Tag: WNBA Playoffs

Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull

2019 WNBA Finals: Connecticut Suns vs Washington Mystics Game 2 Preview

On Sunday, the WNBA Finals began as the Washington Mystics hosted the Connecticut Sun.

After an exciting, competitive playoffs, it has come to this. Two of the league’s best teams will compete against each other to become the WNBA champion. While some teams started their championship pursuit in the first round, the Mystics and the Sun were an exception. Both teams had double byes and sat out the first two rounds of the playoffs. They waited for their semifinals opponents as they competed in the single-elimination first and second rounds.

In the Semifinals, the Mystics faced the Las Vegas Aces, and the Sun faced the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sun ended their series early, as they swept the Sparks 3-0. The Mystics beat the Aces 3-1, as the Aces won Game 3 at home. Now, the Mystics and the Sun meet in this series.

In Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, the Mystics beat the Sun 95-86. Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Her teammates chipped in, as Delle Donne was one of five players to score in double figures. Ariel Atkins scored 21 points, Kristi Toliver scored 18 points, Natasha Cloud scored 13 points and Emma Meesseman scored 11.

Delle Donne played her typical game, but one of the most noteworthy performances was from Atkins, who went 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 6 of 7 overall. Toliver, Atkins’s teammate, spoke on her performance.

“I mean, people always ask me about little A,” Mystics point guard Kristi Toliver said of Atkins. “They’re like, all right, what is little A going to bring, is this moment too big for her, da da da. I’m like, listen, little A is little freaking A, and she plays hard all the time and she gives everything all the time and she’s a selfless kid.”

For the Sun, Courtney M. Williams scored 26 points. Three of her teammates also scored in double figures as Alyssa Thomas scored 20, Shekinna Stricklen scored 13 and Jonquel Jones scored 12. Jones was relatively quiet in this game as she took only eight shots.

When discussing his team, Sun head coach Curt Miller spoke on the importance of offensive execution and transition.

“We can make shots,” Sun coach Miller said. “We can make people – we can execute offensively, and that’s going to be the challenge for both of us all series, can we string consecutive stops together. Our transition is so important to us, and we’ve got to be able to get defensive stops or turn them over so we can get in transition.”

Game 2 takes place later tonight. The Mystics have a chance to gain a 2-0 lead over the Sun, or Connecticut can tie the series as they head home for Game 3. If the Sun get Jones more involved in the offense, there is a good chance they can tie the series. We’ll see what happens later tonight.

You can watch Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at 8 pm ET on ESPN.

Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull

2019 WNBA Playoffs: Chicago Sky vs Las Vegas Aces Preview

After an exciting first round on Wednesday, the WNBA playoffs are back. The second round is set to begin as the Los Angeles Sparks host the Seattle Storm. Then, the Las Vegas Aces host the Chicago Sky.

Like the first round, the second round is single elimination. If the fourth seed Aces win this game, they advance to the Semifinals to play the Washington Mystics. Or, if the fifth seed Sky wins, they will have to wait on the first game today between the Storm and the Sparks to decide their opponent since it is all based on seeding each round.

The Mystics and the Connecticut Sun earned a double-bye after becoming the top two seeds of the league.

The Sky advanced to the second round after a 29-point win over the Pheonix Mercury. Diamond DeShields led the Sky as she finished the game with 25 points. She was one of five players to score in double-figures as starters Stefanie Dolson and Astou Ndour scored 16 points each and Allie Quigley had 15. Cheyenne Parker had 11 points off the bench.

The Sky beat the Mercury as Phoenix dealt with injuries. Their guard Diana Taurasi missed the game due to a hamstring injury. She missed this game and only played six games all season. Then, the Mercury lost another critical player, as Brittney Griner left the game after knocking knees with Quigley in the second quarter. She would return to the game but she was limited in her minutes. The Mercury battled injuries while the Sky played their game. Now, they face a tough opponent in the Aces.

The Aces are a team to watch in the playoffs. They landed at the fourth seed after going 21-13 in the regular season.

Unlike the Sky, the Aces have not played in a week. The Aces received a first-round bye. In the WNBA playoffs, the third and fourth seed receive first-round byes and wait for opponents until the second round. With the Sky’s win, the Aces have their second-round opponent.

In the regular season, the Aces won the season series 2-1. Their first win was a 90-82 win in July and the other in August.

