The Golden State Valkyries squandered a 17-point lead and ended up being eliminated in a one-point playoff loss Wednesday night — but the bigger embarrassment might belong to ESPN, whose announcers’ microphones died out through much of the fourth quarter.

Your Golden State Valkyries had their backs against the wall coming into Wednesday night’s playoff game, down 0-1 in a best-of-three series against the Minnesota Lynx, meaning that a loss would eliminate them and end their season. And they energized their “home” crowd in a game that actually had to be played in San Jose, because the Chase Center is booked for the Laver Cup tennis tournament.

The scrappy, first-year, upstart Valkyries put up one hell of a fight, at one point leading the Lynx by 17 points early in the third quarter. But the Minnesota Lynx showed why they are four-time WNBA champions, and went to the WNBA Finals just last year, coming back in the fourth quarter and ending the Valkyries season in a 75-74 loss that came down to the game’s final shot, and ended the Valkyries’ storybook first-year season.

The national broadcast on ESPN of course kept showing shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge during commercial transitions, even though the game was being played 50 miles away in San Jose. (There were occasional shots of the San Jose’s host arena the SAP Center, but the exterior of that arena was completely done up in San Jose Sharks banners.)

And as noticed by many eagle-eyed viewers (and you can see it in the video below), there were giant pink splotches on the court in front of both team’s benches. Clearly something had been scrubbed off that court! These were the exact same wooden planks that are used in Valkyries games as the Chase Center, and a look at those planks shows that the words that were scrubbed out were indeed the words “Chase Center.”

Regardless, the Valkyries came out roaring Wednesday night, and had built a 13-point lead at halftime. They then led by as many as 17 points about a minute into the third quarter.

But the Valkyries youth and inexperience showed, as the Lynx dominated the fourth quarter by starting on an 11-0 run, and their multiple pink-haired players ran the table by outscoring the Valks 26-9 up until the final minute of the fourth. You may not have caught much of this, because the ESPN announcers lost their microphone feed, and there was hardly any announcing at all as much of the pivotal fourth quarter played out.

There was also a long delay after halftime, as apparently a game clock malfunctioned (I just figured someone threw a dildo on the court). Still, that’s two pretty big technology errors Wednesday night. This may or may not have been because SAP Center was unprepared for an event of this magnitude, but hopefully, the Valkyries will never have to play another home game outside the Chase Center again.

After the last-second loss, fans still gave the team a standing ovation for more than a full minute. And why not? The Valkyries had the most wins ever for a WNBA expansion team, and were the first-ever WNBA expansion team to make the playoffs in their first year. They sold out every game, and their coach Natalie Nakase was named Coach of the Year for the league.

The Chronicle’s Scott Oster describes these cobbled-together Valkyries as “a garage-sale team, assembled from spare parts, [with] not a superstar in the room.” So there is plenty of reason for optimism going forward, given how much this roster of obscure players overachieved this season.

Let’s give you more reason for optimism. Next season, the WNBA will not resemble what it was this year. Almost all of the league will be free agents once the WNBA Finals conclude in mid-October, and there is a massive ESPN TV contract coming for the WNBA that will revolutionize the league financially.

Yes, the players will threaten to go on strike, as the league negotiates a new collective bargaining agreement with them. The players will want far larger salaries as those hundreds of millions in new ESPN funds roll in, and after some likely tense negotiations, they will almost certainly get those far larger salaries.

And the Valkyries may be the biggest spender ahead of next season, being the most valuable team in women’s sports. Owner Joe Lacob also owns the Warriors, and has proven he will spend outrageous sums to win championships. So don’t be surprised if the Valkyries use free agency and build a “superteam” the likes of which is even greater than the four-time champions who beat them Wednesday night.

Related: Valkyries Must Win Playoff Game Tonight or Be Eliminated, Even as Coach Named WNBA Coach of the Year [SFist]

Image: SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Kaila Charles #6 of the Golden State Valkyries drives towards the basket against Courtney Williams #10 of the Minnesota Lynx during the first half in the first round of Game Two of WNBA Playoffs at Sap Center on September 17, 2025 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)