Natalie Nakase left Tuesday’s practice talking about Tiffany Hayes the same way Golden State has started using her: as a problem the other side has to solve fast. After a drill at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, Nakase said Hayes was so locked in she thought she might punch her in the face.
“We did a competition after our film today, and she took it so serious I thought she was going to punch me in the face,” Nakase said. “The competitive edge she has, whether it’s a game, a walk-through shootaround, a free-throw game — she wants to win everything. That’s just instilled in [Hayes], that’s who she is.”
Hayes turned 37
Hayes turned 37 this month, but the number has not slowed the way she is being used. The Valkyries’ oldest and most experienced player is also in her 14th WNBA season, and she has already delivered the kind of instant scoring that changes a playoff rotation without needing starter minutes. Nakase said Golden State embraces Pride Night Friday, another sign the team is still managing a postseason run while keeping its public-facing messaging tight.
On Sunday, Hayes made her first postseason appearance as a Valkyrie in a 104-80 win over Dallas and scored 21 points with four assists in fewer than 20 minutes. She shot seven of 10 from the field and three of five from 3-point range, and she scored 13 consecutive points in the first half. That is bench production with playoff weight, not empty volume.
Game 1 changed the rotation
Veronica Burton said Hayes “can take over a game in an instant” and that “to do that coming off the bench is incredible. She changes the game.” Gabby Williams was even shorter about the effect: “She’s just unguardable.” Hayes also intercepted Awak Kuier’s pass and set up a 3-pointer by Kayla Thorton in the second quarter, a sequence that showed how quickly she can flip possession into points.
That matters because Golden State held a 1-0 advantage over the Dallas Wings and was scheduled to play for a semifinal bid on Wednesday. Hayes had 34 career playoff games across eight playoff runs before Sunday, plus two national championships at UConn, a 2013 trip to the WNBA Finals with the Atlanta Dream and an All-Star start in 2017. Few players on this roster can bring that much postseason memory into a game and still attack like the first option.
Hayes called veteran presence important because those players “have been around the longest” and carry the knowledge needed to win games and championships. She said, “For me personally, I get to be the vet that I can be — I can still be myself.” That is the useful contradiction here: Golden State’s oldest player is also the one most likely to swing a short playoff series in a few ruthless minutes, and the bench has become the cleanest place for that edge to show up.
