WNBA playoff changes generate buzz ahead of league's 20th season
Ahead of its milestone 20th season, which tips off in mid-May, the WNBA is already trying to generate some buzz.
This week, the league announced one interesting change to its postseason format that should increase the competitiveness of the playoffs. Instead of the top four teams from each conference making the playoffs, it will be the top eight teams in the league (based on winning percentage) that make the cut, regardless of conference.
Sometimes, one conference is significantly better than the other, and a fifth-place team in the West, for instance, might actually be much better than the fourth-place team in the East.
The move will help to ensure that the most-deserving teams across the league have a chance at the WNBA title.
Also, there will now be four rounds of the playoffs rather than three. The first two rounds will be single elimination for the lower seeds. The top two seeds will receive a bye to the third round (the WNBA semifinals).
In order to get a truer idea of the top eight teams in the league, not just in each division, each WNBA team will also now play more cross-conference regular-season games.
"First and foremost, the new postseason format provides an enhanced opportunity to showcase the best teams in the WNBA Finals," Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer said. "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."
To top it off, ESPN has committed to televise every WNBA postseason game live. In the past, many first-round games were covered only by local television outlets.
20 years of inspiration:
Each year, the WNBA has a theme that is used in promotional videos and marketing materials.
The new "Watch Me Work" campaign for 2016 will debut today during the NBA Saturday prime-time game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
The commercials highlight the legacy of the WNBA and tell the story of how former players inspired current players and how current players are inspiring the young female players of today.
Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins (Dallas Wings) and former Naperville Central standout Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) are featured in the first spot with first-person narrations.
Red, white and (Sky) blue:
Two Chicago Sky players have made the cut for the final 25 players to be considered for the 2016 U.S. Olympic team.
Star forward Elena Delle Donne, the 2015 WNBA most valuable player, is practically a shoo-in for the team while point guard Courtney Vandersloot is more of a long-shot, but she should give veteran point guards such as Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen a run for their money. Vandersloot had the best season of her five-year career last summer.
Former Stevenson star Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins (Dallas Wings), former Notre Dame and Niles West star Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), former Chicago Sky stars Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury) and Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx) and former Naperville Central star Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) are also among the 25 finalists, announced by USA Basketball on Monday.
The U.S. Olympic team, which will include 12 players, will be gunning for its sixth straight gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer.
The head coach of the team will again be University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma while DePaul coach Doug Bruno will return as one of his assistants.
"When I look at this list of (25) athletes, we could split them down the middle and have two very competitive teams," Auriemma said. "We have a great mix of gold medalists and players who are hungry to play in their first Olympics. There is versatility at all positions."
The WNBA will take a monthlong break from July 23 to Aug. 24 to accommodate the Olympics.
pbabcock@dailyherald.com
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