The Seattle Storm just took down the Toronto Tempo 90-78, showing exactly the kind of gritty play that’s defining the WNBA as the playoffs barrel towards us! Every single game right now is pure fire, and while all eight playoff spots are locked up, don’t you dare think the seeding is anywhere near settled. With only about five games left for each team on the schedule, the league is looking at a complete free-for-all from the No. 3 seed all the way down to No. 8, separated by just three games. Talk about high stakes, right?
The Top Dogs and a Valkyries Chase
Let’s look at the top. The Minnesota Lynx are chilling at No. 1 with a killer 31-8 record, three games clear of the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries. They even won the season series, so unless there’s some kind of cosmic meltdown, Minnesota is staying put. Good for them. Now, the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries, sitting at 28-11, they can’t exactly coast. The Las Vegas Aces are breathing down their necks, just two games back in the standings. What’s worse for Golden State? They lost all three matchups against Vegas, which means the Aces own that tiebreaker. The Valkyries need to stack up a couple more wins, pronto, if they want to secure the second-best record in the WNBA. No easy wins for anyone, even at the top!
The Mid-Table Is an Absolute Brawl
Alright, now this is where the real drama unfolds. The No. 3 Las Vegas Aces, currently 26-13, are just a half game ahead of the Atlanta Dream and a full game in front of the Indiana Fever. That’s insane with only five games left! Vegas owns the tiebreaker over Atlanta, but they lost their season series against Indiana. And while they’ve got the “easiest schedule” left in the league, that season-ending injury to NaLyssa Smith could make things way tougher than it looks on paper. You just know that’s going to sting.
Then there’s the No. 4 Atlanta Dream, 25-13, led by Head Coach Karl Smesko. This team has had a seriously good year, hitting a better than 60-percent winning percentage. They are holding onto that No. 4 spot by a thread, just a half game ahead of the Fever. Atlanta and Indiana split their head-to-head matchups, and they are neck and neck on the next tiebreaker too: best record against teams with a record over .500. The Dream are 11-11, while the Fever are 10-12 in those matchups. So yeah, the battle for the fourth seed is absolutely going down to the wire, probably the last weekend of the season.
The No. 5 Indiana Fever, at 25-14, have the firepower to win it all, seriously! But they’ve got to earn it. Their remaining schedule is a nightmare. They’re playing the Lynx twice, plus they face the Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, and Dallas Wings. If the Fever are true title contenders, they’ll show it by winning more than they lose in this brutal stretch. Every win is critical to stay at No. 5 or even climb.
So, as the WNBA gets ready to hit pause, the big question isn’t who is in, it’s where everyone lands! Homecourt advantage, first-round matchups, everything is still wide open. Get ready for some wild finishes because these last few games are going to be absolutely insane. Can’t wait to see how it all shakes out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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