Tag: 2024 WNBA Playoffs

Chelsea Gray’s WNBA playoffs surge rightfully reignites Point Gawd nickname

There’s a reason they call Chelsea Gray the Point Gawd.

Chelsea Gray is doing Chelsea Gray things again, and we love to see it.

When Gray returned from injury in June, the hope was that she would return to the level of play that earned her the Point Gawd nickname from Candace Parker. But Gray didn’t quite look like herself for several games. The chatter surrounding her only grew louder when the Olympics arrived, and the veteran guard looked anything but stellar.

“With all due respect, [expletive] them,” Gray told Katie Barnes of ESPN. “My résumé and what I’ve done at this point speaks volumes, and what I bring to a team is why I was on the team.” And Gray’s right. She’s not a volume guard, per se. You don’t expect a 30 points and 10 assists outing every night. But she has three WNBA championships, a Finals MVP, six All-Star selections, one of the league’s best court visions and a killer signature fadeaway jumper that vouches for her being a top-notch floor general.

Gray exploded against the Indiana Fever on September 13 (21 points, six assists and one steal) and hasn’t looked back. In the last five games, she’s averaging 14 points, six assists and one steal, including a clutch performance against the Storm that set up an Aces-Liberty rematch.

Gray’s teammates, Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson, recognize how much she’s needed on the floor. Plum recently told reporters, “Chelsea impacts winning…ask any player in the league…I guarantee they want Chelsea Gray on their team with five minutes left, tie game…”

Wilson echoed those thoughts, saying, “Chelsea is a pass-first point guard…It seems like all of her shots are like the back-breaker ones that we need — right on time, right on target…when the game [is] on the line, put the ball in Chelsea Gray hands.”

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A Liberty-Aces WNBA playoffs rematch has fans so pumped

Grab your popcorn, folks. It’s gonna be a MOVIE.

The New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces will meet again in the WNBA playoffs, and it will be absolute cinema.

New York has likely had a bad taste in its mouth for nearly a year after watching the Aces celebrate a championship on its home floor. By all accounts, the Liberty haven’t likely forgotten that Kelsey Plum said they weren’t exactly a team, either.

On Vegas’ side, the Aces didn’t look like a championship team for much of the year. Shaky defense and inconsistent offense plagued the back-to-back champs despite an otherworldly season from A’ja Wilson. However, the Aces went 9-1 during the last 10 games of the season and swept Seattle in the opening round of the playoffs, setting up a Liberty-Aces Finals rematch.

Not having both of these teams in the Finals feels like a cruel joke. But fans have totally embraced the chaos.

Here’s how they reacted:

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Napheesa Collier jokingly said she wants to ‘end’ Diana Taurasi’s career

Napheesa Collier from the top rope.

Napheesa Collier made a funny Diana Taurasi retirement joke Sunday after the Lynx outlasted the Mercury in a playoff thriller.

I hope you were watching Game 1 of the Mercury-Lynx playoff matchup. IT WAS GOOD. Minnesota had a 23-point lead before the Phoenix came STORMING back. Then, a lifetime of buckets was traded until Minnesota’s Bridget Carleton slammed the door with a gritty fadeaway 3-point bucket. It was everything you hoped playoff basketball would be.

So many people were HOOPING, including 42-year-old Diana Taurasi, who dropped 21 points on 50 percent shooting. WHEW. But, it seems that was too much for Phee Collier because she jokingly said during a Lynx postgame presser that she hopes Minnesota could send Taurasi into retirement. This is what Collier shared with the media:

“It seems like it’s her retirement tour. I don’t know. She’s been pretty quiet about it. But, she’s obviously, like I said, a UConn great, a league GOAT.”

“So, I feel lucky to have been able to play with her on Team USA and against her, and hopefully, we can end her career on Wednesday.”

However, Phee later clarified that she didn’t want any smoke with DT or the Mercury. She just wants to win.

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Caitlin Clark refused to blame underwhelming game on DiJonai Carrington’s accidental eye poke

“I felt like we just played a crappy game.”

Caitlin Clark had the most Caitlin Clark response ever to accidentally being poked in the eye by DiJonai Carrington.

As playoff basketball goes, things get intense and physical. That includes Clark accidentally knocking out Carrington’s contact lens during a first-round Fever-Sun playoff matchup and Carrington accidentally hitting Clark in the eye during the same game.

