On Tuesday evening, the New York Liberty sealed a two-game first spherical sweep over the Minnesota Lynx with an 87-71 victory on the Barclays Middle, marking the primary time a No. 8 seed has upset a No. 1 seed because the WNBA switched to an 8-team, conference-less format in 2022.
The Lynx, which completed the common season with a 33-11 file, exited the playoffs after enjoying only one dwelling and one street recreation, prompting renewed questions over the WNBA’s postseason format.
The league t for the primary spherical final season, after the earlier 2-1 format drew m for failing to ensure every playoff crew no less than one dwelling recreation. Nevertheless, some coaches and gamers have lately pushed again towards the brand new format, arguing that both a unique internet hosting setup or an extended collection would offer a extra vital aggressive benefit to the upper seed. (MLB additionally has a three-game first spherical, with all three video games performed on the greater seed.)
“The 1-1-1, I don’t assume is an effective setup,” Aces coach Becky Hammon stated earlier this month after a late-regular-season victory over the Storm. “It ought to be 2-1 or go to a five-game collection, as a result of the 1-1-1 is not any benefit for the upper seed, actually. It’s nothing. That’s not my choice clearly, however I don’t just like the setup in that first spherical.”
4-time All-Star Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu expressed an analogous sentiment in a press convention final week, foreshadowing her crew’s upset victory.
“It must be 2-1 or go to a five-game collection, as I feel something can occur in a 1-1-1,” Ionescu stated. “The crew will get sizzling, the crew performs properly, after which yeah.”
Fever coach Stephanie White added to the refrain final week, calling the 1-1-1 format “most likely the very best of the worst-case situation.”
“I want an extended collection,” White stated. “It wouldn’t be as difficult if the WNBA had Japanese and Western conferences, nevertheless it doesn’t, so groups are crossing the nation half the time. It’s actually an imperfect system.”
There may be current precedent for the WNBA increasing playoff collection size. The league applied a best-of-seven WNBA Finals for the primary time in its historical past final 12 months after 20 years of best-of-five finals.
But, any additional makes an attempt so as to add playoff video games could also be sophisticated by the league’s collective bargaining settlement. The CBA says that a rise within the variety of attainable playoff video games have to be accompanied by a proportional improve in merit-based participant bonuses, and the league should seek the advice of with the gamers’ union earlier than finalizing any modifications.
Playoff Enlargement Factors
Article XXXIII Part 5 of the CBA states: “If the utmost variety of attainable playoff video games will increase past twenty-nine (29), the benefit bonuses associated to playoff achievement of a Workforce set forth in Article IX hereof shall be elevated proportionally.” (The league already is at a most of 29 whole playoff video games.)
As is the case in most professional sports activities leagues, WNBA gamers are paid their salaries for the common season, not the playoffs. Every participant on a playoff crew will get a bonus relying on how far their crew makes it:
- WNBA champion: $60,000
- Runner-up: $20,000
- Second Spherical elimination: $10,000
- First Spherical elimination: $5,000
The champion and runner-up bonuses are double that of the Commissioner’s Cup, the in-season event that awards $30,000 to the gamers of the profitable crew and $10,000 for every participant on the runner-up facet.
If the WNBA expanded the first-round to a five-game collection, that may imply the utmost variety of playoff video games league-wide could be 37—a 27% improve in video games. The CBA signifies that a rise in playoff video games, even in only one spherical, would have an effect on “every of the per-player benefit bonuses.” So a 27% improve in participant bonuses would imply:
- WNBA Champion: $76,552
- Runner-up: $25,517
- Second Spherical elimination: $12,759
- First Spherical elimination: $6,379
Different attainable eventualities could be to extend the second-round collection to seven video games and even to convey all collection to seven video games. The bonuses would appear to be this for every situation:
Assuming 12 gamers per crew, this 12 months’s whole playoff bonus payout might be $1.44 million. A change to a best-of-five first spherical collection would improve the pot by about $400,000.
A change to best-of-seven format throughout all three rounds would convey the full prize pool to an estimated $2.43 million, about $1 million greater than the present quantity.
However the league additionally must take note of how the elevated variety of video games will have an effect on the schedule. The 2026 WNBA Finals will finish 1 on the newest. However subsequent 12 months, the common season will bounce from 44 to 50 video games, which may push the tip of the season into November. In 2029, the season is predicted to extend to a 52-game schedule.
The CBA states that beginning subsequent 12 months, the WNBA season, together with playoffs, can run till Nov. 21. This may be pushed to Nov. 30 in 2028 as a result of the Olympics are that summer time.
As for the beginning of the season, the CBA states the earliest that coaching camp can start is April 1, and the season should begin inside 30 days of coaching camp. That provides the league a most of six months to suit the 50- or 52-game common season and any expanded playoff format.
It might be difficult, although, for the league to start out a lot sooner than its regular early-Might tipoff. In 2026, for instance, UCLA received the Division I ladies’s title on April 5, the draft was held on April 13, camps opened on April 19, and the common season began simply 19 days later, on Might 8.
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