WNBA Playoffs: 4 hot takes from Day 1

Day 1 of the WNBA Playoffs is complete — and there’s a lot to discuss. First, let’s take a quick look at what went down in Game 1.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, teams will play their Game 2s, where the Lynx, Dream, Liberty, and Aces will have the chance to close out the first round with a 2-0 win. The Valkyries, Fever, Mercury, and Storm will be fighting to stay alive.

Because the first round is just a 3-game series, teams have a small margin of error and will immediately have to correct whatever went wrong in Game 1.

Here are four overreactions from Day 1 of the playoffs:

1. It might be time for the Storm to blow it up. Seattle didn’t look ready in their playoff opener against the Aces, falling by double-digits in the first quarter and ultimately losing by 25. The Aces, meanwhile, have won 16 straight games.

On paper, Seattle is really talented — they have four 2025 All-Stars on the roster: Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, and Brittney Sykes. They have former All-Star Erica Wheeler coming off the bench, as well as one of the league’s top rookies, Dominique Malonga. They have one of the league’s best interior defenders, Ezi Magbegor, anchoring the front court.

But it just hasn’t worked.

Sunday’s loss brought me back to the offseason, when the team opted to re-sign Nneka Ogwumike and give Gabby Williams the core designation. It was no surprise Seattle chose to retain two elite do-it-all wings.

But, the reality is that this core keeps underachieving. Last year, they were swept in the first round of the playoffs. This year, they barely squeaked into the playoffs — finishing with a 23-21 record and the 7th seed — and on Day 1, it looked like they didn’t belong.

2. Win or loss, the New York Liberty are in serious trouble. Liberty-Mercury was the most entertaining opening game, an overtime thriller that saw Liberty guard Natasha Cloud put up 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals against her former team. The Game 1 win for the defending champs was huge — they were the only team to win on the road, and now they have the opportunity to close out the series at Barclays Center on Wednesday.

But, the biggest takeaway from the victory was that Breanna Stewart is hurt. The Liberty star — who tallied 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals — hurt her knee on a non-contact overtime play, and was seen in tears on the bench.

Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said afterwards that her star player asked to be taken out of the game, and didn’t offer any definitive update postgame. But, Stewie has a history of knee injuries, and the fact that she couldn’t finish the game out — and was so visibly distressed — is alarming. New York has the series lead, but that might not matter if their two-way star is out for a significant time.

3. The Minnesota Lynx are dangerous, deep, and stifling — but we knew that already. The Lynx were sluggish to start in their opening game against the Valkyries, but by the end of the afternoon, the slow start was a distant memory.

Five Lynx players finished with double-digit points — Napheesa Collier (20), Natisha Hiedeman (18), Kayla McBride (17), Jessica Shepard (12), and Courtney Williams (11) — and Minnesota held the Valkyries to 33.9% shooting. Alanna Smith, a Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner, was a +31 with 4 steals. DiJonai Carrington, a midseason acquisition who just made her return from a shoulder injury, was somehow a +20 in just 11 minutes, hitting both of her three-point attempts and tallying 2 assists and a steal.

It’s been well-chronciled that Minnesota endured a heartbreaking Finals finish last fall, and they’ve openly discussed how much they want to rectify that and win it all this season. They’re still 8 wins away from a title, but Game 1 was an awesome start.

4. The Aces might never lose again. It’s genuinely hard to fathom that this Aces team was 14-14 just six weeks ago. They’ve now won 17 straight games — the second-longest streak in WNBA history — and the NaLyssa Smith trade looks like the transaction of the year. Las Vegas’s defense looked awesome in Game 1, as did three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, who appears to be on her way to a fourth such honor.

But what really stood out was the Aces’ depth.

Jewell Loyd exploded for 14 points on 5-9 shooting against her former team, while Dana Evans posted 13 points and 6 assists in 23 minutes. Smith tallied 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks — beautifully anchoring the frontcourt alongside Wilson. And Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, just a few months removed from giving birth, added 7 points on 3-3 shooting in 11 minutes.

At this point, Wilson and Jackie Young’s elite performances are expected: Wilson finished with 29 points (10-18 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, while Young had 18 points (6-9 FG), 7 assists, and 4 steals. But it’s the supporting cast around them that genuinely raises the question: Will Las Vegas win it all yet again?