This season in the world’s top women’s basketball league has already made history, with the field expanding from 13 to 15 teams. One week remains in the regular season, with the final stretch beginning after the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup concludes. The 1xBet review breaks down the WNBA landscape ahead of the final week.
Who will finish as league’s top team?
The Minnesota Lynx are the leading contenders. With 31 wins in 40 games, they are two victories ahead of the second-place Golden State Valkyries. The Lynx will certainly want to enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, but to secure that position, they need to win at least two of the remaining four games. Their two meetings with Indiana down the stretch will be particularly challenging, as Caitlin Clark and her teammates are unlikely to give them an easy ride.
The Golden State Valkyries are still newcomers to the league and could make history by climbing to the top of the standings in their second season. With numerous international players on the roster, they are showing that even American players can sometimes learn from their overseas counterparts.
The Las Vegas Aces also retain a chance of catching at least one of the top two, although a major late-season surge may be difficult given the situation surrounding A’ja Wilson. The Las Vegas star withdrew at the last minute from the upcoming World Cup in Berlin for health reasons.
Battle for seeding
The Aces have 27 wins, while the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever have 26 apiece. Three more teams are tied with 24 victories. It will be difficult to make up that deficit, so the main battle for places in the top four will be between the three teams mentioned.
Under the WNBA playoff format, the top four seeds receive home-court advantage in the first round. For these teams, any slip-up could mean entering the playoffs without home-court advantage in crucial games. Indiana face an important test against Minnesota, while Atlanta have two home games against the Liberty down the stretch.
Liberty, Mystics, and Wings on the brink
The most dramatic and complicated race right now is for the No. 6 through No. 8 seeds. The New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, and Dallas Wings are locked in a tight battle. New York face the toughest remaining schedule: in addition to their games against Atlanta, they have a meeting with the Lynx, while only the game against Toronto appears relatively favorable.
None of these teams wants to finish eighth and open the postseason against the Minnesota Lynx. Seventh place, with a potential first-round series against the Valkyries, is hardly an ideal outcome either. Under these circumstances, every game in the final week becomes a final of sorts.
Why these games are worth watching
The simple answer is that the teams should be at their best. The playoffs are just around the corner, so there is no point in conserving energy. The final week is not merely the formal conclusion to a long 40-game stretch, but a period when even the smallest detail can determine the fate of a season.
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