Around the W: Bring on the Semifinals!

The WNBA's Final Four is now set!

On Wednesday night, we reached the conclusion of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs. The Connecticut Sun were the last team to clinch a spot in the semifinals after they defeated the Dallas Wings in Game 3 by a final score of 73-58.

When it was all said and done, the top teams throughout the entire season ended up being the exact four teams that will vie for the title over the next few weeks. The finalists are the Las Vegas Aces (26-10), the Chicago Sky (26-10), the Connecticut Sun (25-11), and the Seattle Storm (22-14).

The first round of the playoffs was more competitive than most would have expected. Outside of the Las Vegas Aces who quickly dispatched the short-handed Phoenix Mercury (who were) without Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Kia Nurse, and Shey Peddy (after Game 1) - the rest of the playoffs were more evenly matched.

Aces versus Mercury (2-0 sweep for Vegas)

The Aces won Game 1 - 79-63. Surprisingly, Phoenix played them tough through the first three quarters and only trailed by five heading into the final period. Las Vegas kicked things into gear in the 4th quarter to outscore the Mercury 28-17 and pull away with a 16-point victory. Kelsey Plum led the way with 22 points, Chelsea Gray added 17 points, and Jackie Young contributed with 16 points. Diamond DeShields led Phoenix with 18 points and eight rebounds. Brianna Turner had 16 rebounds and played excellent defense on A’ja Wilson but had only two points on offense. Both Sophie Cunningham and Megan Gustafson scored 12 points in the losing effort.

Unlike Game 1, Las Vegas didn’t wait to dominate their inferior opponent. They outscored Phoenix by 15 points in both the 2nd (29-14) and 3rd (30-15) quarters on their way to one of the most lopsided victories in WNBA Playoff history. The Aces eliminated the Mercury after beating them 117-80. Six players from Vegas reached double-digit scoring. Chelsea Gray led the way with 27 points and a game-high eight assists. Plum (22 points), Wilson (17), Young (15), Riquna Williams (11), and Kierstan Bell (11) were the others to reach double figures.

Diamond DeShields had 21 points and tweeted after the game that she needed therapy after getting dominated in Game 2. The recently-signed Kaela Davis had a fantastic outing off the bench with 23 points on 11-19 FG. Davis, who briefly played on the Storm when the team was without several players due to COVID was not a regular on any WNBA roster this season. Hopefully, this performance can help her get more opportunities next year.

Storm versus Mystics (2-0 sweep for Seattle)

On paper, this series looked like it was the most likely to go the full three games. It nearly did as the Mystics played a fantastic Game 1 leading the Storm throughout most of it. Elena Delle Donne was vintage EDD scoring a game-high 26 points and looking unstoppable throughout parts of the game. Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins each provided a boost to the Mystics’ offense with 16 points apiece. And Shakira Austin looked fantastic in her playoff debut scoring 12 points and pulling down a team-high seven rebounds.

There were 15 lead changes and 11 ties in this back-and-forth contest. Washington had a five-point lead with about five minutes left in the game when Jewell Loyd got hot scoring 12 consecutive points for Seattle. Over the final two minutes of the game, Seattle turned a three-point deficit into a five-point lead by going on an 8-0 run. Myisha Hines-Allen managed to draw a foul on the Mystics’ final possession but it was too little, too late as Seattle had won the game 86-83.

Seattle was led by MVP candidate Breanna Stewart who had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. Loyd was held to just four points throughout 35 minutes of the 40-minute game. Then scored 12 points in a row and finished with 16 for the game. Gabby Williams was electric showing off her versatility with 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Sue Bird added 10 points and Tina Charles finished with nine points and seven rebounds.

After Game 1, it really felt like Washington had let one slip away. As the road playoff team, it’s never easy to steal one on the opponent’s home floor; especially as the underdog. They had a real legit chance to send the series back to D.C. and they weren’t able to close things out. That would prove costly.

While Game 2 was still competitive throughout most of it, Seattle clearly had all the momentum and looked like the better team. The Storm exploded out of the gate on fire and led 27-17 after the first quarter. To the Mystics’ credit, they fought really hard to battle back in the 2nd period at one point even taking a one-point lead. Seattle led by just two points at halftime. The 2nd half was all Seattle as the Storm outscored the Mystics in both the third and fourth quarters. At one point, Seattle led by as many as 17 points before ultimately closing out the series with a 97-84 victory.

