Day 1 of the WNBA Playoffs is complete \u2014 and there\u2019s a lot to discuss. First, let\u2019s take a quick look at what went down in Game 1.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday and Wednesday, teams will play their Game 2s, where the Lynx, Dream, Liberty, and Aces will have the chance to close out the first round with a 2-0 win. The Valkyries, Fever, Mercury, and Storm will be fighting to stay alive.<\/p>\n
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Because the first round is just a 3-game series, teams have a small margin of error and will immediately have to correct whatever went wrong in Game 1.<\/p>\n
Here are four overreactions from Day 1 of the playoffs:<\/p>\n
1. It might be time for the Storm to blow it up. Seattle didn\u2019t look ready in their playoff opener against the Aces, falling by double-digits in the first quarter and ultimately losing by 25. The Aces, meanwhile, have won 16 straight games.<\/p>\n
On paper, Seattle is really talented \u2014 they have four 2025 All-Stars on the roster: Nneka Ogwumike<\/a>, Skylar Diggins<\/a>, Gabby Williams,<\/a> and Brittney Sykes. They have former All-Star Erica Wheeler<\/a> coming off the bench, as well as one of the league\u2019s top rookies, Dominique Malonga. They have one of the league\u2019s best interior defenders, Ezi Magbegor, anchoring the front court.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But it just hasn\u2019t worked.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s loss brought me back to the offseason, when the team opted to re-sign Nneka Ogwumike and give Gabby Williams the core designation. It was no surprise Seattle chose to retain two elite do-it-all wings.<\/p>\n But, the reality is that this core keeps underachieving. Last year, they were swept in the first round of the playoffs. This year, they barely squeaked into the playoffs \u2014 finishing with a 23-21 record and the 7th seed \u2014 and on Day 1, it looked like they didn\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n 2. Win or loss, the New York Liberty are in serious trouble. Liberty-Mercury was the most entertaining opening game, an overtime thriller that saw Liberty guard Natasha Cloud<\/a> put up 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals against her former team. The Game 1 win for the defending champs was huge \u2014 they were the only team to win on the road, and now they have the opportunity to close out the series at Barclays Center on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But, the biggest takeaway from the victory was that Breanna Stewart<\/a> is hurt. The Liberty star \u2014 who tallied 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals \u2014 hurt her knee on a non-contact overtime play, and was seen in tears on the bench.<\/p>\n Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said afterwards that her star player asked to be taken out of the game, and didn\u2019t offer any definitive update postgame. But, Stewie has a history of knee injuries, and the fact that she couldn\u2019t finish the game out \u2014 and was so visibly distressed \u2014 is alarming. New York has the series lead, but that might not matter if their two-way star is out for a significant time.<\/p>\n 3. The Minnesota Lynx are dangerous, deep, and stifling \u2014 but we knew that already. The Lynx were sluggish to start in their opening game against the Valkyries, but by the end of the afternoon, the slow start was a distant memory.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Five Lynx players finished with double-digit points \u2014 Napheesa Collier<\/a> (20), Natisha Hiedeman<\/a> (18), Kayla McBride (17), Jessica Shepard (12), and Courtney Williams<\/a> (11) \u2014 and Minnesota held the Valkyries to 33.9% shooting. Alanna Smith<\/a>, a Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner, was a +31 with 4 steals. DiJonai Carrington<\/a>, a midseason acquisition who just made her return from a shoulder injury, was somehow a +20 in just 11 minutes, hitting both of her three-point attempts and tallying 2 assists and a steal.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been well-chronciled that Minnesota endured a heartbreaking Finals finish last fall, and they\u2019ve openly discussed how much they want to rectify that and win it all this season. They\u2019re still 8 wins away from a title, but Game 1 was an awesome start.<\/p>\n 4. The Aces might never lose again. It\u2019s genuinely hard to fathom that this Aces team was 14-14 just six weeks ago. They\u2019ve now won 17 straight games \u2014 the second-longest streak in WNBA history \u2014 and the NaLyssa Smith trade looks like the transaction of the year. Las Vegas\u2019s defense looked awesome in Game 1, as did three-time MVP A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a>, who appears to be on her way to a fourth such honor.<\/p>\n But what really stood out was the Aces\u2019 depth.<\/p>\n