The highly anticipated semifinal battle between the Las Vegas Aces and Golden State Valkyries has finally begun. But before the two teams could even tip off, Natalie Nakase’s health became one of the biggest talking points, as she floated the idea of wearing a heart monitor for how stressful the remainder of the postseason is going to be. Just days after the Golden State head coach collapsed on the sideline during Game 3 against the Dallas Wings, Nakase addressed what happened during her pregame media availability on Sunday.

On the other side, Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who worked closely with Nakase during their time together in Las Vegas, also opened up about whether she ever had to tell her former assistant to slow down and work less, per the pre-game press conference posted by Valkyries United on YouTube.

“She is a little mighty mouse workhorse. There’s no doubt about that,” Hammon said. “But the stress of this time of year is real. The pressure, you don’t get a lot of sleep. You’re not eating as well as you probably should. There’s a lot of factors that go into that. It was actually kind of scary to watch. That little sucker popped right back up, though, right back up onto that marker and kept it pushing. So she’s tough.”

On October 2, with 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Valkyries’ winner-take-all Game 3 against the Wings, Nakase suddenly collapsed on the sideline during a timeout while speaking with the officials. She had to be helped back up by Golden State’s assistants, who immediately rushed over to help their head coach.

But Natalie Nakase, being the tough nut she is, quickly returned to the sidelines and guided the Valkyries to complete a remarkable 16-point comeback to beat Dallas 77-73. However, the coach didn’t make it to the post-game presser that night. So, with many still awaiting her to break her silence on the incident, Nakase finally revealed a little more about what was happening during her pregame media availability on Sunday, ahead of Game 1 against the Aces.

“Thank you, guys, for your concerns and everything. I’m good. Had a little exhaustion,” she said. “I’ve talked to you guys about what I have to learn from my father. He was an extremely hardworking man. I followed in his footsteps, and I thrive in that. But he told me, this was about 10 years ago when I never knew what I was going to do with my career, ‘Do not let your career ever get involved if your mental health or your health gets complicated.'”

“So when that happened, it definitely was like a wake-up call for me. I got checked through the doctors. Everything looks good. But you know what I’m gonna do? What my dad didn’t do? May he rest in peace. I’m going to be proactive.”

The 46-year-old coach also revealed how important information is for her, so moving forward, she will be wearing a heart monitor “just for information,” along with her Oura Ring.

“I understand this job for me. I love it. Sometimes I love it too much to a point where I overwork, and so I just want to make sure I’m being smart,” Natalie Nakase further added.

However, being proactive did not mean Nakase was about to take a step back as her team faced the defending champions.

In the semifinal opener against the defending champions, the Valkyries showed no signs of fatigue despite having only about 36 hours to recover from their dramatic comeback against Dallas. They carried that same energy into Sunday afternoon, beating the Las Vegas Aces 71-60 at Chase Center to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Golden State outrebounded Las Vegas 52-25, while Gabby Williams led the way with 25 points. Kaitlyn Chen also added 11 points off the bench, including a running layup that gave the Valkyries a 64-53 lead with 6:56 remaining. And although the Aces tried to fight their way back, Golden State never let them fully close the gap.

A’ja Wilson finished the night with 24 points for Las Vegas, but struggled from the field, going 8-for-21. The Aces also saw Jewell Loyd leave the game to a left leg injury early in the third quarter. Fans will have to wait for an update on her condition as Las Vegas evaluates her.

For Natalie Nakase, though, the biggest takeaway was simpler: after a frightening night in Dallas, she was back coaching her team on the biggest stage yet – and the Valkyries now have a 1-0 series lead to show for it.