But Caitlin knows that it’s part of basketball and postgame, she didn’t make any excuses when asked about it. (Clark finished the game with just 11 points and eight rebounds on 23 percent shooting and 2-of-13 from distance.) This is what she told the media about the accidental eye poke:

“Obviously, got me pretty good in the eye. I don’t think it affected me. I felt like I got good shots; they just didn’t go down. Obviously, a tough time for that to happen…”

“I felt like we just played a crappy game. The flow of the game was really bad…Overall, it didn’t bother me. Obviously, it didn’t feel too good when it happened. But it is what it is.”

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DiJonai Carrington grossly put her dirty contact lens back in after accidental Caitlin Clark smack

This was SO GROSS. I think I’m gonna hurl.

Caitlin Clark and DiJonai Carrington matchups have become must-see television. But fans probably DON’T want to see either of them do something gross — like put a contact lens back in after it fell on the floor.

During Sunday’s opening round of the playoffs, the Sun and the Fever were locked in a tense battle. Part of that matchup included DiJonai Carrington guarding Caitlin Clark. As previous history has shown, the two go at each other, often trading buckets and being physical.

During the first quarter, DiJonai inadvertently hit Caitlin in the eye while attempting to defend a made shot. In the fourth quarter, DiJonai was defending Caitlin again when Caitlin accidentally hit DiJonai in the head, knocking out a contact. Most fans assumed she would get some saline solution on the sideline and return to the game. However, DiJonai did not. She popped the contact lens back in, grossing out everyone.

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How to buy Indiana Fever WNBA playoff tickets, 2024 playoff schedule

Limited tickets still remain to see Caitlin Clark’s WNBA playoff debut on Sunday, Sept. 22 against the Connecticut Sun.

The 2024 WNBA playoffs are set to begin on Sunday, Sept. 22 with all eight teams playing Game 1 of the quarterfinal round.

As always, the playoffs feature some great early matchups, including the defending champion Las Vegas Aces against the Seattle Storm, but the most watched game on Sunday will undoubtedly feature the Indiana Fever taking on the Connecticut Sun.

Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston are the only two Fever to start every game this season, and both stars are set to make their WNBA playoff debut on Sunday.

The Sun host the best-of-three game series at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Limited tickets remain, so act fast if you want to catch this playoff matchup in person.

Indiana Fever playoff tickets

The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series, meaning you need to buy a ticket to either Game 1 or Game 2 to ensure you get to a Fever playoff game this season.

As of publication, here are the cheapest available ticket prices for each game in the Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun series

Game 1 Indiana Fever playoff tickets: From $95

Game 2 Indiana Fever playoff tickets: From $83

Game 3 Indiana Fever playoff tickets (if necessary): From $70

The winner of the series will take on the winner of the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs No. 7 Phoenix Mercury in a best-of-five game playoff series.

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2024 WNBA playoff tickets

No. 1 New York Liberty vs No. 8 Atlanta Dream: Tickets available from $11

No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs No. 7 Phoenix Mercury: Tickets available from $18

No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever: Tickets available from $70

No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm: Tickets available from $8

Indiana Fever playoff schedule

Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. on ABC

Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

Game 3: Friday, Sept. 25 time TBD on ESPN2

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2024 WNBA playoff schedule – Round 1

Sunday Sept. 22

No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 8 Atlanta Dream – 1 p.m.

No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever – 3 p.m.

No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury – 5 p.m.

No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm – 10 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 24

No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 8 Atlanta Dream – 7:30 p.m.

No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm – 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 25

No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever – 7:30 p.m.

No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury – 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 26

No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 8 Atlanta Dream – TBA (if necessary)

No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm – TBA (if necessary)

Friday, Sept. 27

No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever – TBA (if necessary)

No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury – TBA (if necessary)

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The 2024 WNBA playoff bracket and schedule are set for the first round

The 2024 WNBA playoff field and first-round schedule are set.

The 2024 WNBA playoff field is set, as eight teams will square off for a chance at a championship.

The New York Liberty locked in the top seed in the WNBA, while the Atlanta Dream earned the eighth spot. Both of those teams will face off in the first round.

Other matchups include the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury, the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm.

Games will start on Sunday on ESPN and ABC, with ESPN2 airing any necessary third games in all four playoff series later next week.

You can check out the full playoff bracket and full first-round schedule below.

https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/1836932864048341335

https://twitter.com/ESPN_WomenHoop/status/1836935802557018318

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