The WNBA’s present continues this afternoon with Game 2 of the 2024 WNBA Finals. The league, however, also has an eye on its future, as indicated by major news from the past week:

WNBA announces playoff format changes for 2025

When addressing the media before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that next year’s WNBA Finals will be, for the first time in league history, a best-of-seven series. On the change, Engelbert said, “This will give our fans a championship-series format they are accustomed to seeing in other sports.”

While the first round will remain a best-of-three series, the format will change from the current set up, where the higher-seeded team hosts Games 1 and 2, to an alternating structure, with the higher-seeded team hosting Games 1 and 3 and the lower seed hosting Game 2. This 1-1-1 format would guarantee that all playoff participants host at least one home game.

Engelbert also confirmed that the 2025 regular season will be 44 games, after the league has played 40 games in 2023 and 2024.

So, the 2025 WNBA champion will play at least 53 games, with 44 regular-season contests plus nine playoff wins. Most likely, the eventual champion will play more than the minimum nine playoff games; that team could also compete in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship. That means that the 2025 WNBA champion could approach 60 total games played—quite the gauntlet to capture the league’s ultimate prize.

2025 WNBA Draft Lottery is set

Engelbert also announced that the 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery will be Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Los Angeles Sparks (44.2 percent chance of the No. 1 pick), Dallas Wings (27.6 percent chance), Chicago Sky (17.8 percent chance, but Dallas has swap rights) and Washington Mystics (10.4 percent chance) will be hoping for lottery luck, while the expansion Golden State Valkyries will have the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 draft.

WNBA viewership keeps growing

It’s appropriate that Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, possibly one of the most thrilling games in WNBA playoff history, scored record viewership, with an average of 1.1 million viewers making it the largest audience ever for a Finals Game 1.

Overall, the 2024 WNBA Playoffs have been the most-viewed postseason across ESPN’s platforms.

The 2024 WNBA Finals continues this Sunday, Oct. 13, when the No. 1-seed New York Liberty host the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of the series. Tip off is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

If Game 2 of the Finals is anything like the series opener, fans can expect another extremely close contest between the WNBA’s top two playoff seeds. While the Liberty were in control for the majority of Game 1, getting off to a hot start and withstanding several Lynx runs to maintain a double-digit lead late into the fourth quarter, Minnesota turned up its defensive intensity and made several clutch shots down the stretch to tie things up and eventually win in overtime.

The Lynx’s 18-point comeback in Game 1 tied the largest in WNBA postseason history (a record which, ironically, had been solely held by the Liberty since 1999), and proved to the nation what Minnesota faithful had known all summer long: There’s no quit in the Lynx.

“That’s what we’ve been talking about in all these interviews we’ve been giving,” Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve told media. “It defines our team in terms of being able to get through difficult times….you have to be mentally tough, and we were that team.” Lynx guard Courtney Williams, who hit perhaps the game’s biggest shot—a game-tying 3-pointer over New York’s Sabrina Ionescu—put it a different way. “The basketball gods were on our side tonight.”

The onus is now on the Liberty to tie the series in Game 2, lest they go to Minnesota in an 0-2 hole. As impressive as Minnesota’s Game 1 comeback was, the Liberty recognize that it was at least partly their own doing; New York head coach Sandy Brondello pointed to a lack of pace on offense (the Liberty committed two shot clock violations in the final two minutes of regulation in Game 1) and poor transition defense as reasons for her team’s blown lead, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

At the same time, Brondello doesn’t want her team to dwell on the Game 1 collapse, and there’s certainly reason to hope for a more consistent Liberty performance in Game 2. New York held a massive advantage over Minnesota on the boards in Game 1, hauling down a whopping 20 offensive rebounds. That’s an area that, given the Lynx’s poor defensive rebounding during the course of the regular season (68.2 percent defensive rebounding rate; 11th in the WNBA), should remain in the Liberty’s favor.

New York will need to do a better job of finishing all those extra possessions, though. It’s hard to look past the scoring inefficiency of Ionescu (19 points on 8-of-26 shooting in Game 1) and Breanna Stewart (18 points on 6-of-21) when analyzing the team’s late-game collapse, and it goes without saying at least one of them, if not both, must shoot the ball at a significantly better clip on Sunday if the Liberty are to even the series.

