Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes, catching a pass during a practice in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, told head coach Natalie Nakase that she thought this Golden State team can win a WNBA championship.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
DALLAS — The playoff stage is relatively new for this Golden State Valkyries franchise. Their beatdown of the Dallas Wings on Sunday served up their very first postseason win, a taste of what it’s like to be the hunted and fend off a feisty underdog.
For Tiffany Hayes, it’s a lot more familiar. On Sunday, the 37-year-old WNBA veteran embarked on her eighth trip to the playoffs — and every one has been its own unique experience.
She was the Atlanta Dream’s budding star during a Finals run in 2013, then primary offensive creator. She was an X-factor with the Connecticut Sun in 2023 before joining the Las Vegas Aces as the league’s premier bench performer in 2024. Those teams both fell in the semifinals.
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This time around? Hayes has the Valkyries going all the way.
“‘We can win it this year,’” head coach Natalie Nakase said Hayes told her in the week leading up to the playoffs.
“We had that conversation,” Nakase said after Game 1 on Sunday. “We had that conversation of how hungry she is to win one.”
Coach Natalie Nakase laughs with Valkyries players during a practice in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. Golden State will play the Dallas Wings in Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs on Wednesday.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
For as many times she has gotten close to a title, Hayes ought to be hungry. But underneath that hunger this year is an intuition that this team just feels different than previous also-rans.
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“It’s our camaraderie. How we all jelled together,” Hayes said. “Our willingness to learn and keep learning throughout the season and not be satisfied with where we’re at.”
Chemistry and positive vibes may be a perceived advantage, but Hayes points out Golden State’s true advantage: Their bench, where Hayes, a former Sixth Player of the Year, leads the way.
“I think once we come in, we don’t let up,” Hayes said. “We want this from start to finish. When I say start to finish, I mean from the first person to the last person. Everybody’s coming in and giving their all, and then the next person’s coming in and doing the same. So it’s kind of hard for other teams to keep up. That’s the biggest difference.”
The Valkyries’ postseason chances may be hampered by the absence of a star scorer. But the way they differentiate themselves from the rest is with a bench that leads the league in scoring and offensive rating.
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Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes greets teammates during a practice in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. The team will play the Dallas Wings in Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs on Wednesday.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
As Wings head coach Jose Fernandez acknowledged after losing Game 1 by 24 points, “Golden State’s strength is their bench. They’ve got the No. 1 bench in the league.”
That was perhaps best exemplified in the second quarter of Game 1, when the Valkyries scored a franchise-high 37 points (for any quarter) and pulled away. That explosive quarter doesn’t happen without Hayes.
The Valkyries played the first quarter tight and fell behind early, missing shots while Wings star Paige Bueckers drained difficult shots despite Gabby Williams’ best efforts to contain her.
The energy shifted once Hayes checked in the final four minutes of the frame. She started out with a steal and layup in transition, then she scored five more points before the buzzer rang with Golden State down just one.
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Hayes kicked off the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers and the rest of her teammates on the floor looked inspired. Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini found their stride, the defense forced turnovers and the Valkyries had a 27-point lead by the half.
Hayes had 15 points in nine minutes, ending up with 21 points for the game.
“I’m just taking what the game gives me at all times,” Hayes said. “It just so happened to be that I was the one that’s open on a lot of those. Normally, I’m the playmaker, so just learning to make the right reads in the game where I was open and knocking down the shots.”
Depth may be the key to the Valkyries’ success, but a veteran player with loads of playoff experience is doing that little bit extra by helping her teammates unclench.
Valkyries guards Tiffany Hayes and Kaitlyn Chen dance during a team practice in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. Hayes cited the team’s camaraderie as one reason she thinks Golden State can win a WNBA championship.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
That’s happening behind the scenes, too. The Valkyries create mini games during their practices and film sessions, and Hayes got feisty during their latest one, here in Dallas on Tuesday.
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“We did a competition today after our film and she took it so seriously,” Nakase said, without disclosing details. “I thought she was going to punch me in the face because I changed a rule.”
Despite that seriousness as a competitor, Hayes has shown her teammates how it’s done while also keeping it light in the process.
“I feel like she’s one of those people that’s always bringing the energy,” Veronica Burton said. “She loves the game of basketball, you can see it, and she loves the people that she’s playing with. So she brings such joy to the game and she’s one of the most competitive people that I’ve ever met. She hates to lose.”