Caitlin Clark & Fever Miss Out on Huge Privilege as Cathy Engelbert Reveals WNBA Playoffs Format Change
via Imago
A big change going into the next year! As the excitement builds for the WNBA Finals showdown between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, there’s already buzz about what next year’s championship could look like. Changes are on the horizon that could shift the format we’ve come to know and will prove bad luck for teams like Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever, who missed out on getting the benefits of the changes that will come ahead.
Recently, an ESPN journalist took to X and revealed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s vision for the season next year. The tweet read, “Big news from @WNBA commissioner @CathyEngelbert on playoffs for next season. This is important for league’s growth: best-of-seven format for the WNBA Finals, replacing the best-of-5. Also switch to 1-1-1 setup for 1st round, so all teams have at least one home playoff game…”
Big news from @WNBA commissioner @CathyEngelbert on playoffs for next season. This is important for league’s growth: best-of-seven format for the WNBA Finals, replacing the best-of-5. Also switch to 1-1-1 setup for 1st round, so all teams have at least one home playoff game….
— Michael Voepel (@MAVoepel) October 10, 2024
So far, the WNBA Finals have followed a five-game series format, with playoff schedules often favoring the top-seeded teams. Take the Indiana Fever, for example. As a lower-ranked team compared to the Connecticut Sun, they didn’t have the chance to play any of the first two games at home during their best-of-three series in the opening round. However, next year could look very different. The proposed changes suggest that every team might get the opportunity to host at least one home game in the playoffs.
This change appears to stem from a careful analysis of the current playoff structure, weighing its pros and cons for the teams involved. It reflects a desire to enhance the competitive experience and ensure a more balanced opportunity for all teams.
A New Playoff Era: Transforming the WNBA Championship landscape
As the number of teams in the league has grown, so too has the number of regular-season games. Now, a fresh playoff format will shake things up even further. Under the new rules, the first round will feature a best-of-three series where the higher-seeded team hosts Game 1, followed by the lower-seeded team taking charge of Game 2. If needed, Game 3 will return to the higher-seeded team’s home court. Interestingly, this year’s playoffs didn’t see any need for Game 3, as all first-round matchups concluded with two-game sweeps.
While the semifinals will remain unchanged with their traditional best-of-five format, which follows a 2-2-1 structure, exciting modifications are on the way for the WNBA Finals. The championship series will now shift to a best-of-seven format, employing a 2-2-1-1-1 setup. The playoff format changes bring obvious upsides.
Historically, lower-seeded teams were not guaranteed a home game, yet they could close out a series at home, which seemed unfair since higher-seeded teams, with better records, should have that advantage. This imbalance is addressed by the new playoff format, which ensures that every team gets a fair shot.
The shift to a best-of-seven series for the WNBA Finals is a significant improvement, providing the league’s top two teams with more opportunities to compete for the championship. This change marks a milestone, as it’s the first time any playoff round in the WNBA will follow a best-of-seven format, aligning with the standard used in the NBA.