Seattle’s entire starting five was spectacular. Stewart led the way again with a near-triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Sue Bird also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Loyd added 19 points including hitting five three-pointers. Gabby Williams (14 points) and Tina Charles (12) also reached double figures.

Defensively, Seattle was able to limit Elena Delle Donne (12 points) and Shakira Austin (2) to just 14 points total after they tallied 38 points in Game 1. Natasha Cloud still had a fantastic game doing everything she could to will her team to force a Game 3 by leading them with 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Atkins was also great, adding 15 points and a team-high seven assists. Alysha Clark put up modest numbers of 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists. But it was actually Shatori Walker-Kimbrough that stood out more scoring 12 points off the bench.

Sky versus Liberty (2-1 win for Chicago)

The New York Liberty shocked the WNBA world during Game 1 against the defending champions, the Chicago Sky, as they pulled off a 98-91 upset finishing the game on a 13-0 run. Natasha Howard and Sabrina Ionescu led the way with 22 points each. Betnijah Laney scored 17 points and Stefanie Dolson added 13 more in the victory.

Kahleah Copper led Chicago with 21 points, Candace Parker put up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Courtney Vandersloot also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Allie Quigley added 18 points and Azura Stevens contributed with 16 points off the bench.

Chicago got their revenge in Game 2 throttling the New York Liberty 100-62. Five Sky players reached double-digit scoring as Kahleah Copper once again led the team in scoring with 20 points. Courtney Vandersloot added 16 points and nine rebounds. CP3 had another double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Stevens (14 points) and Rebekah Gardner (11 points) both scored in double figures off the bench.

The Liberty’s starters did not bring the same intensity they had in Game 1. None of them scored in double figures in Game 2. Only Han Xu and Michaela Onyenwere were able to score more than single digits with 10 points each.

New York had the opportunity to eliminate the defending champions in Brooklyn in Game 3 with a raucous crowd behind them but they weren’t able to get the job done. As the great Rudy Tomjanovich once said, “Never underestimate the heart of a champion!”

Chicago proved their mettle by handling their business with a 90-72 victory on the road in Game 3. Candace Parker wasn’t going to go out like that. She nearly had a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists telling Holly Rowe after the game she didn’t get it because she’s “Old in Basketball years”. Courtney Vandersloot also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Kahleah Copper and Allie Quigley each led the team in scoring with 15 points. Emma Meesseman and Azura Stevens each added 12 points.

Chicago led by 12 points at halftime and was still up ten heading into the 4th quarter. But a shocking five-point possession by Sabrina Ionescu to begin the final period quickly cut the lead to five points. New York even cut the deficit down to three points and appeared to have the momentum in their favor. That is until they started rushing possessions and making mistakes. Within the blink of an eye (or roughly five minutes of game action), the Sky went on a 16-0 run to put the game completely out of reach. That was a championship run and the champions are moving on!

Natasha Howard led the Liberty with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds but wasn’t very efficient connecting on just 7-17 FG. Betnijah Laney led the team in scoring with 15 points.

Sabrina Ionescu had 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists. But I also felt there were a lot of good and bad moments from Ionescu in this game. She made some clutch plays but also had a game-high five turnovers. Ionescu rushed the offense at times and didn’t set up her teammates as well as she could. Especially compared to the other side where Vandersloot and Parker were masterfully moving the ball to open teammates.

Sun versus Wings (2-1 win for Connecticut)

After Game 1, Connecticut looked like they would cruise into the semifinals after defeating the Dallas Wings 93-68. Five Connecticut players scored in double figures with Jonquel Jones leading the way with 19. Alyssa Thomas nearly had a triple-double (a theme in these playoffs) with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. DeWanna Bonner (12 points) and Courtney Williams (10) were the other starters to reach double figures. Dijonai Carrington was the Sun’s best reserve player adding 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Dallas had four players score double-digits but only one had more than 15 points. Allisha Gray provided 17 points to lead the Wings. Marina Mabrey (11 points), Ty Harris (13), and Satou Sabally (10) were the others to score in double figures.

Game 2 on Sunday was a completely different story. Dallas played arguably their best game of the season. The Wings exploded out of the gate with a 22-7 first quarter and led by 16 points at halftime. After a dominant third quarter where they outscored the Sun 30-17; Dallas carried a 29-point lead into the 4th quarter. Even after a furious comeback by Connecticut outscoring Dallas 32-13 in the fourth, the Wings held on to win 89-79 and force a decisive Game 3 in Texas on Wednesday.

