The Guru Report: Some WNBA Musings Heading Into The Final Day of the Regular Season

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

It seems like yesterday three short months ago the WNBA was full speed ahead on opening weekend, great matchups, with games on ABC, games on ESPN, games on the other broadcast partners, wonderful storylines that have since multiplied — unknown then, Sue Bird’s retirement happening joining Sylvia Fowles’ career departure, oddly at a time when the Minnesota Lynx come to life, her sights are set on the mortuary business.

All-Star weekend was among the best ever. 

Technically, a second all-star squad is about to come into play being the USA contingent that will go for the FIBA World Championship next month where other league stars will be on other national teams.

No question, the hire and elevating to commissioner status of Cathy Engelbert was the right move at the right time.

The now long-running media group in the home office, with adds and moved ons along the way, work their tails off.

And now in the final days filling the last playoff spots is akin to the stretch drive of the National Football League. 

You all know what that’s like - day-by-day coverage, what each team has to do, where’s the help coming from if wins alone won’t do it.

Besides in-market coverage, nationwide from bettors to pure fans who love the horse race, eyes become glued and if Cinderellas, even the ones with records suggesting nags, emerge, their first playoff games are anticipated to see if the glass slippers are shatterproof.

Hey, this time a month later last year how many thought the two lowest seeds in playoff history would  be in the finals with Chicago becoming the toast of the Windy City.

So, one would think it’s simple to whip together and set the overview ahead of Sunday’s games with Phoenix, in the 5 p.m. game with Chicago, watching the 1 p.m. tip to view Minnesota facing Connecticut and 2 p.m. New York hosting also in play Atlanta, the three last contenders then possibly looking at Phoenix’s performance.

But sadly, first, before moving into the stakes for each remaining playoff qualifying hopeful your Guru must dispense with some tough love.

At the time when the commissioner is pursuing making the league a household name — aside: might already be that’s such considering the way Uber drivers immediately drop questions about Brittney Griner on me — at arguably one of the most exciting weeks of the regular season, how can the WNBA be out to lunch???

On the Apps, suddenly the standings link which at least is quickly updated postgame has vanished.

On the regular site as of three hours ago — 7 p.m. writing this right now in the East — the playoff story is two weeks old.

Tiebreaker procedures are listed at the bottom of the standings but there’s no flesh and blood.

It’s like telling what has to happen if a bunch of cars hit an intersection at the same moment but no guide what each most do to continue.

Tiebreak No. 2 , which I don’t think will go into play, better winning percentages against teams .500 or better, is interesting because on Sunday at 7 p.m. a Dallas win over Los Angeles makes the already sixth seed Wings part of the .500 pool and a loss does not.

Going into Friday, the four teams were 14-20 and thanks to Howard Megdal’s magnificent roundup person at The Next, Em Adler, the weekend scenarios had the clues except on Saturday someone else filled in and the update precision wasn’t there.

Thankfully, a paragraph from ESPN’s M.A. Voepel covering the last home game of Fowles in Minnesota had the Lynx outlook heading to third seed Connecticut Sunday handled following the 96-69 wipeout by the fourth seed Seattle Storm.

New York Liberty beat writer Geoff Magliocchetti had the 80-70 win in Atlanta in check while Friday host team Dream publicist Kelsey Bibik had the outlook from that side heading into Brooklyn for the rematch.

Finally, long time Phoenix Mercury beat writer Jeff Metcalf down in the Southwest had the rest of it after the comeback 86-74 win over Dallas.

Seattle slamming Minnesota gained the fourth seed while fifth seed Washington which beat long-eliminated Indiana 82-70 on the road also gained a lottery pick in the next draft courtesy of previous dealings when the Los Angeles Sparks were eliminated.

For the teams locked into their playoff slots or ousted, Sunday is still one more chance for players to show themselves since midnight is the deadline for the national voting panel to submit their postseason awards ballot to the league office.

So now that the Guru helper gold medals have been awarded here’s what you’re looking at Sunday with New York and Phoenix at sunrise inside the rope at the moment.

The Four Scenarios for the Last Contending Playoff Teams

 1 p.m. ABC Minnesota at Connecticut needs to beat the Sun and then for help will look to Chicago beating Phoenix or Atlanta beating New York.

2 p.m. ESPN3 Atlanta at New York needs to revenge beat the Liberty and for Phoenix to lose to Chicago while the host Liberty wraps it up with a win but a loss means New York would need Minnesota to lose to Connecticut and Phoenix would have to beat Chicago.

5 p.m. ABC Phoenix at Chicago needs to beat the host Sky or Minnesota to lose to Connecticut. Ironically this is the rematch of last year’s finals won by Chicago in four games and could again repeat in next week’s opening round if the Mercury are the seventh seed. 

Back to just ahead, if Phoenix  and New York finish tied for seventh the Mercury gain the head to head advantage opening 8 p.m. (a time change from what the website was posting earlier ) Wednesday on ESPN2 at Chicago for Game 1. However, Phoenix will lose out in tiebreaks to Atlanta and Minnesota.

On Wednesday the 8th seed, to be determined, will open at top seed Las Vegas at 10 p.m., also on ESPN2. The host Aces overcame Chicago, the defending champions, in the last week to finish first under new coach and former WNBA player great Becky Hammon.

The Thursday opening games have Dallas at Connecticut at 8 p.m. while Washington will be at Seattle at 10 p.m., the Sun opener on ESPNU followed by Seattle on ESPN2.

Per the total revamp of the opening round with the elimination of one-and-done  and byes, the round for the playoff field is a best of three.

The hosting teams listed above remain for the Game 2 matchups.

On Saturday, Chicago hosts at noon and Las Vegas at 9 p.m. both on ESPN2.

The Sunday Game 2 matchups have Connecticut at noon on ABC while Seattle hosts at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, which will carry all if necessary Game 3s  at times to be determined on the following Wednesday and Thursday nights, a maximum two each night. The updates for that will appear here when released.

If necessary, the field re-seeds for the semifinals.

Hopefully, a public service got offered here. 

Soon it’s off to Connecticut on the Redeye Amtrak in a few hours.