As for the Lynx, despite their incredible comeback in Game 1, they’d ideally like to avoid being in a situation that requires such heroics again. Look for Minnesota to try to carry over its defensive intensity from the end of the series opener into the beginning of Game 2; Napheesa Collier proved why she won Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, amassing three steals and six blocked shots, and the Lynx will expect her to be at her best once again on Sunday.

Game information

No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx (1-0) vs. No. 1-seed New York Liberty (0-1)

When: Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

How to watch: ABC

Lynx injury report: none

Liberty injury report: none

After a grueling five-game semifinal series with the Connecticut Sun, the Minnesota Lynx have advanced to the WNBA Finals, where they will face the indomitable New York Liberty.

It’s no secret that New York was hoping to avoid a matchup with the Lynx. Minnesota is the only team to leave a memorable stain on this historic Liberty season, and having punched their ticket to the Finals, they have a chance to do it again. Minnesota is the not just the only team that New York lost their regular season series with—they’re the only team to hand the Liberty multiple losses this season.

The Lynx are a resounding 3-1 against New York this year, including a statement win in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship. Napheesa Collier is Minnesota’s poster child, and rightfully so, but career journeywoman Courtney Williams may be the one who carries the Lynx through the finish line.

Holding Court

Failing to grow your basketball roots with one team often is looked at in a negative light. Williams has played for five of the 12 WNBA franchises in her nine-year career, with only one stop (Connecticut) longer than two seasons. She may not stick around, but Williams produces. Every. Single. Time. Rarely a No. 1 option, Williams has found a way to average double-digit points in eight-straight seasons.

Williams doesn’t just do the dirty work for Minnesota— she makes it look clean. She’s third on the team in rebounding at only 5-foot-8. Her 36.2 assist percentage (meaning she assists on 36.2 percent of all Minnesota field goals while on the court) is third in the WNBA. She’s averaging the second-most assists of her career (5.5 per game). As unexpected as it was, it’s worth mentioning that Williams was even one of five players to receive a Defensive Player of the Year vote this season.

If there’s a glaring flaw in Williams’ backcourt skillset, it’s her shooting. She’s been a more-than-capable shooter for most of her career, but her 33.3 percent left something to be desired in the regular season. However, through seven playoff games this year, Williams is shooting 72.7 percent (!!!) from beyond the arc on almost two attempts per game. Not a bad time to catch fire.

A match made in Minneapolis

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Last season, the Lynx slumped to a 19-21 record, scavenging into the back end of the playoffs before being sent home by Connecticut. Traces of championship DNA were running thin.

In January of 2024, the Lynx signed Williams to a two-year guaranteed deal. Williams, who led the Sun in playoff points during their 2019 WNBA Finals run, had the experience that Minnesota needed. She had the talent. She had the grit. She had the mentality. The only variable was fit.

If anything could be taken from Williams’ more successful seasons with Jonquel Jones and the Sun, it’s that she knows how to elevate superstar post players. Combined with Collier’s MVP-level exhibitions, the two have raised Minnesotas ceiling towards the Northern Lights. Williams knows how to feed Collier when she’s hungry, and how to carry the load when Collier needs a rest.

If the semifinals made anything clear about Williams’ role on the Lynx, it’s that head coach Cheryl Reeve and her staff want Williams to be herself. They don’t see her as the Robin to Collier’s Batman, they see her as a superhero of her own. Collier’s 27 points provided rough waters for Connecticut in Game 5, but it was Williams’ 24 that sank the ship. After the Lynx punched their ticket to the Finals, Reeve said of Williams:

I don’t know if I knew what we were really getting [with Courtney]. The basketball player, for sure, I watched for years. I had a little bit of interaction when we were at USA Basketball. But I don’t know if I knew exactly what we were getting in terms of the person and the coachability….When she’s aggressive and she playmakes, we have a chance to be in the Finals. We knew that.

With the finish line in sight, Williams has been cast as one of the most important players in this year’s Finals. If she can mirror her semifinal brilliance, Minnesota may put an end to their six-year championship drought.

