The WNBA Playoffs Begin

The WNBA Playoff Day One Recap

The playoffs have begun which means all the best teams and best players are locked in ready to battle to lift that trophy. Every match-up on Sunday was full of amazing basketball. In case you are new to the WNBA, in the playoffs each series is the best out of three for the first rounds and best of five in the semi-final and final rounds, unlike the NBA which is best of seven. So, with a shorter series, that means there is no time for an off-game or to rest your players, every team has to give it their all every game because losing one game could be devastating. This year the playoffs will see some familiar teams and matchups Starting with the Minnesota Lynx who are 5x WNBA champs but have not been the number 2 seed since 2017. They play the first round against the 7th seed Phoenix Mercury hoping to get back to the finals for what could be Legendary player Diana Taurasi’s last WNBA playoffs. Taurusi has been hinting at a possible retirement at the end of the season so the Mercury will not be an easy round for the Lynx. The New York Liberty who lost in the final last year to the Aces are back for vengeance. They have the number 1 overall seed after having a dominant 32-win season and played against the Atlanta Dream who at the 8th seed, barely made the cut. The Dream have young star Rhyne Howard but it may not be enough for them to beat a stacked Liberty team. The next game had Connecticut Sun who also lost to Aces in the 2022 WNBA Finals as the number 3-seed vs a talented Indiana Fever. While the Sun has been here before this is the first time since 2016 that the Fever has been in a playoff game, much of that success can be attested to the young star and the 2024 Rookie Of the Year award winner Caitlin Clark. The Sun Vs Fever match-up has been one for the books this season so this playoff round is sure to be must-watch entertainment. What is probably the most anticipated match-up is the one between the 2x WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces vs the Seattle Storm a historic franchise within itself. Las Vegas had a rough start but after a mid-season turn-around, the Aces are looking for the 3-peat with the 2024 MVP A’ja Wilson leading the charge. The Seattle Storm made the playoffs as the 5th seed after not making it last year only having 11 wins. Over the summer the Storm went out and got veteran players Skylar Diggins-Smith and long-time LA Sparks player Nneka Ogwumike which has clearly paid off so far. The first game was close and the series is up for grabs. With all the amazing match-ups it’s not hard to believe that every game was a must-watch, here are the scores from every game along with the leading scorers in each game:

• Liberty handled business against the Dream winning game 1 83-69 with Leonie Fiebich scoring 21 pts for the Liberty.

• Sun pulled away from the Fever after a strong second half to win 93-69. Marina Mabrey had 27 pts for the Sun, while Fever star Caitlin Clark struggled in her first playoff game going 4-17 from the field.

• Lynx win a close one down the stretch taking game one 102-95. Lynx’s Naphessa Collier had 38 pts

• In the final game of the night the Aces beat Seattle 78-67. A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 21 pts.

Tune in on Tuesday and Wednesday to see which game one winners move on or if game 3s are necessary. All games will be on ESPN.

NWSL Weekend Recap

This weekend of NWSL games resulted in more playoff spots being solidified. It was jam-packed, with seven games being played. Orlando continued their unbeaten streak as they beat Bay FC 1-0, while KC beat thumbed the Washington Spirit 3-0 on Friday, Sept 19th, to start the weekend. KC star forward Temwa Chawinga scored her 16th goal of the season, putting three ahead of the next player and in the lead for the Golden Boot. Saturday was a jam-packed day with close games as all three games came down to a one-goal margin. The early game between Louisville and NC Courage had three goals, with Racing Louisville taking the win 2-1. Houston beat Seattle 1-0, while Chicago defeated San Diego with the same 1-0 scoreline. Gotham FC beat Utah Royals 1-0 on Sunday, clinching their home-field advantage for the playoffs. Tonight, Angel City FC takes on Portland to finish out this week’s games on Prime Video at 7 pm Pacific time. There is officially a month left of regular season play, so every game will get tighter, and the playoff bracket will begin to take shape.