WNBA Regular Season Races Near Final Turn

By: Stephen Garner

The WNBA nears its playoff sprint, but one runner still needs to reach the starting blocks.

Saturday night, the Dallas Wings and New York Liberty faced off in Dallas, two of the four teams vying for the final two slots of this season’s eight-team playoff.

The Wings entered with the best chance of clinching a playoff spot, a 99% probability, and needed just one win to complete this feat.

PHOTO DUMP: 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗛 𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

FIVE PLAYERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES:

DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR LISH:

13-POINT FOURTH QUARTER COMEBACK: pic.twitter.com/UnzXzBJls1

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) September 12, 2021

They’d do so behind big games from Marina Mabrey, who finished with 21 points (4-10 from 3), eight rebounds, and six assists on an always emotional 9/11 anniversary for her.

She became just the third woman in WNBA history to register a stat line of 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists with that timely performance.

So who remains in contention for 8th?

With one slot remaining as the finish line looms, there are three teams in the competition: Washington Mystics, Liberty, and Los Angeles Sparks.

As it stands, here’s what their odds look like:

I have long maintained that the Mystics are the best team of this bunch. Also, consider that Washington hoped to become healthier near the last regular-season horn.

However, Elena Delle Donne needed a second back surgery and initially missed 21 games. Then, upon returning, she’s only played in three of nine games while her status looks uncertain going forward.

They’ve had their starting five readily available and sharing court time in just one game, an 85-77 loss to the Storm at home.

Short-handed from the start, they’ve yet to sustain any consistency. Even prized free-agent signing Alysha Clark, someone the Mystics had been after for a while, had to miss the season with a foot injury.

As we inch closer to the playoffs, the odds are in their favor.

They have two remaining games, the most pertinent being at home versus the Liberty on Friday.

Win Out Or Get Out

For the Mystics and Liberty, it’s simple. They need to win out. If either of these two wins out, they clinch their playoff berth. Now, with them facing off on Friday, both can’t. (Also, the below tiebreaker can no longer occur, but it was fun to think about.)

Because I am a fan of chaos, a about a fun tiebreaker scenario for the final WNBA Playoff spot:

If WSH loses its last 3 (at CHI, at NY, v MIN), NY splits its last 2 (L at CT, W v WSH), and LA wins 2 of 3 (L v SEA, W at ATL, W at DAL), NY & LA would be tied for last berth.

— Jeff Hoffman (@jthoffman18) September 12, 2021

5. COIN FLIP!

Yes, the whole thing falls apart at the point differential in all games and if LA loses by less than 38 to SEA Sunday, they hold the tiebreaker vs NY and a coin does not come into play.

But who doesn’t want the final playoff spot to be determined by a coin flip??

— Jeff Hoffman (@jthoffman18) September 12, 2021

Wednesday’s only game, New York versus Connecticut, will be nearly all-telling for the Liberty.

As we get a better look at the final playoff spot, the only guarantee is that plenty of competition and entertainment will ensue and serve as a precursor to the looming 2021 WNBA Playoffs.

*All stats and information used come directly from basketball reference unless stated otherwise and are accurate entering play on 9.14.21*