Sports Analysis
Playoff season always brings the best talent, athleticism and entertainment to women’s sports, and the 2024 WNBA playoff season did not fall short. 2024 was a hectic season, combining veteran stars like Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart and rookie stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. With the fan base growing, this was one of the WNBA’s biggest seasons yet and what better way to cap it off than a historic playoff season.
The WNBA has a total of 12 teams. The first eight teams clinch playoff positions, no matter what their standings in individual conferences are. The top eight teams are decided based on regular season records. The first round is a series of three games. Next, the semi-finals is a series of five games, and the final round is also a series of five games.
Seeded No. 1, the New York Liberty took on No. 8 the Atlanta Dream to kick off Game 1 of the first round. New York started out strong, gaining a lead that carried them throughout the game to a win of 83-69. The two teams’ second game was much more of a battle, with New York taking a late lead to win the game 91-82.
After four regular season matchups, No. 3 Connecticut Sun and No. 6 Indiana Fever met head to head in the postseason. The Sun’s impressive fourth quarter secured their win 93-69. In game two, both teams were neck and neck for most of the game, but the Fever just fell short in the last minute, ending with a score of 81 and Connecticut at 87.
Another fan favorite matchup took place in round one between the Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces. The WNBA’s two-time defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, were looking to be three-time champions, defeating the Seattle Storm in both games of the first round 78-67 and 83-76.
The final first round matchup took place between second seed the Minnesota Lynx and seventh seed, the Phoenix Mercury. Although Phoenix has fan favorite vets Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, the Lynx came off another successful season looking to secure their fifth WNBA championship overall. After trailing Minnesota most of the game, Phoenix tied up the game in the last quarter but could not finish with a win. They lost 102-95 in the first game and lost 70-77 in the second.
Playing in the semi-finals were Minnesota vs. Connecticut and New York vs. Las Vegas. Game 1 between Connecticut and Minnesota closed out with a score of 73-70 Connecticut. Minnesota then responded in Game 2 with a score of 77-70. The Lynx won again in Game 3 with a score of 90-81; however, Connecticut tied the series up again with a 10-point win 92-82. Game 5 was anyone’s game, but Minnesota clinched its spot in the championship game, beating Connecticut in 88-77.
On the other side of the bracket, New York and Las Vegas went head to head with New York hoping to earn their first WNBA championship. New York won the first two games of the series after the Aces put up a good fight. Game 1 was closer with a score of 88-84, whereas Game 2 had a 10-point difference with New York at 88 points and Las Vegas with only 77. Las Vegas is led by stars A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, who both contributed to the Aces Game 3 win of 95-81, but they did not hold up well to New York’s Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, who led the Liberty to a 76-62 win in the fourth game of the series.
Four times WNBA champions Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty clenched their spots in the final and battled for the 2024 championship. Game 1 was a nail biter down to the final points, with Minnesota barely defeating New York 95-93.
Three days later, New York was looking sharp in Game 2 beating Minnesota 80-66. New York got an early series lead after a slow start in Game 3 but won 80-77. The Minnesota Lynx, led by stars Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams, tied up the series 2-2 after a 82-80 win in Game 4. With the championship on the line, New York trailed Minnesota the whole first half. Minnesota gave up its lead with only three minutes left in the third quarter when the game started to get heated.
After one of the most exciting quarters of women’s basketball, the teams went into overtime with a tied score of 60-60. The New York Liberty closed out overtime beating the Lynx 67-62. After a 28 year wait, the New York Liberty became WNBA champions.