Kayla Thorton led the Wings in scoring with 20 points. She was one of four players to reach double-digit scoring. Allisha Gray added 15 points and a game-high eight assists. Marina Mabrey had 14 points and six rebounds, and Teaira McCowan added a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in the victory.

To be frank, Game 3 between Connecticut and Dallas was kind of a slog. Neither team looked particularly sharp in the first half. Both offenses looked ugly as neither managed to reach 20+ points in either quarter. The game was tied 34-34 at the midway point. Things got worse for the Wings in the 2nd half as they managed to score just 24 points total over the final 20 minutes. Connecticut’s defense clamped down and forced Dallas into 19 total turnovers including 11 in the 2nd half. Marina Mabrey played out of position running the point and coughed up a game-high eight turnovers.

DeWanna Bonner used her championship experience to lead the Sun with 21 points. Jonquel Jones had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds but did struggle with foul trouble. Alyssa Thomas put up 13 points and eight rebounds and Natisha Hiedeman scored 11 points including 3-5 FG from beyond the arc.

Most of the Wings’ players simply didn’t show up in this game. Marina Mabrey, despite her costly turnovers, did lead the team in scoring with 20 points and was efficient for a guard making 50% (7-14 FG) of her shots. Rookie Veronica Burton played solid with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Teaira McCowan nearly had a double-double with eight points and 12 rebounds but also had five turnovers and wasn’t as impactful as she has been in some of her better games this year. Arike Ogunbowale (surprisingly) returned from injury off the bench and played six minutes in the game. She clearly wasn’t her normal self going 0-3 FG and scoring zero points in her limited action.

Connecticut will move on to face the Chicago Sky and Dallas will continue to rebuild and look to put together a team that can get past the first round of the playoffs after at least making the post-season in two consecutive seasons.

The Matchups

For just the 3rd time in the past seven years, the WNBA will have a traditional West versus East WNBA Finals as the two best teams in the West (Las Vegas/Seattle) will battle on one side of the bracket and the two best teams in the East (Chicago/Connecticut) will duke it out on the other side.

Both Las Vegas and Chicago will clearly be the favorites in their respective series. Not only will they hold homecourt advantage by getting Games 1 and 2 plus five (if necessary) at home; but they also dominated their opponents in the regular season.

Las Vegas defeated Seattle 3-1

Las Vegas 85 - Seattle 74
Seattle 88 - Las Vegas 78
Las Vegas 89 - Seattle 81
Las Vegas 109 - Seattle 100

Chicago swept Connecticut 4-0

Chicago 83 - Connecticut 79
Chicago 91 - Connecticut 83
Chicago 95 - Connecticut 92 in OT
Chicago 94 - Connecticut 91

Looking at the above lines, Las Vegas had a larger margin of victory over Seattle compared to Chicago’s wins against Connecticut. However, the Storm did manage to take at least one game during the regular season and won that game by double digits. I would honestly be a little shocked if either series ended in a sweep because I think all four of these WNBA teams are extremely talented with proven winners. At different parts of the 2022 season, I believe all four have shown they were legit title contenders and it wouldn’t shock me to see any of the four lift the trophy in September.

No matter which two teams come out on top there will be some fun storylines to talk about. If it’s Las Vegas versus Chicago, we’ll get a rematch of the Commissioner’s Cup this season and the story of the Aces and A’ja Wilson trying to earn their first WNBA Championship versus the Sky trying to become the first WNBA to repeat as champions since the 2001-2002 LA Sparks did it 20 years ago.

If Seattle pulls off the upset against Las Vegas and faces Chicago then we’ll get to talk about the 2020 Champions trying to stop the 2021 Champions from repeating. Something the Storm weren’t able to do despite winning in 2018 and 2020.

And if Connecticut gets past Chicago and faces Las Vegas it’ll be a battle of two WNBA franchises that have never won the Championship before. In 2019, Connecticut was in that same situation but it was the Washington Mystics who ended their dream defeating them in the decisive Game 5. Would the Sun be able to get over the hump this time around?

Connecticut and Seattle would be a rematch of the 2004 WNBA Finals. How fitting would it be that Sue Bird could retire winning a 5th WNBA title against the same team where she won her first? Also, 4/5ths of Seattle’s starting lineup played at the University of Connecticut so that would be fun!

We’ll get to find out soon enough as Game 1 of the semifinals takes place this upcoming Sunday, August 28th. The Storm and Aces play at 1:00 PM PDT on ESPN and the Sky and Sun play at 5:00 PM PDT on ESPN2.

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