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2024 WNBA Playoffs: How to watch, schedule, kickoff times and postseason format

2024 WNBA Playoffs: How to watch, schedule, kickoff times and postseason format
Posted on | Posted on Jasper

The most eagerly anticipated WNBA regular season since the league’s inception has been thrilling from start to finish, but the real drama is just beginning. After a 2023 season that seemed like a long prelude to the Aces versus Liberty Finals, the 2024 playoffs promise more chaos and excitement from the start.

Here are five burning questions for the 2024 postseason, starting with how the entire format will work and breaking down each series.

How are the playoffs structured?

The top eight teams in the league, regardless of conference, qualify for the postseason. The first round matches 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 first-round series in which the higher-seeded team hosts the first two games. This format helped ease travel before the league began using chartered flights exclusively this season. The 2-1 series has been in place since 2022, and although the lower-seeded team has forced a deciding third game in its home arena three times, the higher-seeded team has always advanced. The semifinal round is a five-game series (2-2-1 format), as are the WNBA Finals.

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

Game 1 in New York: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. (ET), ESPN

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

Game 3 (if necessary) in Atlanta: Thursday to be announced, ESPN2

Did Atlanta’s win over New York at the end of the season have any significance?

The Liberty won their first three games against the Dream by a combined 44 points before taking their foot off the gas in the season finale – a game Atlanta needed to win to secure a playoff spot. However, all three 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 play with its preferred lineup of Canada, Howard, Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon and Tina Charles, the Dream have a net rating of plus-2.2 per 100 possessions, which is far better than the minus-10 mark they posted in June.

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Still, even at full health, Atlanta lags behind New York’s pace. The Liberty scored 11.7 more points per 100 possessions than their opponents on the season. They have the reigning MVP in Breanna Stewart, who averaged more than 20 points against the Dream the last two years. They also have a top-notch defense, while Atlanta had the worst shooting percentage in the WNBA. One number to keep an eye on is the Dream’s free throw percentage – they had the third-highest free throw percentage in the league, while New York allowed the fewest free throws to their opponents.

Unfortunately, Atlanta’s advantages in this matchup are minimal. The Liberty have scored the most points in the league off turnovers, but when the Dream try to turn it into a half-court game, the Liberty are also the best offensive rebounding team in the league. Atlanta had the fourth-best defense after halftime, but now has to deal with the best offense. The Dream could have secured their playoff spot with a win against New York, but it would be their last win of the season.

The choice: New York in 2 games

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

Game 1 in Minnesota: Sunday, 5:00 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 2 in Minnesota: Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary) in Phoenix: To be announced Friday, ESPN2

Can Kahleah Copper create magic in the playoffs?

The Mercury had one of the biggest swings in the first half of the season, picking up wins against the Liberty, Lynx and Aces, but also losing to the Dallas Wings. The second half was not as successful, with Phoenix’s only win against a playoff team coming against Atlanta. Without a healthy Rebecca Allen, the Mercury lacks versatility on defense and another shooter, and they also lack experience with Celeste Taylor and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan filling in for those minutes.

But let’s focus on what the Mercury have, and that’s Kahleah Copper, who just had arguably the best season of her career. Copper led the league in usage (31.1 percent), just surpassing A’ja Wilson, and managed an average effective shooting percentage despite that burden. She scored at least 30 points in nine games, including a 34-point outing with a game-winning shot in Phoenix’s lone win over Minnesota. Her shooting chart from that game exemplifies what the Mercury need from her in this series: a high number of 3-point attempts (12 in that game) combined with relentless pressure at the basket to weaken the Lynx defense. Minnesota clogs the zone as well as anyone, but even the Lynx are powerless to stop Copper’s athleticism when she puts her head down.

Copper’s heroics could be moot if Phoenix gets destroyed at the basket, as it has been of late, or if it lets Minnesota get going from distance. The Mercury allow the most three-point attempts of any team, and the Lynx are the best three-point team (38 percent). Phoenix will have to decide whether to defend inside or the perimeter, while Minnesota has shown they can do both. Regardless of how good Copper has been, Napheesa Collier is still the best player in this series. If Collier and Co. play like 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 in Connecticut: Sunday, 3:00 p.m. (ET), ABC
Game 2 in Connecticut: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 3 in Indiana: To be announced Friday, ESPN2

Will Connecticut’s experience overwhelm Indiana’s youth?

The Sun have made it to the WNBA semifinals five straight times with largely the same core. Every player in their rotation participated in the most recent postseason, while only four players on the Fever – all of them reserve players – have ever appeared in the playoffs. Put another way, Indiana’s roster has played 19 total playoff games – four individual Connecticut players have surpassed that, including 80 playoff games by DeWanna Bonner. The Fever’s stars bring plenty of NCAA Tournament experience, but they’ve never played on this stage, and it’s fair to wonder if the stakes of this moment will affect them.

From a strategic perspective, the most important question is how the Sun will defend Caitlin Clark. Are they content to let others beat them, or will they provide Clark with more one-on-one coverage?

Clark was an absolute flamethrower in the second half of the season, averaging 23.1 points and 8.9 assists and hitting 37 percent of her threes. In the only game of that stretch, however, Connecticut limited her to 19 points and five assists and forced seven turnovers. The Fever still won, and Clark’s strength was a key factor – Aliyah Boston had eight assists, several of them from the short role when two defenders were running at Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull scored plenty of points for the Fever.

Throughout the season, the Sun have pressured Clark heavily on defense, but that has been less effective as Indiana’s offense has learned to play out of traps and blitzes. Boston is making the right decisions in the zone, and the throws around that pick-and-roll partnership have been great. It makes sense to limit the head of the snake, but maybe it’s better to force the rookie to beat Connecticut single-handedly. My guess is the Sun stay aggressive with two players on the ball in Game 1, but adjust after the Fever pick 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, 10 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 2 in Las Vegas: Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary) in Seattle: Thursday to be announced, ESPN2

How healthy are Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor?

Magbegor missed the final three games of the season with a concussion and Loyd missed the same amount of time with a right knee injury. If they’re not at their best when the playoffs begin, Seattle is done for. Magbegor, with her length 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 exciting. Loyd and Kelsey Plum are two of the best scoring guards in the league. Chelsea Gray and Skylar Diggins-Smith are two other Olympians who play the game with diametrically opposite styles and tempos. Nneka Ogwumike is one of the most efficient forwards in WNBA history and goes up against Wilson, who is in the midst of the best season the league has ever seen. Defensive specialist Gabby Williams has to throw herself into the defense of Jackie Young, and two-time Storm champion Alysha Clark goes up against her former team.

Seattle won the first game before Gray was healthy again, then Las Vegas won the next three. However, the Storm did not have their first choice in the starting lineup in any of those losses, as Williams was a late addition to the team and she was a key factor for Seattle when these teams faced off in the 2022 postseason.

Ultimately, it’s hard to imagine the Storm scoring enough points to keep up with the Aces, especially in Las Vegas. If the Aces take care of the ball and do everything they can to protect the zone, how is a team that hits 28.8 percent of its three-pointers supposed to run on offense? A three-game streak means Seattle only needs to get going once or twice, but Las Vegas hasn’t lost with Wilson in the lineup in nearly four weeks. The defending champions are at their best at the right time, while the Storm have looked shaky lately, even in wins.

The choice: Vegas in 2

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The athlete)

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