The WNBA Playoffs is an elimination tournament between 8 teams in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), ultimately deciding the final two teams who will play in the WNBA Finals.
Format
In the current format of the WNBA playoffs, the top eight teams in the regular season, regardless of conference, participate in a single-elimination tournament system. The eight teams are then seeded by their regular season records, with the higher seeded team (or the team with the better record) in a series given homecourt advantage.
Round One is a best-of-three series, played with a homecourt pattern of 2–1 (the higher seed hosts games 1 and 2, while the lower seed hosts game 3). The Semifinals and Finals are both best-of-five, played with a homecourt pattern of 2–2–1 (the higher seed hosts games 1, 2, and 5, while the lower seed hosts games 3 and 4). [1]
Tiebreaker procedures
In case of ties, the following procedures are followed:
- Better winning percentage among all head-to-head games involving tied teams.
- Better winning percentage against all teams with a .500 or better record at the end of the season.
- Better point differential in games involving tied teams.
- Better point differential in all games.
- Coin toss (or draw of lots, if at least 3 teams are still tied after the first 4 tiebreakers fail).
History
The playoff format has changed throughout the years ever since the league's establishment.
In the league's first two seasons, 1997 and 1998, only the top four teams overall advance to the playoffs, only consisting of two rounds. In 1997, only a single game was played in all matches. In 1998, each match became a best-of-three series. The homecourt pattern for best-of-three was 1–1–1.
As expansion began, the playoff format accommodated more teams. The format used in 1999 had six teams with the top three teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs, with the top seed of each conference getting a bye into the Conference Finals. The following season, it was expanded to eight teams with the top four teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs. In 2005, the WNBA Finals became a best-of-five series. Despite the departure of some teams later on, the format would stick until 2015.
In 2016, a new format was introduced, featuring a stepladder-like system. In this format, the first- and second-seeded teams start at the Semifinals, third and fourth start at the Second Round, and the remaining four begin at the First Round. The format also removed conference seeding, instead having the top eight teams overall advance. The First and Second Rounds only consist of a single game, with the winning team immediately advancing to the next round. The Semifinals and Finals are both best-of-five series. After each round, the lower surviving seed faces the higher seed in the next round, and the higher surviving seed faces the lower seed. [1]
The current format was adopted in 2022.
Playoff series history
2023 season
| Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Dallas Wings | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Liberty | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Liberty | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Minnesota Lynx | 1 | ||||||||||||
Bold Series winner
2022 season
| Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Dallas Wings | 1 | ||||||||||||
Bold Series winner
2021 season
| First round Sept. 23 | Second round Sept. 26 | Semifinals Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 |
WNBA Finals Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 96 | 91 | 60 | 93 | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 80 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 90 | 117 | 87 | 76 | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 85OT | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 77 | 91OT | 50 | 74 | – | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | New York Liberty | 82 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 91 | 86 | 86 | 80 | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Connecticut Sun | 95 | 79 | 83 | 69 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Minnesota Lynx | 76 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 1012OT | 68 | 86 | 79 | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 89 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
2020 season
| First round: Single elimination (September 15) | Second round: Single elimination (September 17) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (September 20–29) |
WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (October 2–11) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 62 | 83 | 68 | 84 | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Minnesota Lynx | 80 | 7 | Connecticut Sun | 87 | 75 | 77 | 75 | 63 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 85 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 79 | 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 80 | 91 | 59 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Washington Mystics | 84 | 2 | Seattle Storm | 93 | 104 | 92 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Seattle Storm | 88 | 89 | 92 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 59 | 4 | Minnesota Lynx | 86 | 79 | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 7 | Connecticut Sun | 73 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Connecticut Sun | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
2019 season
| First round: Single elimination (Sept. 11) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 15) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 17 – Sept. 24) |
WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 29 – Oct. 10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Washington Mystics | 97 | 103 | 75 | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 93 | 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 95 | 91 | 92 | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago Sky | 105 | 5 | Chicago Sky | 92 | 1 | Washington Mystics | 95 | 87 | 94 | 86 | 89 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 76 | 2 | Connecticut Sun | 86 | 99 | 81 | 90 | 78 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Connecticut Sun | 84 | 94 | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 92 | 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 75 | 68 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Seattle Storm | 84 | 6 | Seattle Storm | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota Lynx | 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
2018 season
| First round: Single elimination (Aug. 21) | Second round: Single elimination (Aug. 23) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Aug. 26 – Sept. 4) |
WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 7 – Sept. 12) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Seattle Storm | 91 | 91 | 66 | 84 | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Connecticut Sun | 86 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 87 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 84 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 101 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 96 | 1 | Seattle Storm | 89 | 75 | 98 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Dallas Wings | 83 | 3 | Washington Mystics | 76 | 73 | 82 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Atlanta Dream | 84 | 78 | 81 | 76 | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Washington Mystics | 96 | 3 | Washington Mystics | 87 | 75 | 76 | 97 | 86 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Los Angeles Sparks | 75 | 6 | Los Angeles Sparks | 64 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota Lynx | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.