Everyone’s going to focus on Courtney Williams’ iconic four-point play or Napheesa Collier’s overtime game winner as the reason for the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx’s 95-93 comeback win over the No. 1-seed New York Liberty, and for valid reasons.

But the moment that turned the tide for the Lynx was at the 4:03 mark of the fourth quarter, when head coach Cheryl Reeve made one of the most daring coaching moves I’ve ever seen.

Reeve made the bold decision to sub in Natisha Hiedeman for Alanna Smith, opting to run a four-guard lineup of Hiedeman, Williams, Kayla McBride and Bridget Carleton with Napheesa Collier at center for the remaining stretch of the game.

What makes this decision so audacious is that the Lynx were significantly outrebounded the entire game. So playing this small lineup against a frontcourt of 6-foot-4 Leonie Fiebich, 6-foot-4 Breanna Stewart and 6-foot-6 Jonquel Jones seemed like a crazy decision. But it worked. The Lynx would storm back into the game with this lineup, ultimately winning in overtime, largely in part to the 3:21 sequence that followed Reeve’s risky move:

• On the first possession, the Lynx go after Jones in a pick-and-roll action and easily get the matchup they want because the Liberty were switching for most of this game. Williams does a phenomenal job of getting Jones to turn her hips to get past her. With the Lynx players all spaced out to the 3-point line, it leads to an open Hiedeman 3.

• The first defensive possession for this lineup really highlights how small the Lynx were and how susceptible they were to giving up easy layups when opting to switch any defensive matchups. Jones gets an easy layup over Hiedeman and Carleton inside. These would be the last two points the Liberty scored in regulation.

• Hiedeman is able to attack Courtney Vandersloot in pick-and-roll on the next possession, collapsing the defense and forcing Jones to come over and help, which leaves Collier open for an easy midrange jumper.

• After getting a huge defensive stop by intensifying the ball pressure on Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart, Williams comes down and drains a midrange pull-up jumper. This shot is wide-open because the Lynx run an empty-side pick-and-roll with Collier, and both Fiebich and Stewart are afraid to leave her wide open. Williams was the best midrange shooter in the entire WNBA this year, taking a league-best seven shots per game from that area on 46 percent shooting.

• On defense, the Lynx were able to get some crucial stops, largely due to the Liberty’s conservative approach. It was clear that New York’s plan was to simply run out the clock, which meant they weren’t generating quality looks during this time, but merely swinging the ball side-to-side without any intention. Notice how long it takes the Liberty to get into their action. By the time Ionescu turns the corner to attack the basket, there are only seven seconds left on the shot clock. The possession is a disaster for New York and leads to a shot clock violation.

• Collier would score on the other end by lowering her shoulder into Stewart and touching in a soft jumper, cutting the lead to five. Notice on this play how Williams relentlessly crashes the glass to get this huge offensive rebound, one of five in the entire game for the Lynx. (New York had 20!)

• The Lynx were tied for the best defensive rating in the league this year, largely because of possessions like the following. Collier, the Defensive Player of the Year, is capable of switching onto sharpshooting guards like Ionescu, and the rest of the Lynx roster is fantastic at containing dribble penetration, forcing Stewart into another difficult miss. Notice how McBride plays in front of Jones in the post (known as “fronting”) to deny the entry pass that previously led to New York’s only points of this period.

• Finally, the Lynx get another huge defensive stop by forcing Ionescu into a difficult floater and Williams makes a huge floater in transition to cut the lead to three. There are several things to notice here, the first being that the Lynx are in drop coverage on this side pick-and-roll. This was one of the very few possessions all game that Minnesota did not switch, and in this case it allows for them to bring an extra defender (Williams) over to prevent any pass to the rolling Jones.

• With the lead cut to three, the Lynx would get another stop and an opportunity to win the game, which leads us to one of the greatest plays and calls in WNBA history…

It was the decision by Reeve to play a small-ball lineup during the final stretch of regulation that was the difference. Despite a lack of size being the reason for their 18-point deficit, she doubled down on her scheme and trusted the DPOY and supporting cast to complete the biggest comeback in WNBA Finals history.

