The culmination of the ’24 WNBA Playoffs opening round sets the stage for what should be a fantastic semifinal round. The New York Liberty defeated the Atlanta Dream 2-0; the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 2-0; the Connecticut Sun defeated the Indiana Fever 2-0; and the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Seattle Storm 2-0.
We saw expeditious and efficient work by all the higher-seeded teams. The Dream, Mercury, Fever, and Storm all end their seasons earlier than they would have liked, but each is well positioned to return to the playoffs next year, and they’re better prepared to compete for an opening-round series win.
The Atlanta Dream is the most likely to retool their roster in the off-season to improve. Health was a factor in the Dream’s ’24 season, and without the injury plague, next season should be stronger. The Storm isn’t far away from a push further into the playoffs. After the Olympics, they added French National Team star Gabby Williams who helped them head into the post-season with some wind behind them. They can win a playoff series if they can re-sign her and have an entire off-season to practice and prepare together.
Alyssa Thomas, Marina Mabrey, DeWanna Bonner, and DiJonai Carrington have melded together like they’ve been playing together forever.
The Mercury, however, are faced with the possibility of losing Diana Taurasi to retirement, and the void that leaves on a team can’t easily be fixed with a replacement in one season. If Taurasi chooses to retire from basketball, the Mercury must consider all options on a path forward. The Fever, in their first playoff appearance in a long time, is young, talented, determined, and well supported in ways that have the potential to create just enough of an advantage that they’re in the Finals next season.
Some seismic first playoff performances included Caitlin Clark’s 25 points, 9 assists, and six rebound efforts in game 2 against the Sun, but it wasn’t enough to stop an 87-81 win by the Sun. Clark became the first WNBA rookie to put up a 25-5-5 playoff game. Teammate Aliyah Boston ended the series with the Sun as the first WNBA player with a 15-point, 15-rebound average in a playoff series.
Significant final playoff appearances found Diana Taurasi and her Mercury team swept by the Minnesota Lynx. Taurasi, who fouled out, was showered with a standing ovation from Mercury and Lynx fans as she made her way to the bench. Taurasi’s 20-year career was spent entirely in Phoenix and helped set the stage for the explosion of exposure the league is currently experiencing. A fierce competitor, elite scorer, and tremendous ambassador for the women’s game, if she’s done playing, may the next chapter of her life give her what she’s given to basketball.
Seminal First Round games came from Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 36 points, a career playoff high, as the Liberty eliminated the Dream. Halfway across the country, in Minnesota, AP Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier dropped 42 points in the Lynx game 2 win over the Mercury. Forty-two points is a WNBA Playoff record, and by the probable WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Remarkable.
Alyssa Thomas continued to show the league what it means to do everything on the court. Thomas helped eliminate the Fever while achieving something only she’s done before: end a playoff game with 15+ points, 13+ assists, and 5+ rebounds.
Semifinal matchups are what make playoff basketball so fun to watch. The defending champion Las Vegas Aces gets a finals rematch with the New York Liberty. Las Vegas is looking for a 3-peat, while New York hopes 2024 is the year they win their first WNBA title. Both teams enter this series coming off an opening round sweep. They’re healthy and well in the fully optimized versions of their teams. A’ja Wilson is the league MVP, the best player in the world, and she’s hoopin’ hoopin’. Plum, Gray, and Young each contribute meaningfully to what goes into winning for the Aces. New York’s Sabrina Ionescu is playing some of the best ball of her young career and with Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, we saw a regular season sweep over the Aces, beating them three straight times. The winner of this series will surely be favored in the finals. My prediction: Aces in 5.
Aces – Liberty series schedule
· Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 29, 3 p.m. EST, ABC
· Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 1, TBD
· Game 3: Friday, Oct. 4, 9:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2
· Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBD (if necessary)
· Game 5: Tuesday, Oct. 8, TBD, ESPN2 (if necessary)
Sun v. Lynx is another playoff rematch from last season, which the Sun won. There will be a significant onus on defense in this series. The league’s two best defensive teams make scoring difficult. That’s saying a lot, with Napheesa Collier coming off games with 38 and 42 points, respectively. She must continue scoring big, if the Lynx plan to play in the finals. The Sun have what the kids call “motion.” That motion brought some unnecessarily negative feedback from some Indiana Fever fans. Sun players handled it and, I suspect, used it to intensify their team spirit while sweeping the Fever.
Alyssa Thomas, Marina Mabrey, DeWanna Bonner, and DiJonai Carrington have melded together like they’ve been playing together forever. Mabrey and Carrington had a history of dustups, but both have moved past the competitive friction to become each other’s biggest cheerleader. My prediction: Suns in 4.
Sun – Lynx series schedule
· Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 29, 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
· Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 1, TBD
· Game 3: Friday, Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2
· Game 4: Sunday, Oct 6, TBD (if necessary)
· Game 5: Tuesday, Oct. 8, TBD, ESPN2 (if necessary)
We’ve been gifted a fantastic season. Watching it dwindle down has been sweet and salty. Just enough of a craving to last us until next season with some foresight into the very, very bright future of the women’s game. The 2024 WNBA Finals await, and I’ll be here with some of what’ll make it must-watch TV.
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Mark Patton is an owner of too many sneakers, a passionate and persistent advocate for public school students experiencing homelessness and a big sports fan with immaculate taste in Hip-hop music.
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