The Golden State Valkyries were not supposed to be here. After all, they are an expansion team with just two seasons of WNBA experience. However, that did not stop them from making waves. From a soaring valuation to record-setting attendance, ticket demand, and on-court success, head coach Natalie Nakase’s side now finds itself in the WNBA Finals in record time. And to say the Valkyries had doubters throughout this journey would be an understatement.

One such doubter was former college basketball player turned WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita. Even after finishing as the second seed with 32 regular-season wins, the Valkyries were not out-and-out favorites for her, as she instead believed Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever could pull it off. Appearing alongside The Athletic’s Annie Costabile, DeMita revealed how she had to go back on her take.

“A lot of people were asking me, ‘Do you think that they can win at all?’ And I was like, ‘I still think they’re one or two pieces away because I was looking at this team, they’ve been so exciting… and obviously they’re two in the standings, but we haven’t really seen them in any sort of postseason run.’ And I’m going to come out and say I think it was a bad take because they are proving all of us wrong and they’ve been outstanding.” Rachel DeMita said on the No Offseason podcast on YouTube.

It actually makes sense why DeMita would not count the Valkyries as one of the favorites, because there is no past playoff blueprint to compare to.

Last year, the Valkyries made history by becoming the first expansion side to reach the WNBA playoffs in their first season, albeit as the eighth and final seed. But their luck ran out in the playoffs, as Cheryl Reeve’s Minnesota Lynx swept them in the first round itself.

So for DeMita and plenty of others, the Valkyries were a blank canvas coming into the playoffs this time around. But the first round against the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings showed exactly why Nakase’s side was one of the best in the regular season. The Valkyries won the series 2-1, and Wings head coach Jose Fernandez even praised the franchise’s depth, saying it is the best in the league.

Clearly, the Valkyries’ offseason additions of Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes have paid off. Moreover, Nakase helped make strength in numbers the Valkyries’ biggest advantage. In the regular season, the franchise featured the most dominant bench in WNBA history, averaging 35.9 points per game.

The 30-year-old French star, who used to spend her springs and summers playing on local courts in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially benefited from her move to the Valkyries. Williams found another level this season, averaging 14.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in the regular season. But her presence was felt most in the next round.

The WNBA semifinals are where the Valkyries let the world know they are not just an expansion side. Head coach Natalie Nakase faced her former mentor Becky Hammon, who had a five-time MVP in A’ja Wilson in her arsenal, coaching a Las Vegas Aces team that won three championships in the last four years.

But the Valkyries did not care, sweeping the reigning champions 3-0 and booking their ticket to their first WNBA Finals. Gabby Williams, whose kryptonite has been the Aces in the last few seasons, redeemed herself with 25, 20, and 16 points in the three games. After the game, Williams said that the Valkyries have gone under the radar the whole season, despite being one of the best teams.

“Nobody believed in us, but honestly it made us smile cause we were like, all we need is each other, we just need to believe in each other…we just felt that we had something worth fighting for,” Williams said.

Following the Aces’ loss, Hammon could not help but tip her hat to her former assistant coach and her team’s culture.

“They really play great team ball. On any given night, any of them can have 15, 20 on you because they share the ball, and it seems—I don’t know her team that well, but it just seems like nobody cares who gets the credit, and that’s a really special thing to have on a team, and I think Golden State has that,” Hammon said about Nakase’s Valkyries, per a video on the Aces’ YouTube channel.

Now, only Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream are blocking the Valkyries from making even more history. Nakase’s side beat Dream head coach Karl Smesko thrice in the regular season, and they will be hoping that pattern continues in the playoffs. Moreover, it is clear that the Valkyries were able to change DeMita’s mind following this stretch, as she urges the Dream to finish things off soon in the WNBA Finals for their own good.

“And even when I’m looking ahead to the finals, I feel like for Atlanta, if they want to get it done, they have to get it done quick because I think if this finals goes anywhere beyond even like five games, I think it’s the Valks. So I guess… maybe it was just a bad take on my part, but I’ve been really surprised by them.” DeMita said.

Meanwhile, Sue Bird, who is known for her comprehensive perspective (it makes sense her podcast is called the Bird’s Eye View), has a pretty unique approach to the Valkyries’ position in the WNBA Finals.

“All the players talk about the belief that they have. They never lose that in each other. Even though they’re the higher seed, they like the underdog position… they thrive in that. So it’s interesting… It’s like home court advantage with an underdog mentality.” Bird said.

It remains to be seen whether the Valkyries will approach the WNBA Finals with that mentality, but one thing is clear: the crowd at Chase Center will make it hard for us to feel the Valkyries are underdogs. An expected sold-out crowd awaits the Valkyries on October 17, as they attempt to fulfill Natalie Nakase’s dream, the one she desired the moment she became the Valkyries’ head coach two years ago.

“We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.” Nakase said after being appointed as the Valkyries’ head coach.