2017 season
| First round: Single elimination (Sept. 6) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 10) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) |
WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 79 | 86 | 89 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Connecticut Sun | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 66 | 72 | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 79 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 88 | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 84 | 70 | 64 | 80 | 85 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Seattle Storm | 69 | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 85 | 68 | 75 | 69 | 76 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 101 | 93 | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New York Liberty | 68 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 81 | 83 | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Washington Mystics | 86 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 82 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.
2016 season
| First round: Single elimination (Sept. 21) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 24 and 25) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 6) |
WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 113 | 96 | 82 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New York Liberty | 94 | 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 95 | 86 | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Indiana Fever | 78 | 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 101 | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 76 | 79 | 75 | 85 | 76 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 89 | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 78 | 60 | 92 | 79 | 77 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 95 | 99 | 66 | 95 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago Sky | 108 | 4 | Chicago Sky | 75 | 84 | 70 | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Atlanta Dream | 94 | 6 | Atlanta Dream | 98 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Seattle Storm | 85 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.
2015 season
| Conference Semi-Finals: Best-of-3 | Conference Finals: Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Chicago | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Tulsa | 0 | ||||||||||||
- Bold Series winner
- italics Team with home-court advantage
2014 season
There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference semi-finals: best-of-3 | Conference finals: best-of-3 | WNBA finals: best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Atlanta | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Chicago | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Chicago | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Chicago | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Minnesota | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio | 0 | ||||||||||||
2013 season
There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Chicago | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Indiana | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Washington | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
2012 season
There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Atlanta | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio | 0 | ||||||||||||
2011 season
There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Connecticut | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | San Antonio | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
2010 season
There are 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference are seeded one to four. Starting in 2010, the first two rounds changed to a 1-1-1 format, with the higher-seeded team hosting games 1 & 3.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Seattle | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Seattle | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Seattle | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio | 0 | ||||||||||||
2009 season
There are 13 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference are seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | Detroit | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | San Antonio | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W3 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
2008 season
There were 14 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Indiana | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | San Antonio | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | San Antonio | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Sacramento | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | San Antonio | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
2007 season
There were 13 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | San Antonio | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | San Antonio | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 1 | ||||||||||||
2006 season
There were 14 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
2005 season
There were 13 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
2004 season
There were 13 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Detroit | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Sacramento | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Minnesota | 0 | ||||||||||||
2003 season
There were 14 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Cleveland | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Connecticut | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Charlotte | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Minnesota | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
2002 season
There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Indiana | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Charlotte | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Washington | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Utah | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Utah | 2 | ||||||||||||
2001 season
There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Miami | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Utah | 0 | ||||||||||||
2000 season
There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 0 | ||||||||||||
1999 season
There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the three teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to three. The top seeded team in each conference got a bye for the first round.
| Conference Semi-Finals Single Game | Conference Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Charlotte | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 54 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Charlotte | 60 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 71 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 58 | ||||||||||||
1998 season
There were 10 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four. Houston was switched to the Western Conference in 1998 so two Western Conference teams matched up in the WNBA Finals.
| Playoff Semi-Finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||
| W1 | Houston | 2 | |||||||
| E2 | Charlotte | 0 | |||||||
| W1 | Houston | 2 | |||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 1 | |||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 2 | |||||||
| E1 | Cleveland | 1 | |||||||
1997 season
This was the first year of existence for the WNBA. There were only 8 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four. Houston was in the Eastern Conference in 1997 so two Eastern Conference teams matched up in the WNBA Championship.
| Playoff Semi-Finals Single Game | WNBA Championship Single Game | ||||||||
| E1 | Houston | 70 | |||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 54 | |||||||
| E1 | Houston | 65 | |||||||
| E2 | New York | 51 | |||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 41 | |||||||
| E2 | New York | 59 | |||||||
See also
References
- ^ a b "WNBA Approves New Playoff Format" (Press release). WNBA. November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.