The defending champion Las Vegas Aces and A’ja Wilson are aiming for a third consecutive title, while rookie sensation Caitlin Clark will make her playoff debut when the WNBA playoffs start on Sunday.
These are just a couple of the exciting storylines to watch as the league’s postseason kicks off.
This year marks the third straight postseason where the first round will follow a best-of-three format, with the higher-seeded team hosting the first two games. If needed, the third game will be played at the home of the lower-seeded team.
Many players and coaches have expressed dissatisfaction with this format, especially since the league has provided charter flights for all teams throughout the season.
The WNBA began chartering flights for all playoff games in 2023.
“Now that we have charters that should have changed automatically,” said New York forward Breanna Stewart. “To create the home-court advantage. So there’s just some, like, little nuances that need to be looked at and be dissected a little bit. Obviously if we can extend playoffs, it makes it feel a little bit less rushed.”
New York, which will face Atlanta in the first round, played the Dream in their last regular-season game on Thursday. This means both teams are already in the city for this weekend’s opening game.
