The postseason alignment in the WNBA is taking shape as the regular schedule approaches its conclusion.
With only a week remaining before the playoffs commence, seven teams have secured their places in the postseason tournament, while the Dallas Wings and the Los Angeles Sparks have been officially ruled out of playoff contention.
That means three teams are competing for the last available playoff position, suggesting the closing days of the season will carry significant weight.
In advance of the regular season’s final week, here’s an overview of the current playoff landscape:
- New York Liberty, 31-7 (Secured playoff spot)
- Minnesota Lynx, 29-9 (Secured playoff spot)
- Connecticut Sun, 27-11 (Secured playoff spot)
- Las Vegas Aces, 25-13 (Secured playoff spot)
- Seattle Storm, 24-14 (Secured playoff spot)
- Indiana Fever, 20-19 (Secured playoff spot)
- Phoenix Mercury, 18-20 (Secured playoff spot)
- Washington Mystics, 13-25
- Chicago Sky, 13-25
- Atlanta Dream, 13-25
As the week approaches, the most interesting narratives revolve around the Mystics, Sky, and Dream, as these three teams compete for a postseason berth.
For the majority of the previous weeks, the competition for the No. 8 seed has primarily involved the Sky and Dream, but Washington’s 7-3 record in its last 10 games has propelled it into playoff contention. Regrettably for the Mystics, they face a challenging schedule this week, with matches against the top-seeded Liberty and the Fever.
On Tuesday, the Dream and Sky will clash in a pivotal game with significant consequences. The victor of this game is likely to secure the final playoff spot. After the game against Atlanta, Chicago will conclude its season against the Sun. The Dream will conclude the regular season against the Liberty.
New York has been the WNBA’s dominant team throughout the year and only needs a victory or a Lynx defeat to officially claim the No. 1 seed. The Lynx could force a tiebreaker by winning their final two games and the Liberty losing their last two games.
Should any teams conclude the year with identical records, the subsequent criteria will be used to determine the tiebreaker:
- Direct record against each other
- Winning percentage within the conference
- Winning percentage against all teams with a record of .500 or better
- Point differential in games against each other
- Coin toss
Securing the top seed is a significant achievement, as it ensures home-court advantage throughout the entire postseason.
While the Lynx will be pursuing the Liberty this week, the Sun will be aiming to surpass them for the No. 2 seed, and the Aces are hoping to seize No. 3 from Connecticut.
The team that secures the No. 3 seed could face a formidable opponent in Caitlin Clark and the Fever, who have nearly locked up the No. 6 seed. At the start of the year, Indiana appeared to be a potential playoff contender, but now they seem capable of upsetting a higher seed and making a significant playoff run.
Clark has been having one of the most outstanding rookie seasons in recent memory, and she is determined to prolong her season for as long as possible.
If the current standings remain unchanged after this week, fans could be in for an exciting postseason. The reigning champion Aces could potentially face the Liberty in the second round, in a rematch of the 2023 WNBA Finals.
Las Vegas has not had the title-defending year it had hoped for, but defeating the league’s top team in the second round would greatly simplify their quest for a three-peat.
