Brother girldads, sister girlmoms, girlparents and allies of all roles and gender identities… our deepest apologies for missing a 5 Things Newsletter this week! We hope you caught Coco Gauff’s historic first grand slam win at the US Open and/or the NC Courage’s repeat Challenge Cup championship in the last edition of the in-season tournament for the NWSL. We’ll be back this Thursday as usual, but in the meantime, please enjoy our WNBA Playoffs Preview Guide!
Girldad Sports’ WNBA Playoffs Preview Guide 2023 (Sept 13 - Oct 20)
At long last, the WNBA Playoffs are here! In a historic season that did not disappoint in any way, the playoffs are likely to be no different. So buckle up for the next month and enjoy!
The format: The top 8 (of 12) teams have made the playoffs, with teams seeded 1-8 based on record irrespective of “conference”. First round matchups consist of four best-of-three series with no byes for the top seeds (in other words, #1 vs #8, #2 vs #7, and so on). Games 1 and 2 of this series are played with the higher seed holding home-court advantage, meaning that if a series goes to three games, the higher seed must win on the road. The semifinals and finals follow in a best-of-five format with two games at each venue followed by a deciding game (if necessary) at the home venue of the higher-seeded team.
How to Watch
Every game of the playoffs will be shown on the ESPN family of networks, with at least 4 Sunday games to be shown on ABC (9/17, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15). That 10/15 game is a possible close-out game in a theoretical finals sweep. See below for all first round matchups (all times Eastern).
Wednesday, Sept 13: #3 Connecticut Sun vs. #6 Minnesota Lynx at 8 PM (ESPN2) and #1 Las Vegas Aces vs. #8 Chicago Sky at 10 PM (ESPN)
Friday, Sept 15: #2 NY Liberty vs. #7 Washington Mystics at 730 PM (ESPN2) and #4 Dallas Wings vs. #5 Atlanta Dream at 830 PM (ESPN2)
Sunday, Sept 17: #3 Connecticut Sun vs. #6 Minnesota Lynx at 1 PM (ESPN) and #1 Las Vegas Aces vs. #8 Chicago Sky at 3 PM (ABC)
Tuesday, Sept 19: #2 NY Liberty vs. #7 Washington Mystics at 7 PM (ESPN) and #4 Dallas Wings vs. #5 Atlanta Dream at 9 PM (ESPN)
[If Necessary] Wednesday, Sept 20: #3 Connecticut Sun vs. #6 Minnesota Lynx at TBD (ESPN) and #1 Las Vegas Aces vs. #8 Chicago Sky at TBD (ESPN)
[If Necessary] Friday, Sept 22: #2 NY Liberty vs. #7 Washington Mystics at TBD (ESPN2) and #4 Dallas Wings vs. #5 Atlanta Dream at TBD (ESPN2)
Who Did Not Make the Playoffs?
The LA Sparks, despite making a strong run at it the past month, proved themselves just one game short of making the playoffs (a home loss to 8th-seeded Chicago Sky on August 29th). The Sparks became somewhat of an emotional favorite, having faced an unnatural wave of injuries and medical issues this year and nonetheless hitting their stride in the last quarter of the season behind MVP-caliber play from Sparks scion Nneka Ogwumike and a handful of resurgent players (especially Jordin Canada and Layshia Clarendon). The Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury saw some of the longest playoff streaks in WNBA history come to an end with their exclusion, but while the latter face some questions in an aging but still powerful team, the former are boosted by the announcement of star-player and WNBA scoring leader Jewell Loyd’s re-signing. The fourth team who didn’t make the playoffs is the very young Indiana Fever, whose presumptive rookie of the year Aliyah Boston is the face of a franchise with a very bright future, especially given that they have the best odds of earning the no. 1 pick through a lottery system that accounts for the combined records of the past two seasons. The 2024 draft is likely to feature at least some of college basketball’s biggest stars in LSU’s Angel Reese (4th college season), Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (4th college season), UConn’s Paige Bueckers (3rd college season) and Aaliyah Edwards (4th college season), and others (Stanford’s Cameron Brink, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso are post players of note). So… all four teams stand to improve pretty quickly with some superstars who are ready to go and who will bring the energy of their own huge personal fan-base.
