Jan. 29--Next season, the WNBA playoffs will have as much in common with March Madness as it does with the NBA Finals. The league announced a radically new postseason format Thursday that features an additional round, single-elimination games and a playoff field that does away with the conference finals and bases the entire playoff chase on regular-season record.
ESPN's network of channels will broadcast all playoff games.
The WNBA also made tweaks to the regular-season schedule to create more cross-conference play.
"First and foremost, the new postseason format provides an enhanced opportunity to showcase the best teams in the WNBA Finals," NBA deputy commissioner and interim WNBA president Mark Tatum said in a statement. "Coupled with the new regular season structure that creates more competitive balance and additional excitement during the stretch run toward the playoffs, the new postseason format will provide a heightened sense of urgency to the start of the postseason."
NBA TV and ESPN women's basketball analyst LaChina Robinson likes the changes.
"It brings an NCAA tournament one-and-done type excitement to the WNBA playoffs in those early rounds," Robinson said via email. "It also puts more emphasis on the value of regular-season games with an easier road at stake for the top seeds. In addition, the semifinals should absolutely be a five-game series giving the top four teams in the league a chance to showcase great basketball."
Ideally, for the WNBA, the alterations and ESPN deal drum up more fan interest in the league's 20th season. The new playoff system puts greater emphasis on winning every regular-season game because teams will be seeded based on record. The top eight teams by winning percentage will qualify regardless of conference.
Also at stake are first- and second-round byes for the top four teams. Here's how it works:
The bottom four seeds face off in the first round, and it's one and done. Last season, the first round was a best-of-three series.
In the second round, the top two seeds get another bye, but the No. 3 and 4 slots face the first-round winners. That round also is single-elimination.
When the playoffs reach the semifinals, the No. 1 seed faces the lowest remaining seed in a best-of-five format, and No. 2 faces the higher seed. Last season's semifinalists played another three-game series. The best-of-five WNBA Finals follows the same format as last year, where the top seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5.
If the new structure had been in place last season, the Chicago Sky would've been the No. 3 seed and had a first-round bye, perhaps allowing a banged-up squad a little more time to heal. Also, the East's Atlanta Dream (15-9) would've grabbed the last berth and eliminated the Los Angeles Sparks (14-20), who qualified based on their standing in the Western Conference.
Under the new regular-season layout, teams will play the six cross-conference opponents three times each year, instead of home and home like last season.
The regular season will tip off earlier than usual, on May 14,, and break for the Rio Olympics on July 23.
plthompson@tribpub.com
