WNBA playoffs start: will the Fever surprise or will the Liberty confirm their role as favorites?

The 2024 WNBA Playoffs are upon us and the top eight teams are ready to battle it out for the title. While the New York Liberty players are the number one seed for the playoffs, the Atlanta Dream are on the other side, occupying the last playoff spot. So what does the quarterfinal pairing look like after the regular season?

• The New York Liberty dominated the regular season and enter the playoffs as the favorite to win the title
• Eight teams will play a two-game series in the first round
• Atlanta Dream clinched the eighth seed at the last minute and will face the favored Liberty

The regular season of this year’s WNBA season is over and all the cards are therefore dealt on the table. The New York Liberty players dominated this season with a 32-8 record.

Their impressive performance secured the club the first place in the playoffs, which they last did in 2015. With one of the strongest teams in the club’s history, the Liberty players are the main favorites to win the title.

In the first round, they will face Atlanta Dream, who took the last promotion spot with a 15-25 record. That result earned the Dream their second straight playoff appearance.

Although the Atlanta basketball team ended the season with a victory over the Liberty, their chances of success in the series are minimal. However, the Atlanta team has shown that they can pick themselves up at the right time.

Minnesota and Indiana are more of a surprise

The second best team of the regular season is the Minnesota Lynx with a record of 30-10. Their strong defense and excellent interplay led to an unexpectedly successful season. The Lynx will face Phoenix in the first round with star Diana Taurasi, who finished seventh with a 19-21 record.

The third-seeded team, Connecticut Sun, started the season with a great 13-1 record, but gradually lost its breath. In the playoffs, they will face the Indiana Fever, a team that made it to the elimination round for the first time in a long time thanks to a great season by number one draft pick Caitlin Clark. The Fever are an offensive threat, but they will have a tough time against the Sun with the league’s best defense. They beat Indiana Connecticut three times in the regular season.

The last matchup in the first round will be between the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm. Las Vegas, which only struggled early in the season, finally solidified its position in the Top 4 by winning nine of its last ten games. Seattle, despite having star players, has struggled with consistency and their offense has not been as effective as expected.

A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and the Aces have won the last two WNBA Finals. They will be fighting for their third title this year under head coach Becky Hammon.

But the season has also been a disappointment for several teams. Washington started the season with a disastrous 0-12 record, eventually finishing ninth with 14 wins, but improved significantly after the Olympic break. Chicago, after an injury to Angel Reese, finished the season in tenth place with 13 wins. The Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks closed out the table with 9 and 8 wins, respectively.

Who has the best chance?

Experts favour the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx. However, the WNBA playoffs are notoriously unpredictable. So surprises can happen in any game.

The playoffs begin on September 22nd. Teams will play a two-game winning streak in the first round and a three-game winning streak in the semifinals and finals. The first round is played in a 2-1 format, meaning the higher seeded team gets the first two games at home, while the lower seeded team gets the deciding third game at home if the series goes that far. In the semi-finals and finals, the standard 2-2-1 format is played, with the higher seed hosting games 1, 2 and 5 if necessary.

Source: WNBA, USA Today