Golden State Valkyries found what Indiana Fever did not have in 2026: The key to its second-place finish

The regular season is over, and it left behind an image that is difficult to ignore. Golden State Valkyries finished second in the WNBA, while Indiana Fever, with Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston among its main stars, finished sixth.

The difference was not only in the standings. Both teams reached the playoffs after building very different seasons, and the contrast between their paths helps explain why Golden State managed to finish so high.

The key was what Golden State did not allow

Golden State finished the season as the WNBA's best defensive team, allowing just 75.1 points per game .

That number tells an important part of the story. While Indiana built an offense capable of producing 96.0 points per game , the Valkyries made defense one of the pillars of their season.

The difference does not mean that one formula was enough and the other was not. It means that both teams found different ways to win games.

Golden State turned something into a constant that Indiana did not have as its defining trait: limiting its opponents' production. And when a team can stay close to its opponents on the scoreboard, even before finding its best offensive version, it gives itself another chance to compete until the end .

That identity also allowed the team to avoid relying on a single player to carry its season.

Golden State spread the workload

Gabby Williams finished as the team's leading scorer at 14.4 points per game, while Veronica Burton contributed 5.7 assists and led Golden State in steals with 69 .

Kaitlyn Chen also became an important piece and had one of her most decisive moments in the very game that ultimately determined second place. Kiah Stokes, meanwhile, made an impact in the paint and finished the season with 248 rebounds and 74 blocks, both franchise records .

The production was not limited to the starters, either. Golden State stood out throughout the season for the contributions of its bench players , another element that helped sustain the team over 44 games.

That is where one of the most interesting differences with Indiana emerges. Fever had three stars capable of putting up huge numbers, while the Valkyries found value in different parts of their roster.

And then came the final game

Second place still needed one final confirmation. Golden State entered Thursday, September 24 with the spot on the line and ended up experiencing one of the biggest comebacks of its season.

The Valkyries fell 16 points behind against the Los Angeles Sparks. A loss would have opened the door for the Las Vegas Aces to take second place after beating Phoenix Mercury.

Kaitlyn Chen scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, and the result ultimately secured the second seed for the Valkyries. The Aces finished third despite winning their own game.

The scene summarized several of the characteristics that had defined Golden State throughout the year: a defense that kept the team in contention, different players stepping up in important moments and a bench capable of contributing when the game demanded it.

Indiana had a different kind of power

The contrast with Indiana Fever is inevitable because its season also featured some huge numbers.

Caitlin Clark finished with 22.3 points and 8.5 assists per game, while Kelsey Mitchell averaged 24.7 points and Aliyah Boston recorded 14.2 points and 9.1 rebounds.

Together, those pieces helped Indiana finish with the league's most productive offense, averaging 96.0 points per game, along with a 28-16 record .

But the end of the regular season changed the team’s position in the bracket. Indiana entered the final day provisionally in fifth place and needed a win to hold onto it. The Washington Mystics defeated the Chicago Sky, while the Fever lost 86-66 to the Minnesota Lynx .

Both teams finished with the same record, and Washington claimed fifth place through the head-to-head tiebreaker. Indiana dropped to sixth.

As a result, a season in which Fever made history on offense ended with a first-round matchup against the Las Vegas Aces , the defending champions.

Golden State found an identity of its own

That is ultimately what separates the two stories without turning them into a comparison of who did more or less.

Now that construction will face its first major playoff test. Golden State will open the first round on September 27 against the Dallas Wings, with home-court advantage and a regular season that has already made one thing clear: the franchise may be new to the league, but it did not arrive to wait its turn.