Let The Playoffs Begin
08/17/2022
By: Jeff Yoder
WNBA Playoffs Tip Off Tonight With Best-of-3 Series
The WNBA postseason is about to begin. Eight teams enter, one team gets crowned. The WNBA playoff format is a four-round bracket featuring a best-of-3 series in the first round before best-of-5 matchups in the semifinals and finals. Teams aren’t broken into division (East vs. West) like the NBA. Instead, the overall seeding comes into play. The top five teams in the postseason boast significantly better records than seeds 6, 7 and 8.
Matchups to Watch: Sabrina Ionescu gets her first playoff experience tonight with the Liberty, but New York is facing off against the defending champion Sky. Expect the top-seeded Aces to take advantage of a depleted Mercury roster. It could be the final few games for Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. Anything can happen in a best-of-3, but expect the Storm and Mystics to provide the best opening-round matchup.
Tonight’s Schedule
Gm 1: #2 Sky vs. #7 Liberty (8:00 pm ET)
Gm 1: #1 Aces vs. #8 Mercury (10:00 pm ET)
Tomorrow’s Schedule
Gm 1: #3 Sun vs. #6 Wings (8:00 pm ET)
Gm 1: #4 Storm vs. #5 Mystics (10:00 pm ET)
Additional Storylines
WNBA: WNBA Playoff Breakdown: Insight on First-Round Games
ESPN: Ranking the Top 25 Players in the WNBA Postseason
Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images