WNBA changes playoff format
During the WNBA playoffs this fall, the Storm’s Breanna Stewart framed the debate on whether the league needs to adopt a new playoff format simply.
“[Single elimination is] the format for college, but this isn’t college,” she said.
The 2021 playoffs culminated in a fifth-seeded team (the Mercury) and a sixth-seeded one (the Sky) playing in the best-of-five Finals for the first time under a format established in 2016. After the third and fourth seeds, the Lynx and Storm, were defeated in singleelimination games — the format for the first two rounds — the chatter about whether the format was suited for the WNBA grew louder.
On Thursday, the WNBA took action, announcing that its board of governors had approved a new format that will include three rounds of series play. Beginning next season, the top eight teams in winning percentage, regardless of conference, will be seeded by record and compete in bracket-style play. There will be no byes.
The first round will pit the No. 1 seed against No. 8 and No. 4 against No. 5 in best-of-three series. On the other side of the bracket, No. 3 will face No. 6, and No. 2 will face No. 7. The series will be played in a 2-1 format, with the higher seed hosting the first two games and the lower hosting a third, if necessary.
The winners of those series will advance to the semifinals, which will remain best-of-five series, as will the Finals. Both the semifinals and Finals will continue with a 2-21 format, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2 and 5 and the lower seed hosting Games 3 and 4.
On their championship run, the Sky were vocal about the challenges of making it through two singleelimination rounds, with center Candace Parker commenting more than once that the playoffs don’t start until series play begins.
Now, by that standard, the playoffs will start in the first round.
“I think it’s good for the league,” Sky coach and general manager James Wade said. “Professional basketball deserves series. This also assures fans that the best teams will always have the opportunity to recover from one-game woes.”