As for the other 8 teams (the playoff contenders), here you go:
Team-by-Team Preview
Las Vegas Aces (#1 Seed)
2023 Record: 34-6
First Round Opponent: #8 Chicago Sky
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The defending champion Aces were the most consistently dominant team all season, even after losing Candace Parker midway. With four all-stars in MVP candidate A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, and “point gawd” Chelsea Gray, they look like the superteam that everyone says they are. For families that love dynasties, you should love Las Vegas. For families who love stars with a variety of personalities, you should love Las Vegas. And for families who love really clean jersey designs, you should love Las Vegas. This team has fun, and it is hard not to have fun watching them.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Chelsea Gray
From top to bottom, the Aces are full of star players from whom you could pick a favorite to match your personality. A’ja Wilson is that dominant and highly competitive post player who can take over games with ferocity but simultaneously take over press conferences with her charm and humor. Jackie Young is a quiet, consistent, and deadly offensive weapon. Kelsey Plum is a reckless attacker of the rim and is always good for a quotable. But watching Chelsea Gray do what she does with the ball makes you want to lace up your sneakers and go outside. She truly is the “point gawd”, good for at least a half-dozen moments every game that will make your jaw drop, whether because of her crazy ball-handling, her incisive passing, or her clutch playmaking when a big bucket is needed.
New York Liberty (#2 Seed)
2023 Record: 32-8
First Round Opponent: #7 Washington Mystics
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: New York is the “truer” superteam of the pair of top seeds this year because they were intentionally assembled as such during the last offseason. And it showed. The Liberty took time to jell, but this last phase of the season has seen them emerge as not just a worthy foil to the Aces, but arguably the better team. Their stars are not as memorable to the first-time viewer as the Aces, perhaps, but their tactical play and consistency makes them impossible to underestimate. At any given moment, they can turn around an opponent’s double-digit lead, which is the primary reason why, despite always preferring an underdog, we are truly praying for a Las Vegas-New York finals. It would be a series to remember!
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Marine Johannes
We know it’s a strange pick to go with a bench player here, especially with true superstars like Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot, and Sabrina Ionescu on hand. But while Ionescu and Betnijah Laney both technically shoot a higher percentage from the 3-point line, Johannes is in the game to do basically one thing and that’s let it rip from distance. When New York is going on a run, it’s often behind their three-point shooting, and when Johannes is on the floor, they are going to feed her. Her memorable quick-release will have your family flinging mini-balls, laundry, and crumpled paper around the house for days, we promise!
Connecticut Sun (#3 Seed)
2023 Record: 27-13
First Round Opponent: #6 Minnesota Lynx
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The Sun’s success is a byproduct of their all-star duo and recently married stars, DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas, whose chemistry on and off the court will absolutely make your family into immediate fans. All year long, they’ve consistently performed at a high level in the shadow of the so-called superteams, and it’s been exciting to see them contend despite having lost their long-time coach in the offseason—Curt Miller left for the LA Sparks along with Jasmine Thomas—as well as their best player in Jonquel Jones. The Sun also lost Bri Jones just a third of the way through the season and never skipped a beat. If your family loves a “don’t underestimate us” story, the Sun are good for it even as a #3 seed.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Alyssa Thomas
Alyssa Thomas is having an MVP-caliber season, and it’s crazy that given the play of the two “faces” of the WNBA (A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart), she might not win the award. Of the 29 triple-doubles in WNBA history, Thomas has 10, with six coming this year. She averaged 15.5 points (22nd), 9.9 rebounds (1st), and 7.9 assists (2nd) in the regular season, and she puts up these crazy stats with the utmost of humility. Check out AT on the Queens of the Court podcast hosted by WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes and Jordan Ligons Robinson talking about her triple-double affinity here.
Dallas Wings (#4 Seed)
2023 Record: 22-18
First Round Opponent: #5 Atlanta Dream
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The Wings are weirdly inconsistent, and on any given night, can lose to or beat any team in the league. For most of the season, they were experts’ favorite kryptonite pick, having beaten both the Aces (once) and the Liberty (once). The Mystics are the only other team to have beaten both superteams. Satou Sabally has been a joy to watch all year as she has put up significantly improved numbers, and alongside Natasha Howard and Arike Ogunbowale, they just always look dangerous.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Arike Ogunbowale
Arike is perhaps the most exciting player in the WNBA. She plays almost every minute of every game, and has a motor that cannot be shut off. People knock her offensive efficiency, but she takes the team on her shoulders when necessary and does what she needs to in order to push them over the edge. She is the type of player who wants the ball in her hand at all times, and the Arike show very rarely disappoints.