The Lynx would outscore the Liberty 15-3 in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to force overtime and win. I’ve detailed a full breakdown of this unbelievable game in a YouTube video:

One day after being announced as the new head coach of the Golden State Valkyries, Natalie Nakase sat down for a short talk with Swish Appeal.

You are known for your habit of taking notes. Where did it come from?

It’s because I can’t remember things (laugh)… But seriously, there are five types of learning and I’m a visual learner, so I’ve always been taking notes. I’ve found that when I watch something or listen to something, whether it’s a game or a drill, I can remember it better and return to it much easier when I write things down. Ever since I was a young coach, I took a lot of notes. I wrote everything down.

What’s the main difference between working with women and with men?

There is none. Both feel the same pressure, both need practice and repetition. The way they respond to coaching has nothing to do with them being either men or women. As a coach, I have to make sure I bring in the players that can execute the goal of winning a championship. I think the bigger difference is between regular season and postseason games.

Having the support of the Golden State Warriors, how much of a challenge do you think establishing a winning culture will be? Do you feel that the structure will be an advantage or it will add extra pressure to your job?

Oh, definitely no pressure, it’s an advantage. Who wouldn’t want to walk into an organization that already has the blueprint, the winning culture, the winning people around? Joe Lacob (majority owner of the Warriors and Valkyries) said, “I’m going to provide you with the practice facility, I’m going to provide you with a locker room in the Chase Center.” We’re playing in the same arena as the Warriors! To me, that’s a setup for success. I see it as a complete positive and an advantage.

You got your first head coaching job in Germany. What coaching lessons did you get working with women there?

I really didn’t want to coach right away. I injured my knee again and so I needed a job. So, let’s start coaching. But I was so young and I still wanted to play. I guess the lesson at that age was just being ready for anything, ready for the next stage of your life. I was really lucky to get, you know, an opportunity in the same league that I was coaching. So actually playing in it, I already did my scouting because, you know, I already knew the players and coaching in Germany was just a really great experience. I didn’t have a big staff. It was just a gentleman that volunteered in the city, which I was very grateful for, but really it was just me and him. It really taught me how to trust myself and believe in myself.

Can we say that the injury was sort of a blessing in disguise, meaning it it taught you how to see the game differently? I’m obviously not talking about the pain and the rehab, just the fact that you were sitting on the bench instead of being the playmaker and you got to see how the game unfolded.

Yeah, I guess you could say that, but I still loved basketball and I still love playing and, as any athlete knows, that just never goes away. When you end playing, it’s almost like a slight depression has just happened. It’s really sad because you’re no longer able to get on the court and compete and sweat. I guess you could say now, looking back, it was a blessing in disguise, but I wish I could have played 10 more years, to be honest.

How did playing the point guard position influence your coaching? As a point guard, you’re the extension of the coach, right? So was that way of thinking and seeing the game always there when you started playing?

I think it’s a huge reason why I’m coaching, because you have already taken part in huddles where you’re the one who’s talking. You’re the one who’s directing, as a point guard, during the games. I’m saying, “Well, after free throw, we’re running this.” So basically, like you said, you’re the extension of the coach. You are the coach. For [the Las Vegas Aces] Chelsea Gray was the coach. If you see something and you call it, because players see it faster than coaches, they see it faster because they’re actually in it. So for me, I think that that was the reason why I became a coach. Same thing as Becky Hammon. We’re both point guards and we already knew how to control huddles. We knew how to motivate. We knew how to encourage, we knew how to be there for our players.

And what your players may expect from you when training camp opens? Will you walk through the door with your championship rings on your fingers as motivation?

No, no, no, no, no. Because they got to earn it. They have to earn it. Nothing is given to them and that’s going to be something that they’re going to know from the start. It is very hard to win a championship. Don’t even take the rings out of the box. They just sit there in the room. We’re going to be really organized and we’re going to start with defense. We’re going to hang our hat on defense—the drills, our breakdown of how we’re going to attack teams and then probably show [the players] a lot of film towards the end, just to see. And then we’ll move to the offense.