Photo by Lorie Shaull

In their wins, Aces star A’Ja Wilson played in both games. When the Aces lost, Wilson was battling an injury. So, Wilson who is averaging 16.5 points per game, will be a factor in whether the Aces advance or not.

For the Aces, their key players in Liz Cambage who leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, Kayla McBride and Wilson have a total of three playoff games combined. They are the team of youth and talent that are inexperienced, but that nativity can play in their favor.

The Sky are riding high off their win in the first round. DeShields played well, and they won by 27-points. Their offense ran smoothly in that game, and if they do the same in this game, there have a good chance at winning.

The Aces and Sky game should be a good one. The Aces barely nudged out the Sky for the higher seed and home court advantage. The Sky could have some revenge tonight and have this game show who is truly the better team. This will be a tight close game, possibly the best playoff game so far in 2019.

You can watch this game today at 5 pm ET on ESPN 2 after the Storm vs Sparks game.

Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull

2019 WNBA Playoffs: Minnesota Lynx vs Seattle Storm Preview

The second WNBA Postseason matchup showcases the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm. This is a single elimination game, meaning win or go home tonight.

On paper this will be a tight game. Seattle is the sixth seed and Minnesota is the seventh seed, both have 18-16 overall records with 7-10 road records and 11-6 home records. For tonight’s contest the Storm will be hosting the Lynx with the Storm winning both of their home games against the Lynx this season and a 3-1 overall series lead.

These two teams are the most recent WNBA Champions, Minnesota in 2017 and Seattle in 2018. However, both of these teams are missing key pieces from their championship wins. The Lynx are without Maya Moore, who decided to sit out the 2019 WNBA season and Lindsay Whalen who has retired from professional basketball. On the other side, the Storm are without Breanna Stewart, 2018 MVP, and Sue Bird, both due to injury. But these teams have dealt with that all year and will not use missing players as an excuse in the postseason.

Instead they will be relying on their other top players to carry each team into the second round. Minnesota still has veteran leader, Sylvia Fowles, who has 13.6 points per game with 8.9 rebounds per game. The Lynx has also seen heavy contribution from Odyssey Sims who is averaging 14.5 points per game along with 5.4 assists per game. But perhaps the most intriguing player to watch for Minnesota is possible Rookie of the Year, Napheesa Collier, who has stepped up this year notching 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

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For Seattle, they have All-Star and recently announced Defensive Player of the Year, Natasha Howard, who will be busy all game guarding Fowles. She also produces on the offensive side of the ball with 18.1 points per game. A player who has stepped up this season has been Jewell Lloyd. She gives the Storm an average of 12.3 points per game.

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The Storm do come into the game with the slight edge over the Lynx given their head-to-head record and the home court advantage. But the WNBA makes the first round interesting and throws away series records for a single elimination game.

You can watch this game at 10 pm ET on ESPN 2 which immediately follows the Phoenix Mercury vs Chicago Sky game.

Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull

2019 WNBA Playoffs: Phoenix Mercury vs Chicago Sky Preview

The 2019 WNBA Playoffs have officially begun! Today is the first day of what will be an exciting playoffs. The festivities start with a game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky.

The 2019 playoffs begin today (Sept.11) and will potentially go on until Oct.10. Today’s games will be single elimination, which means either the Sky or Mercury will go home, and the later game, between the Storm or Lynx will have one of them go home as well. So, this is a must-win situation for these four teams.

The first game of the playoffs is the matchup between the Mercury and Sky. The Sky are the fifth seed of the playoffs as they finished the regular season with a record of 20-14. The Mercury are the eighth seed as they finished the season 15-19.

In the regular season, the Sky won their season series against the Mercury 3-0. In their first matchup, they beat the Mercury 82-75 in Chicago. Then, in August, the Sky beat the Mercury 94-86. Their final matchup took place this month, as the Sky beat the Mercury in a blowout win. They beat them 105-78.

All-Star Diamond Deshields has had a standout year for the Sky as she led the team in scoring with 16.2 points. Deshields played well throughout the season and had help from other players such as Allie Quigley, who averaged 13.8 points and shot 39 percent from deep. If Chicago plays like they did in the regular season, there is a good chance that they advance to the next round. However, we cannot count out the Mercury.

While the Mercury lost their last four games in the season, they are still a threat. They are led by veteran players Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner, both of which were on the Mercury’s Championship team in 2014. Griner was the league leader in scoring with 20.7 points. Bonner wasn’t too far behind as she was fifth in scoring with 17.2 points. Even though Griner averaged 20 points in the Seattle series this season and Bonner averaged 19.3 points both will have to put up even more points in this game if the Mercury want to pull out the win.

