WNBA Swing: The Playoff Picture is Just About Set

Read Time:2 Minute, 53 Second

As the 2025 WNBA season winds down, the teams making the postseason are about set. Teams are now gearing up and getting ready to turn it up a notch in their quest for a championship. So let’s take a look at the playoff picture and what needs to happen for some.

The Minnesota Lynx (32-9) have locked in the top spot and are focused on just one thing: winning it all. Napheesa Collier is back, and she never lost a step. She has easily made her case for MVP, but A’ja Wilson’s monster second half and Las Vegas’ current 13-game winning streak have her right there with Collier for the MVP.

Speaking of those Aces (27-14), they are now playing like the team we expected all year long. The ball is moving around, and Wilson’s stat line during this 16-3 run after the break is 24.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg, and 2.1 bpg. All this while shooting 52% from the field, 48.1% from 3-point, and 87.8% from the line.

The Atlanta Dream (28-14) is currently the #2 seed and is battling with the Aces and the Phoenix Mercury (27-14) for positions 2-4. Last night, Rhyne Howard lost her basketball mind, hitting nine three pointers and finishing with 37 points in a big Dream win to keep them in the 2 spot. Atlanta would tie a WNBA record, hitting 19 three-pointers in a 104-85 win over the Los Angeles Sparks (19-22). A Sparks team that is playing itself out of the playoffs, losing twice to the Dream in three days, and having the hardest schedule left of the teams fighting for the playoffs.

The battle for spots 5-8 has also given us plenty to talk about. It looks like the Liberty (25-17) have the 5 spot just about clinched, but they are getting heat from the expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries (23-18). The Indiana Fever (22-20) and the Seattle Storm (22-21) currently hold the last two spots, but the gap is just a half game between these two teams. The Sparks hold the tie-breaker over the Fever, but it looks like they will not make it to the finish line.

So it comes down to the final games of the year to see who gets in and who doesn’t. The Storm has one game left at home vs the Valkyries, and with a win, they would clinch a playoff berth. For the Fever, it’s a trip to Washington and then at home for the season finale against the Lynx in what could be a playoff spot elimination game for Indiana. A team that just got the news that their superstar, Caitlin Clark, will miss the rest of the year with that groin injury.

In these last few days, seeding will be locked in, and teams will be gearing up for the postseason with dreams on their minds. One thing is for sure: it has been one heck of a season, and there is but one question left:

Can the Minnesota Lynx close the deal and avenge that heartbreaking loss to the Liberty in last year’s Finals? Will the Liberty repeat? Or will we see the crowning of a new champion? A champion none of us was expecting when this season began.

Stay tuned for more as the playoffs come into focus.