SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Exhausted and finally able to catch her breath, Jess Smith sat down for a celebratory postgame meal out with her family when two preteen boys at a nearby table began analyzing all the winning plays by the Golden State Valkyries from earlier in the day.

They impressed the president of the WNBA’s newest team with their knowledge, discussing the highlights just like they surely would Stephen Curry and the NBA’s Warriors.

“They were pronouncing the players’ names correctly, they were talking so passionately about how skilled our players were,” Smith said. “You could tell they watched the whole game and they were sitting there with each other talking about it, just as they would any other Bay Area team.”

As the WNBA playoffs begin this weekend, the Valkyries aren’t just

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