WNBA playoffs ready to tip off with intriguing storylines galore

The 2022 WNBA postseason is set to tip off on Wednesday as the Las Vegas Aces, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury vie for the league crown.

The playoffs move to a new format this year. Round 1 will now be a best-of-three series while the semifinals and Finals will each be best of five.

Watch Game 1 between the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT followed by Game 1 between the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on TSN2, TSN.ca and the TSN App. 

Here are four intriguing storylines for each first-round matchup.

Can the Aces fulfill their championship potential?

Going into the playoffs, the Las Vegas Aces come in as the No. 1 seed with a lot of eyes on them.

Led by a trio of No. 1 picks in A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, as well as Chelsea Gray and Dearica Hamby, the Aces are an elite team that is so close to bursting through. Las Vegas has thrived this season under first-year head coach Becky Hammon as the team’s offence has reached new heights under her guidance.

In 2020, the Aces were swept in the Finals by the Storm and they were defeated in the semifinals last season by the Phoenix Mercury. The Aces face the Mercury again, this time in the first round with dramatically different circumstances.

The Mercury had a tumultuous season on and off the court as Brittney Griner’s imprisonment in Russia took centre stage. Skylar Diggins-Smith (personal reasons) is done for the year after the Mercury suspended her contract and Diana Taurasi will miss Game 1 with a quad injury that has kept her out of the lineup since Aug. 2.

The Aces are the clear favourites to beat the Mercury but they will be closely watched as the playoffs go deeper. For Las Vegas, it is championship or bust.

Will the Sky repeat?

The last team to win back-to-back WNBA championships was the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002.

The Sky return the pillars of last year’s championship team in Candace Parker, Kahleah Copper and Courtney Vandersloot.

After going through the regular season as a .500 team in 2021, the Sky found their extra gear in the playoffs as they cruised to the franchise’s first-ever title. This time around, they finished in second and looked more consistent.

They will take on the New York Liberty, who after a tough stretch earlier in the season played their way into a playoff spot. The Liberty nearly upset the Mercury in the first round last season. New York has the pieces to take a game but the Sky firmly have the edge in this series and the ability to go all the way again.

Can Connecticut find their offence in the playoffs?

The Sun were dominant during the 2021 regular season and were a favourite to win last year’s title. However, they ran into the Sky in the semifinals and the lack of offence was their downfall.

This year, the Sun addressed that need in free agency, signing point guard Courtney Williams, who turned in a solid season with an average of 11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. However, the biggest addition is a healthy Alyssa Thomas, who missed most of last season recovering from Achilles surgery. In her first full year back, she averaged 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists.

Add in 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, 2021 Most Improved Player Brionna Jones and two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner, the Sun are well-positioned to make a run.

Connecticut draws the Dallas Wings, who will be without leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale (injury). Marina Mabrey and Allisha Gray are the Wings’ biggest threats aside from Ogunbowale but the Sun have too much talent and depth to not take this series.

Will the Storm help Tina Charles win her first ring?

Tina Charles has had an illustrious career as any in WNBA history. Fourth in all-time scoring, Charles is an eight-time WNBA All-Star, a WNBA MVP winner and two-time WNBA scoring champion.

The only thing missing from her trophy case is a championship ring.

Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Charles started the season with the Mercury before a contract divorce. She landed with the Storm, who have as much championship pedigree as any team as Sue Bird has four rings with Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd having two each.

In what is the last season of Bird’s career, the Storm also want to send the best player in franchise history off into the sunset with a fifth title.

Seattle will face the Washington Mystics in what could be a closer series. Not as deep as Seattle, Washington does have a healthy Elena Delle Donne, assists leader Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins at their disposal who can take over games. Regardless, Seattle is the favourite, especially with Stewart healthy after missing last year’s playoffs with an injury.