Takeways From Round One of the WNBA Playoffs

Liberty Defeat Dream (2-0)

It was a dream-turned nightmare for Atlanta.

The Atlanta Dream earned the eighth and final spot in the WNBA playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Their prize: a first-round series against the New York Liberty.

Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and the rest of the Liberty crew took care of business, sweeping the Atlanta Dream. Despite the Dream’s best efforts in the elimination game two, Ionescu proved that she is one of the top players in the league. The sharpshooter led all players in scoring, dropping 36 points along with nine assists.

The Liberty will go on to round two where they have a date with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. The two powerhouses are familiar with each other as this semi-final matchup is a rematch from last year’s championship.

However, this is a much more developed version of the New York offense. The Liberty can shoot any opponent out of the game. The tandem of Ionescu and Stewart has proven to be near unstoppable on the offensive side of the court.

The Aces may have bested the Liberty in the championship last year, but it’s hard to bet against the Liberty in round two.

Aces Defeat Storm (2-0)

As Dr. Dre once said, “They try to be the king but the Aces back.”

The stars came to play in game two of the Aces series against the Seattle Storm. After a slow start in game one, A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum combined for 53 points in the series-clinching victory. The reigning champions looked nearly unstoppable for stretches during game two. The Aces jumped to a 23-7 lead in the first five minutes of the series-clincher.

Similar to game one, however, the lackluster defense of Las Vegas kept the game close. Seattle stormed back, going so far as to tie the game in the fourth quarter. However, the Vegas Aces were able to hang on to clinch the series.

The fourth-seeded Aces have earned a date with the first-seeded Liberty on Sunday. If the Aces hope to keep their three-peat dreams alive, the effort on defense will have to improve.

The Liberty likes to get out in transition and push the tempo. If the Aces put forward the same effort in transition defense that they did against the Storm, the Liberty will run away with the series. It’s hard to see one of the league’s best shooters missing the same shots the Aces gave the Storm in transition.

In addition, the Liberty and Aces are two teams very familiar with each other. The 2023 WNBA Finals featured them both in a series that the Aces ended up winning in four games—best believe the Liberty haven’t forgotten. Don’t be surprised if the winner of this next series ends up bringing home a championship.

Sun Defeat Fever (2-0)

It was an eventful year for Caitlin Clark and the Fever.

However, the Sun’s experience showed while the Fever crumbled under the pressure. With a close game and under five minutes remaining, the Fever made crucial mistake after crucial mistake and the Sun took advantage. However, despite the round-one exit, the future is bright for this Indiana Fever squad. Their up-and-coming big three of Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and Caitlin Clark will only improve.

Keep an eye on Indiana, it will be an exciting era as the next generation of WNBA superstars is ushered in.

Despite being young and exciting, the Fever was no match for the Suns’ experience. The key for the Suns was their defensive flexibility. DeWanna Bonner and DiJonai Carrington were tasked with making life difficult for Caitlin Clark. As a result, the rookie point guard shot sub-50% in both games (including a horrendous 23.5% shooting night in game one).

The defensive strength of the Connecticut Sun will be their biggest strength moving forward in the playoffs. The other three remaining teams are all offensive powerhouses. Superstars Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, and Napheesa Collier can take a game over with their scoring. If the Sun can continuously execute their defensive game plan, they will be difficult to beat in a long series.

Lynx Defeat Mercury (2-0)

It may be the end of an era for the WNBA.

There has been no official announcement yet, but many WNBA fans believe Diana Taurasi has taken the court for the last time. The Mercury didn’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with an explosive Minnesota Lynx squad.  If this truly is the end of the road for Taurasi, the Mercury will have to fill her role quickly or they risk falling out of the playoff picture completely next year.

The Mercury are not exactly a young team. With all the young talent on the way to the WNBA, the Mercury have some difficult decisions ahead of them. (a decision that is all too familiar to many longtime NBA fans). Either keep the team that brought you success together or blow it up and rebuild through a new young superstar.

While it may have been a bitter ending for the Mercury, the Lynx are on a roll. Led by a historic 42-point performance out of Napheesa Collier, Minnesota handled the Mercury with ease. The Lynx offense is on fire as they enter a second-round match-up with the Connecticut Sun.

The Suns’ defense looked elite in their series against the Indiana Fever, but this is a much more polished Lynx attack. If Collier can pick apart the Sun as easily as she did the Mercury, Connecticut will face the same fate as Phoenix.

The round two series between the Sun and Lynx is a classic example of an offensive powerhouse facing a defensively oriented team. It will be exciting to see if Connecticut’s defensive prowess is enough to slow down Minnesota’s red-hot offense.

This is a series that may end up going the full five games. Regardless of the outcome of this one, were are sure to get some awesome basketball.