WNBA Playoffs 2024: Schedule, how does it work, format, bracket, rounds, past winners

What has been an unrivaled, wildly popular WNBA season now heads to its brightest spotlight — the playoffs.

The New York Liberty have been the best team in the W all season, but the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces have put it together lately behind A’Ja Wilson, who is about to win her third MVP award, and are a threat to win it all. Then lurking to surprise everyone is Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, who have found their rhythm and went 11-5 down the stretch of the season.

If you’ve got questions about the WNBA playoffs, we have answers.

When do the WNBA playoffs begin?

The WNBA Playoffs tip-off with four first-round games on Sunday, Sept. 22, and the best-of-three first round continues until Sept. 27. The WNBA semi-finals — a best-of-five series — will start a week after the first round, on Sunday, Sept. 29, and will run through Oct. 8

The WNBA Finals will start on Oct. 10 and is a best-of-five series, that can run until Oct. 20.

What is the format of the WNBA playoffs?

The eight teams with the best records of the 12 WNBA teams make the playoffs, and they are seeded into a standard tournament bracket based on where they finished (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5). The first round is a best-of-three series, followed by a best-of-five semi-finals and finals.

Which WNBA teams will be in the playoffs?

The eight teams that made the WNBA playoffs are (in seeding order):

1. New York Liberty (32-8)
2. Minnesota Lynx (30-10)
3. Connecticut Sun (28-12)
4. Las Vegas Aces (27-13)
5. Seattle Storm (25-15)
6. Indiana Fever (20-20)
7. Phoenix Mercury (19-21)
8. Atlanta Dream (15-25)

The playoff matchups for the first round are:

Atlanta vs. New York
Phoenix vs. Minnesota
Indiana vs. Connecticut
Seattle vs. Las Vegas

Which team won the 2023 WNBA championship?

The Las Vegas Aces repeated as champions when they knocked off the New York Liberty in four games to take the 2023 WNBA title. inals MVP A’Ja Wilson led the Aces averaging 21.3 points and 12.5 rebounds a game, while anchoring the team’s defense. Guard Kelsey Plum also averaged 21.3 points a game.

In 2022, the Aces beat the Connecticut Sun in four games to take the WNBA…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba-playoffs-2024-schedule-does-132030835.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-20 13:20:30

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