for something to open up.

When it isn't Gray dealing with it, it's likely Jackie Young — one of the league's elite who has looked like a shell of herself in this series.

Once it's time for a ball screen, the Aces often find themselves at a disadvantage:

They don't know if they'll win at the point-of-attack.

They don't know what coverage is coming from the big involved.

In the event they solve the first two, there's likely going to be a help defender (or two, or three) waiting on them.

Because of the early pressure, they've likely lost valuable time on the shot clock to figure it out.

This is how the Aces, headlined by the (future) GOAT in A'ja Wilson, fueled by the dynamic play of Young, guided by the steady hand of Gray, find themselves in the mud.

"For us, it's constantly making sure that they're off-rhythm," Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told reporters after Game 2.

"Being able to utilize our numbers, keeping that type of energy, that type of ball pressure, that type of resistance and our shifts, is our focus. It really goes back to [controlling] what we can control … I feel like we really emptied the tank tonight."

An Aces team that finished second in offensive rating (112.9) — a top-five mark of all time — has struggled to crack 100 ( 97.2 through two ) in this series. And ultimately, that downturn in effectiveness is why they're heading back to Vegas facing a daunting 0-2 deficit.

It may be surprising to watch this particular trio — with all of the talent, the gravity, the championship experience — struggle the way they have. It shouldn't be a surprise that the Valkyries are the ones to force that struggle.

They weren't just the league's best defense this year, boasting a 99.1 defensive rating . They were nearly 10 points better than league average , making them (statistically) the stingiest defense in league history .

This roster is full of high-level defenders, but you have to start with their big three. Gabby Williams is coming off back-to-back top-three finishes in Defensive Player of the Year voting due to her on-ball peskiness and off-ball lurking. She's done a tremendous job of making Young uncomfortable in this series — and serving her buckets on the other end.

Kiah Stokes has long been an elite interior defender — and probably should've earned some DPOY love in her own right. Her work against Wilson has been superb; per Second Spectrum, Wilson is a whopping 7-of-19 (36.8%) on shots contested by Stokes. And in general, she just seems to be in the right place when you need her:

Her pick-and-roll work in tandem with Williams (guarding Young) has also been impactful, particularly when asked to switch. Through two games, the Aces haven't scored on a possession where Stokes has switched onto Young after a ball screen.

Then there's Veronica Burton, the Valkyries' point-of-attack maestro. While she's gotten cracks at pestering Young or Gray, she's also, notably, been given the Bri Turner assignment through the first two games.

It's a fun bit of cross-matching from Nakase, a downstream effect of wanting to put more length on Gray. It unlocks Burton as a roamer, giving her freedom to plug driving lanes and ultimately cramp space for the Aces.

"It's like a mini one-man zone," Hammon said .

It also puts Burton in spots that guards aren't usually accustomed to, with a mental checklist that deviates from the norm.

It may be cool to roam off a big early in a possession, for example, but there's a responsibility to make sure that big doesn't get busy on the glass.

"Well, I didn't rebound tonight," Burton said with a chuckle. "But there's an attention to detail in boxing out a big opposed to a guard. Especially at the point guard position, because a lot of times point guards have to get back on defense."

Hammon noted ahead of Game 2 that there could be opportunities for Turner to counter Burton's roaming with more aggression on the offensive glass.

To Burton's credit, she ended up logging 12 box-outs in Game 2, per Second Spectrum — a postseason high, and just the sixth time all season that she logged at least 10 in a game. Turner didn't record an offensive rebound in Game 2, and has only one for the series.

When you have tone-setters like Williams, Stokes and Burton, it makes it easier for everyone to fall in line.

Thornton doesn't mind hounding a future Hall of Fame point guard 60+ feet from the basket. Charles, Hayes and Zandalasini can do the same. A youngster like Aminata Gueye can come in and defend Wilson without fear, like we saw in Game 1.

The Aces made some tweaks in Game 2, notably sizing up by giving recently acquired Kalani Brown a postseason-high 23 minutes off the bench. She certainly produced, logging 9 points and 8 rebounds (3 OREB) and helping the Aces win her minutes by three.

With only a day between games, it'll be fascinating to see what other adjustments the Aces attempt to make to loosen things offensively and, ultimately, save their season. It's also worth monitoring if Jewell Loyd, who exited Game 1 and ultimately missed Game 2 with a leg injury, will make her return on Friday.

If the first two games are any indication, the Valkyries will be up for any challenge they face. With this kind of defense to lean on, why wouldn't they be?