The 2025 WNBA playoffs begin Sunday, and all eight teams entering the postseason own a winning record for the first time since 2011. The loaded field should only add to the intrigue. The Minnesota Lynx are looking to avenge last season’s crushing title defeat, the Las Vegas Aces — winners of 16 straight games — are looking to win their third title in four seasons, and the New York Liberty are looking to repeat after winning their first title last October.
Before tipoff on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, here are five storylines to watch.
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1. Can the Liberty flip the switch?
Things that are true about the Liberty’s 2025 season:
1. New York won its first nine games, recording a plus-23.4 net rating. That is almost double the Lynx’s point differential per 100 possessions over that span.
2. The Liberty have not lost a game this season when Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu have all started and finished a game.
3. The Liberty have played only four games without any players on their injury report: games 1, 2, 43 and 44.
4. New York is 18-17 since its hot start. It has a league average in net rating since then and enters the playoffs as a No. 5 seed.
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As the reigning champions enter the playoffs, the question is which Liberty team will take the floor. Will it be the team that looked like a WNBA juggernaut early, or the one that forced players and coaches to sometimes publicly question its effort? Or will it be a team that fluctuates between those versions and ultimately falls flat?
The Liberty, who begin their title defense Sunday at the Phoenix Mercury, have voiced a newfound confidence in recent days about their playoff potential. Yet, the franchise will serve as a test case on the importance of the regular season for experienced teams and the importance of building positive habits throughout a season. Injuries have hampered New York, but ascribing its struggles to health alone also undersells just how topsy-turvy its regular season has been. (Plus, other teams have had major injuries and found ways to succeed.) The Liberty can’t be written off entirely, but it’s also hard to say how the playoffs will turn out.
2. Will home-court advantage make a difference for Minnesota?
The 2024 WNBA Finals ended in New York’s Barclays Center, where the Lynx fell in a tightly contested (and depending on your perspective, poorly officiated) game. A season later, Minnesota enters the playoffs as the No. 1 seed after clinching homecourt advantage throughout the postseason in late August.
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As a result of its dominance, Minnesota has been able to rest certain players in the stretch run. Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith have sat out games to recover. The Lynx enter the playoffs just 6-4 over their final 10 games, and trade deadline acquisition DiJonai Carrington still is not 100 percent because of a shoulder injury. Yet, Minnesota has the league’s best offense and defense, and it owns a distinct advantage at home. The Lynx finished the regular season with a league-best 20-2 record in Target Center (not including their Commissioner’s Cup loss to the Indiana Fever). No other team finished with fewer than five losses at home. The Lynx outscored opponents by more than 16 points per 100 possessions at home leading into Thursday’s regular-season finale. Now that the finals have been extended to a best-of-seven series for the first time, their advantage could be even more pronounced.
3. Can the Aces continue their hot streak?
The Aces haven’t lost since Aug. 2, when they suffered a historic 53-point defeat to Minnesota, and are on a 16-game winning streak. Las Vegas’ offense has been especially potent, scoring 114.1 points per 100 possessions heading into its regular-season finale. A’ja Wilson has averaged 26.3 points and 11.5 rebounds over that span while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. Defensively, few players — if any — have been better. It helps to have Wilson in crunch time, evidenced by the Aces going 14-5 in clutch games this season.
Coach Becky Hammon has also found more comfort with her rotations. Seldom-used wing Kierstan Bell was inserted into Vegas’ starting lineup July 27, and the Aces have lost only once with her in the first five. When they turn to their bench, led by All-Star Jewell Loyd and rookie wing Aaliyah Nye (who has recently started, with Bell out with a leg injury), they become especially dangerous. The Aces are plus-35 per 100 possessions with Nye and Loyd next to their big three of Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Wilson. That bodes well for their first-round series against the Seattle Storm.
4. How will the Golden State Valkyries perform in their first playoffs?
It’s already been a historic season for the Valkyries, who became the WNBA’s first expansion team to make the playoffs. Entering the postseason, Golden State has the opportunity to elevate its historic season even further if it can pull off a first-round upset.
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But the Valkyries will begin the postseason on the road against Minnesota, which beat them by 19 points in their regular-season finale on Thursday.
Their first home playoff game will also be played in a new venue for them. Chase Center, their usual home arena, is unavailable due to a scheduling conflict with tennis’ Laver Cup, forcing the Valkyries to the SAP Center in San Jose.
Golden State’s defense has kept it in games all season against more talented opponents. It allows the fewest paint points per game, and though nobody allows more 3-point attempts, the Valkyries excel at closing out open shooters by limiting opponents to just 31.7 percent shooting from deep.
A career year from guard Veronica Burton has helped the Valkyries down the stretch, and their depth could help them play spoiler.
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5. Can the Atlanta Dream or Mercury break through?
The Dream haven’t won a playoff game since 2018, but expectations are high, as they enter the playoffs against the Fever on a six-game winning streak. Atlanta doubled its 2024 win total under first-year WNBA coach Karl Smesko, and it finished with the best winning percentage in franchise history (.682).
Guard Allisha Gray is expected to make the All-WNBA first team, and she is likely to be joined by Dream teammates receiving various regular-season recognition. Smesko’s offensive system was highly touted, but Atlanta’s defense has been key to its upswing as well. The Dream are second in defensive rating, with their transition defense as a particular strength, allowing a league-low 12.5 points off turnovers per game and league-low 8.3 fast-break points per game.
Phoenix is looking for its first postseason win since the 2021 WNBA Finals. The Mercury’s roster is vastly different since then, turning the team over to Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper in the post-Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner era. Phoenix’s defense, led by the versatile Thomas, has been disruptive, and like Atlanta, the Mercury are among the league’s best at defensive rebounding. Thomas had yet another historic regular season, recording 33 games with 10-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists, breaking her own 2023 WNBA record (32) for the most 10/5/5 games in a single season. The Mercury rely on their starting lineup less than any other WNBA team, but that depth could also be an advantage against New York and in subsequent playoff matchups.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA
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