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The dust was long-settled on the playoff picture well before the final ball found its way through the net. But now that the regular season is officially over it's time to take a quick breather before the playoffs get underway. The teams have (at least) three full days of rest before hitting the hardwood in the conference semifinals.
Here is a look at the best-of-three schedules for the first round of the playoffs:
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Western Conference Semifinals - best of three - |
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No. 1 Minnesota Lynx (27-7) |
No. 2 Los Angeles Sparks (24-10) |
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Friday, Sept. 28 @ Minnesota - 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2 Sunday, Sept. 30 @ Seattle - 9 p.m. ET, ESPN Tuesday, Oct. 2 @ Minnesota - if necessary |
Thursday, Sept. 27 @ Los Angeles - 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2 Saturday, Sept. 29 @ San Antonio - 3 p.m. ET, NBA TV Monday, Oct. 1 @ Los Angeles - if necessary |
In the regular season, Seattle only won one of four games against Minnesota, but it's worth noting that Minnesota never faced Lauren Jackson this season, who was gone for the Olympic break for the first three games and still hadn't returned to WNBA action in their August 21 meeting.
In the other semifinal, San Antonio won the series 3-1, but it's worth noting there that all three of San Antonio's wins came before the Olympic break and that L.A.'s lone win was a 101-77 rout at Staples Center in the first week of play after the break (though still playing without Jenna O'Hea).
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Eastern Conference Semifinals - best of three - |
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No. 1 Connecticut Sun (25-9) |
No. 2 Indiana Fever (22-12) |
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Thursday, Sept. 27 @ Connecticut - 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2 Saturday, Sept. 29 @ New York - 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV Monday, Oct. 1 @ Connecticut - if necessary |
Friday, Sept. 28 @ Indiana - 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2 Sunday, Sept. 30 @ Atlanta - 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2 Tuesday, Oct. 2 @ Indiana - if necessary |
Meanwhile, in the East there is one series that was more evenly paired, as Indiana edged the Dream 3-2 in their regular season forays while the Sun enjoyed a 4-1 (5-1 if you count preseason) advantage over their one-state-over counterparts.
The playoffs start Thursday, with a duet of games guaranteed each day throughout the weekend. The "if necessary" contests, if they do indeed become necessary, will ring in the month of October.