  • The Phoenix Mercury are ready to go (Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull)

While the Mercury have dealt with injuries (such as Diana Taurasi, who is doubtful in this game), they are not a team to take lightly. If they play well, they can give the Sky a challenge.

The WNBA playoffs are already off to a good start. These two teams want to win and have what it takes to get to the next round and anything can happen in postseason.

Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm ET over on ESPN 2.

Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull

A 2019 WNBA Playoffs Picture

The Playoffs are Near

With a few weeks left in the WNBA season, fans cannot help but think of the playoffs. The WNBA playoffs are set to start on September 11 with a last possible Finals date of October 11. The playoffs are less than a month away and teams preparing for them. Here is a look at the WNBA playoffs and where teams currently stand.

The playoffs are an exciting time for the WNBA and its fans. The format of the playoffs is different from the NBA’s format, but it still features the best teams of the league.

In the NBA, the top-eight teams of both conferences are seeded and face each other until two teams remain. The Eastern Conference champion faces the Western Conference champion to determine who wins the NBA Finals. The WNBA is a bit different.

Playoff Format

In the WNBA, the top-eight teams of the entire league are seeded by their regular-season record. Then, those teams go through a bracket, where the top-two seeds receive double byes and the third and fourth get first-round byes. This means the top two seeds do not play until the Semifinals and the third and fourth seed does not play until the second round. The first round features seeds 5-8, and the winner advances to the second round.

In the first round, the fifth seed goes against the eighth seed, and the sixth seed faces the seventh. The first round is single elimination and the winners of these games advance.

The second round is also single-elimination and consists of matchups between the fourth and fifth seed, and the third and sixth seed. After this round is over, the remaining teams face the top-two seeds. The lowest seed faces the first seed, and the other faces the second. For example, in last year’s Semifinals, the Phoenix Mercury matched up with the Seattle Storm. The Storm were the first seed, and the Mercury were fifth. The Atlanta Dream were second, and the Washington Mystics were third. The Mercury were the lowest seed of the remaining teams and had to play the first seed.

Then, the Semifinals, a best-of-five series, leads to the WNBA Finals. The Finals are also a best-of-five series and determine who wins the WNBA championship. Last year’s playoffs ended with the Seattle Storm winning the title.

2019 Playoff Picture

This year, there may be a new champion. There are teams that are playing well and have the chance to dethrone the Storm. Let’s look at the WNBA’s current standings and see who has the best chances of making the playoffs.

This week, the WNBA released a power ranking for Week 12. The ranking measures where teams currently stand (as of Week 12). They slightly differ from the standings but show what teams have made (vast) improvements.

In the Week 12 Power Rankings, the Washington Mystics are ranked first. They jumped one spot from Week 11’s rankings.

The Mystics have a record of 17-7. This gives them the best record of the league and the top spot of both the power rankings and standings. The Mystics are playing well, and look like the team to beat. But they may have competition.

The Los Angeles Sparks are second in the power rankings and third in standings. They have a record of 15-8. The Sparks are on a five-game winning streak as they climb up the ranking. Their recent performance made them jump from fourth (in a previous power ranking) to second. The Sparks are playing well and are showing why they are a team to look out for.

The Power Rankings feature other teams such as the Connecticut Sun, the Las Vegas Aces and the Chicago Sky. These teams are playoff-bound and have a good chance of being there come September 11. But things could change.

Standings

As of now, the Mystics would be the first seed of the playoffs. The final seed would be the Phoenix Mercury. The remaining teams fill in other seeds. If the playoffs started today, the eight playoffs teams would consist of the Mystics, the Sun, the Sparks and more. A list of the seeds can be found below.

  1. Washington Mystics
  2. Connecticut Sun
  3. Los Angeles Sparks
  4. Las Vegas Aces
  5. Chicago Sky
  6. Seattle Storm
  7. Minnesota Lynx
  8. Phoenix Mercury

Once the playoffs begin, these teams would be seeded in the WNBA playoff format. The Mystics and Sun would get double byes, the Sparks and Aces get a first-round bye, and the remaining teams play in the first round.

There are a few more weeks in the regular season, then the playoffs begin. If the standings remain relatively the same, fans have an idea of what the playoffs will look like. If these matchups occur, fans are in for a treat. So, let’s stay tuned and see what happens.