WNBA Playoffs – Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever and Connecticut start as favourites
The business end of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season is just around the corner. Four teams from each conference have qualified for the post season and they will be taking on each other in the semifinal series, starting this week.
Here is the list of First Round Playoff match-ups.
Western Conference:
Minnesota Lynx vs. San Antonio Silver Stars
Lindsay Whalen is one among the leading candidates for regular season MVP contest and she will be rearing to prove that she can carry Minnesota Lynx to the Championship title. The San Antonio Silver Stars although are a tough team to contend with, are nowhere near as deep as the Lynx and on the surface it appears that Lynx will roll them over quite easily.
With a team-record 27 wins in 34 games, the best in this year’s regular season, the Lynx have the base set to do so.
However, if Becky Hammon shows up in this series, she may help the Silver Stars win the series.
Hammon and Whalen have been the main weapons for their teams. Hammon closed the season with an average of 15.9 points and 5.8 assists per game while Whalen averaged 13.6 points and 5.9 assists.
Phoenix Mercury vs. Seattle Storm
This is one of the most awaited match-ups in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Diana Taurasi versus Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird versus Candice Dupree, and DeWanna Bonner versus Swin Cash are all great match-ups on paper.
The key here is the depth of the Defending Champions Settle Storm. Yes, they have a weak line-up in the centre position, but Phoenix Mercury is not the kind of team who can exploit this weakness. If Mercury’s Katie Smith comes off the bench and scores a ton of points, this series can be very interesting.
Eastern Conference
Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty
It would have been nice for the Indiana Fever if they finished first in the Eastern Conference but the consolation price for finishing second is that they will face an easier opponent in the New York Liberty. However, Indiana’s Jessica Davenport has not been playing well as off late and they are without their premiere big in Tamika Catchings.
Even if Catchings return, the Liberty are still the underdogs in this one. They are however sure to put up a fight with Katie Douglas leading the charge with an average of 13.9 points per game.
Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream
Connecticut Sun have been the team to watch out in this year’s WNBA season. Despite being relatively inexperienced, with six players having two years or less professional experience, they showed throughout the season how teamwork can win games. This bunch of gung-ho players are eager to prove themselves, headed by the 22-year-old Tina Charles, averaging 17.6 points, and the league-best 11.0 rebounds per game.
The Conference defending Champion Atlanta Dream, on the other hand, have also turned into a more dangerous team on the back of Angel McCoughtry and their terrific four-game winning streak at the end of the season. So, come the playoffs, the fans are set for a humdinger.
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