Atlanta Dream (#5 Seed)
2023 Record: 19-21
First Round Opponent: #4 Dallas Wings
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The Dream are the #5 seed but by tiebreakers (both #6 Minnesota and #7 Washington have the same record). And of the three teams, the Dream are perhaps the most enigmatic. Behind all-stars Allisha Gray, Cheyenne Parker, and Rhyne Howard, they have the ability to play in a variety of ways. They have not beaten the Wings this season, but it would be fun to see them come into their own during this first round playoff series and force a game 3 at home, where anything can happen in their very small (3,500 capacity) but very loud arena.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Haley Jones
We have to admit a bias here… we’re big Haley Jones fans and that might be the reason she’s the second “bench” player to feature here in this preview. The rookie’s usage has been up and down this year, but in a six-game run in June where she started every game, Atlanta went on a three-game win-streak in which they defeated both the Liberty and the Sun (two of their highest-quality wins on the year). The Stanford product is a natural leader and can play literally every position, and sooner or later the world is going to find out she’s a part of the Dream’s best five. She also has an amazing podcast, “Sometimes I Hoop”, through the Player’s Tribune that your family will love where she talks to other WNBA and NCAA superstars in super-compelling interviews.
Minnesota Lynx (#6 Seed)
2023 Record: 19-21
First Round Opponent: #3 Connecticut Sun
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The Lynx are more than just Napheesa Collier +, and they’ve shown it at times this season with big wins (like back-to-back victories over the Liberty & Sun) without Collier at the end of July. In those moments, it was a pair of rookies—Diamond Miller and Dorka Juhasz—who stepped up alongside sharpshooting Kayla McBride to lift the Lynx. If Minnesota can beat the Sun again, it will be because of a similar team effort, and if you’re a fan of the Lynx, it’s probably because you love the way the supporting cast shows up.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Diamond Miller
At times this year, WNBA experts talked about Diamond Miller as a potential rookie of the year, but in a year where Aliyah Boston is looking like she’s been in the league for a while already, that conversation didn’t last too long. Nonetheless, Miller has been impressive throughout the campaign, and she’ll no doubt be a big part of the Lynx’ future.
Washington Mystics (#7 Seed)
2023 Record: 19-21
First Round Opponent: #2 NY Liberty
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The Mystics were a gutted team for most of the season, and nonetheless stayed in the playoff hunt due to the tireless and committed play of Brittney Sykes and Tasha Cloud. With Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins, and Shakira Austin (potentially) back for a playoff run, the Mystics can look like the giant-killers that they actually are. Like the Wings, they too have beaten both of the WNBA’s superteams this year, and they’ve actually beaten the Liberty twice, including on Sunday in the last game of the regular season (the season series is even at 2-2). If you’re a root-for-the-underdog family, the Mystics might be your best bet!
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Brittney Sykes
The humble and scrappy guard known as “Slim” is every player’s nightmare matchup because of her relentless defense and nonstop energy. She plays every game like it’s the playoffs, so it’ll be scary to see her kick into another gear this week. When Delle Donne, Atkins, and Austin were out, Sykes showed fans what opponents and teammates already knew about her, that she is a bona fide superstar. She’s our favorite player in the W all year long, hands down.
Chicago Sky (#8 Seed)
2023 Record: 18-22
First Round Opponent: #1 Las Vegas Aces
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team:The Sky are dangerous, and over the last month they have come up with big wins when they needed them. The main reason you should be rooting for them in these playoffs? They have nothing to lose and everything to gain if they even make this first round series competitive.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Kahleah Copper
The 2021 Finals MVP is the undisputed leader of this Sky team, and in a must-win scrap with the LA Sparks when they had all the momentum in the race for the 8th-seed, Copper was ruthless and really ended all hope for the Sparks with a gutsy performance in LA. It’s that mentality that makes her so dangerous in the playoffs, and a truly great clutch player.
Need More WNBA Playoff Previews?
We are not experts… but we are here to point you in the right direction! If you can’t get enough WNBA Playoff previews, here are some of our favorite podcasts for you and your family to check out (please note some may have an “E” but for the occasional language. In other words… share with your children at your discretion):
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