WNBA 2020 Playoffs Expert Analysis, Predictions & More

While the shortened, 22-game WNBA regular season went off without a single coronavirus stoppage, the league saw that scenario play out this past weekend as the league postponed Sunday’s Game 1 semifinal opener between the No. 2 seed Seattle Storm and No. 4 seed Minnesota. Let’s find out why the match was rescheduled so you can re-do and place your bets against their WNBA odds.

WNBA 2020 Playoffs Analysis & Championship Predictions

The postseason showdown was postponed after there were inconclusive COVID-19 test results for some Storm players. The league said the game was postponed “out of an abundance of caution.”

Players who got inconclusive results have undergone additional testing today and are currently awaiting results in isolation in the bubble in Bradenton, Florida.

The next game in the series originally is scheduled for Tuesday, but the league announced it will make relevant announcements on the developments moving forward.

“Especially if there’s multiple players on a team, we really can’t take a chance to expose the bubble to any kind of community spread,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “We need to get more data to see if we have an issue.”

The Seattle Storm won it all in 2004, 2010 and 2018. The Minnesota Lynx reached the WNBA Finals in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 while winning it all in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Seattle hits the playoffs having won seven of their last eight. More importantly, the Storm will be motivated after losing their regular season finale against the Las Vegas Aces to finish with an identical 18-4 record. Seattle was relegated to the NO, 2 seed in virtue of their head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Storm rested superstar forward Breanna Stewart and veteran floor leader Sue Bird for the final two games of the regular season. The Lynx finished the season as the No. 4 seed to get a first round bye. Minnesota won their final two regular season contests to hit the postseason with some momentum.

Seattle won the regular season series 2-0 by recording a 90-66 win on July 28 that was Minnesota’s worst loss of the season before backing that up with an equally emphatic 103-88 win on Sept. 6.

Prediction

Maybe it’s me, but outside of a season-ending injury to at least two of their star players, I see absolutely no way that Minnesota upsets Seattle in this semifinal series. I’m going with Seattle to get it done 3-1 in this best-of-five!

Sunday, September 20 Match Review

No. 7 Connecticut 87 No. 1 Las Vegas 62

Seventh-seeded Connecticut to a 1-0 series lead in their best-of-five semifinal against top-seeded Las Vegas on Sunday. Point guard Jasmine Thomas scored a career-high 31 points on a blistering 13-for-18 shooting mark while going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

“I mean, we all know she’s capable of it,” Sun forward Alyssa Thomas said. “As our point guard, she tries to get everyone else involved. She knows when it’s time for her to take over.”

Now, with Game 2 set for Tuesday, I’m thinking Vegas could be in trouble moving forward despite winning the regular season series 2-0. Vegas recorded a 99-78 win in their first meeting on Aug. 30 before doubling up on the Sun by winning 93-78 on Sept.3. Connecticut looks straight-up dangerous right now after dispatching No. 6 Chicago 94-81 in the first round before routing No. 3 seed Los Angeles 73-59 in the second round.

I love the way Connecticut is playing defense and I believe their Game 1 win will give them the confidence they’ll need in order to get two more wins in this series to bounce top-seeded Vegas out of the postseason. I feel an upset going down in this one as Connecticut advances to meet Seattle in the 2020 WNBA Finals!

Tuesday, September 22 Matches

Minnesota at Seattle at 7:00 PM ET

Game 1 – TV: ESPN2

Connecticut at Las Vegas at 9:00 PM ET

Game 2 – TV: ESPN2