WNBA: Will higher-seeded groups triumph in first-round Sport 1s?

The 2024 WNBA playoffs kick off on Sunday, Sept. 22 with a quadruple header:

• No. 1-seed New York Liberty vs. No. 8-seed Atlanta Dream (1 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• No. 3-seed Connecticut Solar vs. No. 6-seed Indiana Fever (3 p.m. ET, ABC)
• No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7-seed Phoenix Mercury (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• No. 4-seed Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5-seed Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Right here’s a run down of what to observe for within the 4 matchups:

No. 1-seed New York Liberty vs. No. 8-seed Atlanta Dream (1 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Season sequence: 3-1 Liberty

Head-to-head level differential: +33 Liberty

Liberty leaders vs. Dream: Breanna Stewart (20.0 factors per recreation), Jonquel Jones (8.3 rebounds per recreation), Sabrina Ionescu (6.8 assists per recreation)

Dream leaders vs. Liberty: Allisha Grey (14.5 factors per recreation), Tina Charles (9.3 rebounds per recreation), Jordin Canada (5.7 assists per recreation)

As Beckett Harrison expressed in his preview of the sequence, it’s exhausting to seek out an edge for Atlanta on this matchup. New York is a machine, outfitted with a collection of highly-efficient choices on the offensive finish and supported by a strong defensive infrastructure. Additionally they exemplify a group that’s unburdened by a double-big alignment, as Beckett beforehand has postulated. The Dream, in distinction, battle to run easily, missing the consistency or cohesion required to check the Liberty.

No. 3-seed Connecticut Solar vs. No. 6-seed Indiana Fever (3 p.m. ET, ABC)

Season sequence: 3-1 Solar

Head-to-head level differential: +38 Solar

Solar leaders vs. Fever: DeWanna Bonner (18.0 factors per recreation), Alyssa Thomas (12.0 rebounds per recreation), Thomas (8.8 assists per recreation)

Fever leaders vs. Solar: Caitlin Clark (16.5 factors per recreation), Aliyah Boston (8.0 rebounds per recreation), Boston (4.3 assists per recreation)

In his preview of this sequence, Łukasz Muniowski advised Indiana would possibly have to carve out extra time for Temi Fagbenle to compete with Connecticut, choosing an even bigger lineup so as to decelerate Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner. It’s an concept that factors to the determinative query on this sequence: Which group will management the tempo? Can the Solar drag the high-flying Fever into the mud, making the video games sluggish and grinding affairs that restrict Caitlin Clark’s playmaking alternatives? Or, can Indiana induce Connecticut right into a observe meet, continually pushing the tempo to tilt the phrases of engagement within the favor of Clark and the Fever?

No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7-seed Phoenix Mercury (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Season sequence: 3-1 Lynx

Head-to-head level differential: +49 Lynx

Lynx leaders vs. Mercury: Napheesa Collier (17.3 factors per recreation), Collier (11.3 rebounds per recreation), Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams (4.0 assists per recreation)

Mercury leaders vs. Lynx: Kahleah Copper (19.3 factors per recreation), Natasha Mack (7.0 rebounds per recreation), Natasha Cloud (7.5 assists per recreation)

If Diana Taurasi’s closing playoff run is to not finish in a first-round loss, all the pieces should go proper for the Mercury, as Eric Nemchock outlined in his sequence preview. Can Phoenix drive Minnesota to commit a number of defenders to Brittney Griner, who then sprays the ball out to open shooters that ignite from behind the arc and burn Minnesota with a bounty of 3s? Perhaps. However, the Lynx have their very own assortment of elite shooters, along with an all-round offensive system and all-time protection that may assist them to beat an on-point Mercury group. If Phoenix will not be completely firing on all cylinders, count on a brief closing postseason for DT.

No. 4-seed Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5-seed Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Season sequence: 3-1 Aces

Head-to-head level differential: +16 Aces

Aces leaders vs. Storm: A’ja Wilson (25.3 factors per recreation), Wilson (11.8 rebounds per recreation), Chelsea Grey (6.0 assists per recreation)

Storm leaders vs. Aces: Jewell Loyd (18.0 factors per recreation), Ezi Magbegor (12.7 rebounds per recreation), Skylar Diggins-Smith (7.5 assists per recreation)

Are the Storm forgotten contenders, able to marshaling a Finals run? Zack Ward thinks so, citing the confirmed championship expertise of Nneka Ogwumike and Jewell Loyd. Nevertheless, as Edwin Garcia asserts in his sequence preview, the Aces have A’ja Wilson. And Seattle, like the remainder of the league, has struggled to sluggish the soon-to-be three-time MVP. Vegas additionally seems to be peaking on the proper time, ending a season of ups and downs on a excessive. Seattle, in distinction, has not discovered the perfect model of themselves since play resumed after the Olympic break, together with on the defensive finish, the place they’ll be with out the companies of Ezi Magbegor (concussion) in Sport 1.