W.N.B.A. Playoff Preview: Two Teams to Rule Them All

Two superteams, the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty, dominated the W.N.B.A. season, as anticipated. They had been so good that solely two others groups within the 12-team league even managed a successful document.

A closing between them has the potential to be a basic. But first, they should make it by way of the six different groups within the W.N.B.A. playoffs.

When do the playoffs begin?

The first sport of the best-of-three quarterfinals, Minnesota at Connecticut, is on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern, with Chicago at Las Vegas following at 10 p.m. The Washington-New York and Atlanta-Dallas sequence will begin on Friday.

The best-of-five semifinals are scheduled from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3, and the finals will begin Oct. 8 and run by way of Oct. 20, if all 5 video games are vital.

What do the first-round matchups appear to be?

The huge two groups, the Aces (34-6 within the common season) and the Liberty (32-8), are prohibitive favorites over the Chicago Sky and the Washington Mystics, although the Mystics have their former M.V.P., Elena Delle Donne, again from harm, and the Sky have a historical past of deep playoff runs after subpar common seasons.

The league’s third-best workforce has clearly been the Connecticut Sun (27-13), which might be anticipated to beat the Minnesota Lynx. In the ultimate sequence, the Dallas Wings had been three video games higher than the Atlanta Dream within the common season and have home-court benefit, so ought to be the favourite.

Who’s going to win all of it?

The Aces or the Liberty, the Liberty or the Aces? That’s been the query all season.

The Aces are the reigning champions, and so they have been even higher this yr. The Liberty managed to land Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot within the low season to soar from a mean workforce to greatness.

The groups break up their 4 regular-season league conferences, however the Liberty gained a fifth sport, the ultimate of the brand new Commissioner’s Cup. The betting odds favor the Aces, however, in fact, it appears too near name.

Could the Sun spoil the occasion? A 1-6 document in opposition to the highest two groups doesn’t bode effectively. The different 5 groups within the playoffs would want a run of kind not seen all season to win the title.

How can I watch the video games?

ABC and the ESPN channels might be telecasting the video games.

What’s this I hear about flights?

Unlike within the N.B.A., journey within the W.N.B.A. is usually business, which has been a degree of competition between the gamers and the league. This yr, the league introduced that, for the playoffs a minimum of, groups would fly constitution.

But there are limits, sources have reported: Charter flights can be allowed solely as soon as between sequence, permitting a workforce, for instance, to fly dwelling from a sequence by constitution however not onward to the following sequence.

Who are the gamers to observe?

Just about each Ace who steps on the court docket. The star ahead and reigning M.V.P. A’ja Wilson (22.8 factors, 9.5 rebounds and a pair of.2 blocks a sport, and a record-tying 53-point sport) is complemented by the sharpshooting guard trio of Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray (seven assists per sport).

An extended W.N.B.A. season this yr allowed Stewart to interrupt the league document for factors scored, although Jewell Loyd of Seattle broke her document just a few days later. In addition to Jones and Vandersloot, the Liberty have Sabrina Ionescu, the highest 3-point shooter within the league.

The Sun are led by the versatile ahead Alyssa Thomas, who led the league in rebounds, and practically in assists. And she recorded six triple-doubles this season, a league document.

What groups and gamers are lacking?

Candace Parker joined the Aces as a splashy low season signing, however the two-time M.V.P. has been sidelined indefinitely with a fractured foot. She performed the primary half of the season however has been out since early July.

It would have been enjoyable to see the No. 1 draft choose and possible rookie of the yr Aliyah Boston in motion, however her Indiana Fever didn’t make the playoffs.

After 10 straight seasons within the playoffs, the Phoenix Mercury completed final and didn’t qualify. That means no playoffs for Brittney Griner, who rejoined the league after spending 10 months in Russian jail on drug prices. Remarkably, she returned to make the All-Star workforce and common 17.5 factors a sport, nearly her profession common.