With the opening round of the playoffs in the backburner, the page is now turned to the WNBA semifinals.
If this year’s semifinals are anything like how the first round unfolded, “epic” could be the primary word used to describe this season’s second round of the WNBA playoffs.
With the New York Liberty being ousted in three games by the Phoenix Mercury, it guarantees we will crown a new champion of the conclusion of this year’s Finals. Thirteen teams began – but only four remain. Without further ado, here is a look at the four teams remaining in this year’s playoffs.
Minnesota Lynx
Given the banner 2025 coach Cheryl Reeve’s Minnesota Lynx have had, there was no way Minnesota was going to let its season conclude in the first round.
The Lynx were the odds-on-favorites to defeat the Golden State Valkyries in the first round of the playoffs. Minnesota earned a commanding victory over the Valks in the first game against Golden State, but Natalie Nakase’s Valkyries nearly pulled off an upset when the scene shifted to Ballhalla South.
Minnesota closed with a strong run that resulted in it pulling ahead of Golden State for the 75-74 victory. Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton and DiJonai Carrington were among the key factors that contributed to the Lynx’s sweep of the Valkyries.
Reeve’s team will be competing in the remainder of the playoffs shorthanded as an unfortunate injury to Carrington will have her sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs. Minnesota will sorely miss her defense.
Phoenix Mercury
The task of dethroning the defending champion Liberty was bestowed upon the Mercury – last crowned WNBA champions in 2014.
Many a pundit considered New York the favorite, but the Liberty were not the same team we saw last season. Meanwhile, Phoenix managed to maintain its contender status despite the Diana Taurasi-Brittney Griner era concluding in Arizona.
The Liberty earned a, somewhat, surprising overtime victory on the Mercury’s PHX Arena home court to begin the series. Unfortunately for New York, this was no longer the old sudden death first-round format.
When the scene shifted to Barclays Center, Nate Tibbets’ team made a statement that one game does not a series make. The Mercury routed New York on its home floor and carried that momentum to a 79-73 victory in large part because of stellar play from Satou Sabally, Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Sami Whitcomb.
Las Vegas Aces
When a team enters the postseason in the throes of an elongated winning streak with several statement wins along the way, the question becomes how said team could be defeated.
That was the case with the Las Vegas Aces. It was only a few weeks ago where it was a real question if Becky Hammon’s bunch would even qualify for the playoffs. Then – the Aces surged all the way to the two seed.
Las Vegas looked like a two seed in its Game 1 blowout victory of the Seattle Storm at Michelob Ultra Arena and Game 2 looked like it would also result in an Aces win before a late Seattle run enabled the Storm to tie the series up at one apiece.
The last thing a team wants to do in a postseason is give its opponent new life. The Aces did that and it nearly cost them. Because of clutch play from Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and an A’ja Wilson who dropped 38 points on the Storm (and became the first in WNBA history to win four MVP awards), Las Vegas would return to the semifinals.
Indiana Fever
Winning culture has returned to the Fever for the first time since the glory days of Tamika Catchings.
Indiana qualified for the postseason last year only to be swept by the Connecticut Sun.
This season, the Fever entered the playoffs as a sixth seed against an Atlanta Dream assembling that, on paper, ought to contend for a championship.
The championship dreams of the Dream looked to be intact after the first game with the Fever at Gateway Center Arena before the scene shifted to Gainbridge Fieldhouse where coach Stephanie White’s squad evened the contest up at one apiece.
Game 3 between Fever and Dream went down to the wire, but Indiana’s late victory – keyed by Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Odyssey Sims would ensure this year’s semifinals would not be all chalk.
