2024 WNBA Playoffs: How to Watch, Schedule, Tip-Off Times & Postseason Format

The most hyped WNBA regular season since the league’s inception has delivered excitement from start to finish, but the real drama is just beginning. After a 2023 season that seemed like an extended prelude to the Aces-Liberty Finals, the 2024 playoffs promise more chaos and intrigue from the get-go.

Here are five burning questions heading into the 2024 postseason, starting with how this entire format works and an overview of each series.

How are the play-offs structured?

The top eight teams in the league, regardless of conference, qualify for the postseason. The first-round matchups are 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, and 4 vs. 5. There is no re-seeding between rounds, so the winner of 1 vs. 8 plays the winner of 4 vs. 5, and the winner of 2 vs. 7 plays the winner of 3 vs. 6.

The playoffs last three rounds, beginning with a three-game series in the first round, with the higher seed hosting the first two games. That format helped simplify travel before the league went all-charter this season. The 2-1 series has been in place since 2022, and while the lower seed has forced a deciding Game 3 at its home arena three times, the higher seed has never advanced. The semifinals are a five-game series (2-2-1 format), similar to the WNBA Finals.

No. 1 New York (32-8) vs. No. 8 Atlanta (15-25)

Game 1 in New York: Sunday at 1 p.m. (ET), ESPN

Game 2 in New York: Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (ET) ESPN

Game 3 (if necessary) in Atlanta: Thursday TBD, ESPN2

Did Atlanta’s season-ending win over New York mean anything?

The Liberty won their first three games against the Dream by a combined 44 points before taking their foot off the gas pedal in the season finale — a game Atlanta had more reason to win to secure a playoff spot. However, all three of the previous meetings came in June, when the Dream were without at least one of Jordin Canada or Rhyne Howard. Since the Olympic break, after Atlanta was able to field its favored lineup of Canada, Howard, Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon and Tina Charles, the Dream have a net rating of plus-2.2 per 100 possessions, much better than the minus-10 they were in June.

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Still, even when fully healthy, Atlanta has lagged behind the pace New York has set. The Liberty have outscored their opponents by 11.7 points per 100 possessions over the course of the season. They have the reigning MVP in Breanna Stewart, who has averaged over 20 points against the Dream over the past two years. They also have an elite scoring defense, while Atlanta has had the worst shooting percentage in the WNBA. One number to watch is how many free throws the Dream generates — they had the third-best free throw percentage in the league, while New York allowed the fewest free throws to its opponents.

Unfortunately for Atlanta, their advantages in this matchup are minimal. The Liberty score the most points in the league on turnovers, but if the Dream try to turn this into a half-court game, the Liberty are also the league’s best offensive rebounding team. Atlanta was the fourth-best defense after the break, but now finds itself up against the league’s best offense. The Dream may have secured their playoff spot with a win against New York, but it should be their last of the season.

The choice: New York in 2 games

No. 2 Minnesota (30-10) vs. No. 7 Phoenix (19-21)

Game 1 at Minnesota: Sunday at 5 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 2 at Minnesota: Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary) at Phoenix: Friday TBD, ESPN2

Can Kahleah Copper bring magic to the playoffs?

The Mercury had one of the biggest swings in the first half of the season, with wins over the Liberty, Lynx and Aces, but also a loss to the Dallas Wings. The second half didn’t have the same highs, as Phoenix’s only win over a playoff team came against Atlanta. Without a healthy Rebecca Allen, the Mercury aren’t as versatile on defense and are missing another shooter; they also lack her experience with Celeste Taylor and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan filling in those minutes.

But let’s focus on what the Mercury have, and that’s Kahleah Copper, who just completed the best season of her career. Copper led the league in usage (31.1 percent), just slightly outpacing A’ja Wilson, and still managed an average effective field goal percentage under that load. She scored at least 30 points in nine games, including a 34-point outing that included a game-winning shot in Phoenix’s lone win over Minnesota. Her shooting chart from that game illustrates what the Mercury need from her in this series: a high volume of 3-point attempts (12 in that game) combined with relentless pressure at the rim to compromise the Lynx’ defense. Minnesota clogs the paint as well as anyone, but even the Lynx are powerless to stop Copper’s athleticism when she gets her head down.

