The opening round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs is in the books. With the semifinals set to begin on Sunday, let’s take a quick look back at the biggest storylines from Round 1.
Collier on another level
In any other year, Napheesa Collier’s regular-season performance would’ve earned her MVP honors. The 6-foot-1 forward finished in the top five in scoring (20.4 points per game), rebounds (9.7), and steals (1.9). She also placed sixth in blocks (1.4) and 10th in free-throw attempts (158).
Collier showcased her dominant two-way play during the Minnesota Lynx’s two-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury, tallying 80 points on 64.1% shooting – including 62.5% from deep – to go along with 11 boards, eight assists, three blocks, and one steal. Her output was the highest point total over any two-game span in WNBA playoff history.
Collier’s 42-point performance in the series clincher tied those of Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry for the league’s single-game postseason record. The Lynx star has scored 30-plus points in three straight playoff games dating back to last year, and she’ll set another WNBA record if she hits the mark once again in Game 1 of the WNBA semis.
Taurasi’s farewell?
All signs seem to indicate that Diana Taurasi has played her final WNBA game. If this is indeed it, what a remarkable career it’s been.
Taurasi’s rise to prominence began at UConn, where she led the Huskies to three straight national championships and was a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year winner. She was then selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the No. 1 overall pick in 2004. Over the next 20 years, the 6-foot guard re-wrote the record books and became one of the most decorated players in basketball history.
Taurasi earned 11 All-Star nods, 10 All-WNBA first-team selections, six Olympic gold medals, five scoring titles, three WNBA championships, two Finals MVP trophies, one regular-season MVP, and Rookie of the Year honors. The California native is the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader and the only player to crack the 10,000-point plateau over the course of their career. Her 25.3 points per contest in 2006 stood as the league’s top single-season mark until A’ja Wilson surpassed it this season. In what was likely her last playoffs, Taurasi managed to find a way to raise the bar yet again, becoming the first player after age 40 to score 20 points in a postseason game.
Taurasi’s influence on the next generation of players is certainly one of the reasons why women’s basketball is in a great place today.
Mabrey trade paying off
Connecticut has been a force defensively all season long, leading the league in defensive rating and opponents’ points per game. The Sun have been particularly sharp on the perimeter, allowing a league-low 20.6 3-point attempts per contest and holding opponents to just 31.3% on those attempted triples. Add that to their 8.2 steals per game, and you have a recipe for an elite defensive unit. But, while the team was a monster on defense, it lacked another big-time scorer.
So, the Sun decided to pull off a coup in mid-July and acquired Marina Mabrey from the Chicago Sky. In return, Connecticut sent Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson to Chicago. The decision to go all-in on this season was masterful. Since arriving in Connecticut, Mabrey is the team’s second-leading scorer – just 0.1 points per game behind DeWanna Bonner’s 15 points a contest. She’s also second in assists (3.3) and leads the Sun with a blistering 42.4% mark from deep on 6.2 attempts per game.
The Sun’s gamble continued to pay off in their Round 1 victory against the Indiana Fever. In their 2-0 sweep of Indiana, Mabrey averaged 22 points and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 37% from deep. She was also responsible for sealing Game 2 with a clutch triple that clinched the series.
Liberty’s starting unit
The Liberty cruised through the opening round of the postseason, beating the eighth-ranked Atlanta Dream with ease. Their balanced starting lineup continues to be the most impressive part of the team. Head coach Sandy Brondello has managed to pair her three-headed monster of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart with the perfect complementary players.
For the year, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich are shooting 40.2% and 43.3% from three, respectively. This lights-out duo allows the Liberty to play a true five-out offense. Any one of the starters is capable of hitting a three or putting the ball on the floor to get to the rim. The only member who isn’t a threat from deep is Stewart, the team’s leading scorer and a matchup nightmare.
Through their first two postseason games, the Liberty’s starters are averaging a staggering 80 points, which was more than the entirety of the Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, and Seattle Storm averaged in the first round.
In Round 2, the Liberty are set to face the Las Vegas Aces in a rematch of the 2023 WNBA Finals. The starting unit must continue its remarkable offensive output as it faces the league’s leading shot-blocker, A’ja Wilson.
Gray, Hayes stepping up
Las Vegas is going to need all hands on deck to take down the top-seeded Liberty, who are hungry to avenge last season’s Finals defeat. The Aces got just that during their opening-round sweep of the Seattle Storm, as various players elevated their game to take some of the workload off Wilson.
Chelsea Gray ended the regular season on a high note and carried that momentum into the postseason. The veteran floor general has been a calming influence, dropping 16 dimes and making key plays down the stretch with the game still in the balance. Gray’s defense against Seattle had her looking like the player she was prior to the foot injury that sidelined her for Game 4 of last year’s championship series and the first 12 contests of the 2024 season.
“She’s just a big-shot player, big, big playmaker,” said Aces guard Kelsey Plum of Gray following Tuesday’s Game 2 win, according to The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings. “There’s this narrative of ‘she’s starting to get her form back.’ She’s in her form. … One of the things about Chelsea that’s so great is she does the things that need to be done to win the game.”
Meanwhile, Tiffany Hayes is remarkably one of the leading candidates for Sixth Player of the Year after coming out of retirement nearly a month into the season. The 5-foot-10 guard has been a spark off the bench, posting 20 points and five steals in Game 1 and following that up with nine points, four boards, and three assists in the series clincher.