Copper’s exploits may not be relevant if Phoenix gets destroyed on the glass, as they have been lately, or if Minnesota can start from deep. The Mercury allow the most 3-point attempts of any team, and the Lynx are the best 3-point shooting team (38 percent). Phoenix will have to choose between protecting the interior or the perimeter, while Minnesota has shown it can do both. Regardless of how good Copper has been, Napheesa Collier is still the best player in this series. If Collier and company perform as they have since the break — Minnesota has lost once at full strength since the All-Star Game — they will easily dash any hopes of an upset.

The choice: Minnesota in 2

Game 1 at Connecticut: Sunday at 3 p.m. (ET), ABC
Game 2 at Connecticut: Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 3 at Indiana: Friday TBD, ESPN2

Will Connecticut’s experience overwhelm Indiana’s youth?

The Sun have reached five straight WNBA semifinals with largely the same core. Every player in their rotation appeared in the postseason last year, while only four Fever players — all rotational players — have ever played in the playoffs. To put it another way, Indiana’s roster has played in 19 playoff games total — surpassed by four individual Connecticut players, including 80 playoff game appearances by DeWanna Bonner. The Fever’s stars bring a wealth of NCAA Tournament experience to the table, but they’ve never played on this stage before, and it’s fair to wonder if the stakes of this moment will affect them.

The biggest question from a strategic perspective is how the Sun will defend Caitlin Clark. Are they content to let others beat them, or do they let Clark see more single coverage?

Clark has been an absolute flamethrower in the second half of the season, averaging 23.1 points and 8.9 assists while making 37 percent of her 3s. However, in the lone meeting of the series, Connecticut limited her to 19 points and five assists while forcing seven turnovers. The Fever still won, and Clark’s gravity was a determining factor — Aliyah Boston had eight assists, several of which came from the short role when two defenders closed in on Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull had big scoring nights for the Fever.

The Sun have been pushing Clark hard throughout the season, but that has been less effective as Indiana’s offense has learned how to play traps and blitzes. Boston is making the right reads in the lane, and the shooting around that pick-and-roll partnership is sublime. There’s value in limiting the snake’s head, but perhaps it’s better to force the rookie to take on Connecticut by himself. I think the Sun stay aggressive with two on the ball in Game 1, but adjust after the Fever picks that apart.

The choice:Connecticut in 3

No. 4 Las Vegas (27-13) vs. No. 5 Seattle (25-15)

Game 1 in Las Vegas: Sunday at 10 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 2 in Las Vegas: Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary) in Seattle: Thursday TBD, ESPN2

How Healthy Are Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor?

Magbegor missed the final three games of the season due to concussion protocol, and Loyd missed the same stretch with a right knee injury. If they’re not good to go for the start of the playoffs, Seattle is toast. Magbegor, with her size and athleticism, is the Storm’s only hope of even containing Wilson. Seattle also needs Loyd’s offense against the league’s highest-scoring team (86.4 points per game).

The matchups between these teams are tantalizing. Two of the league’s highest-scoring guards in Loyd and Kelsey Plum. Two more Olympians at point guard in Chelsea Gray and Skylar Diggins-Smith, who approach the game with diametrically opposed styles and tempos. One of the most efficient forwards in WNBA history in Nneka Ogwumike against Wilson, who is in the midst of the best season the league has ever seen. Defensive specialist Gabby Williams gets to dig in to guard Jackie Young, and two-time Storm champion Alysha Clark takes on her former team.

Seattle won the first matchup before Gray was fit, then Las Vegas won the next three. The Storm didn’t have their first-choice starting lineup in any of those losses, however, as Williams joined the team late, and she’s been a key factor for Seattle as these teams face off in the 2022 postseason.

Ultimately, it’s tough to see the Storm scoring enough to keep up with the Aces, especially in Las Vegas. If the Aces take good care of the ball and do everything they can to protect the paint, how is a team that shot 28.8 percent of its 3-pointers supposed to generate offense? A three-game stretch means Seattle only needs to get hot once or twice, but Vegas hasn’t lost in nearly four weeks with Wilson in the lineup. The reigning champions are peaking at the right time, while the Storm have looked shaky of late, even in wins.

The choice: Las Vegas in 2

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletics)



The New York Times

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