The WNBA is a very wild league. The playoffs are among the most hectic of games in the season, given their unpredictability and huge stakes. Here are the coolest-ever moments from the WNBA playoffs!
September 7, 2010, Atlanta vs New York
Angel McCoughtry and Cappie Pondexter were evenly matched throughout the 2010 season. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the two ace scorers had to face off. McCoughtry had the sterner stuff in that series, though, ending Game 2 with 42 points to Pondexter’s 36. The Dream pulled off the 105-93 win to advance to Atlanta’s first-ever Finals.
September 15, 2019, Las Vegas vs Chicago
Las Vegas and Chicago had another showdown in 2019 during the Second Round of the playoffs. Vegas needed something to happen, and fast, when they were down by two points with just over 13 seconds left in the final moments of the game. Dearica Hamby made magic happen, whirling out to a titanic 38-foot three-pointer to put the Aces ahead and hang on to win the thing.
September 14, 2004, Connecticut vs Seattle
The Seattle Storm battled back from a loss against the Sun in Game 1 to a huge Game 2 victory courtesy of Betty “B-Money” Lennox. Lennox lit up the court with an electric performance, scoring 27 points in the hotly contested 67-65 Finals match.
October 6, 2016, Los Angeles vs Minnesota
The Sparks and Lynx Finals series from 2016 is remembered as one of the best WNBA series ever played. In Game 1 of the extremely tense showdown, the lead swapped 10 times and the teams tied 19 times. Weirdly, the game-deciding points game from defensive player Alana Beard, who sunk a three from the corner to push the Sparks up in the pivotal first game.
October 8, 2012, Indiana vs Connecticut
Briann January had a chance to land a layup deep into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012. She continued driving even after she whiffed, chasing her own rebound and pushed it to Shavonte Zellous, who sunk a shot that tied things up for Indiana and gave them the chance they needed to win Game 3 later in the series—and then the WNBA Finals.
September 27, 2008, Los Angeles vs San Antonio
San Antonio didn’t feel like letting LA get to the Finals in 2008. Sophia Young made short work of the Sparks with a turnaround jump shot that was smooth as silk to drop in the winning points and open the door for a Game 3 that sent LA home. Importantly, that slammed the door shut on Candace Parker’s electric rookie season, during which she earned the league MVP and rookie of the year accolades. Notably, 2008 was also the first and last time San Antonio appeared in the finals.
September 4, 1999, Houston vs New York
Houston was dominant in the earliest years of the WNBA. But New York wasn’t about to let them have it for a third year in a row without a fight. With seconds on the clock, Teresa Weatherspoon launched a half-court shot that just barely beat the buzzer to win by a single point. While Houston ended up winning the Finals that year, Weatherspoon’s shot remains iconic.
September 23, 2013, Phoenix vs Los Angeles
Brittney Griner hit the league like a ton of bricks. Her rookie year, she appeared in the Finals with the Mercury to take a chunk out of the Sparks. In several huge moments during the Finals, Griner kept her cool against the likes of regular season MVP Candace Parker and the then-dominant Sparks lineup.
October 9, 2015, Minnesota vs Indiana
Lynx player Maya Moore pulled off a minor miracle in Game 3 of the 2015 Finals contest. With only 1.7 seconds left in regulation, Moore grabbed a pass from Lindsay Whalen just outside the three point line. She quickly faked out defender Marissa Coleman, moved right, hopped up, and hurled the ball with 0.1 seconds on the clock. She found her mark and put the Lynx up 2-1. They’d go on to win the Finals in five games.
August 31, 2002, Los Angeles vs New York
LA and New York met in the Finals in 2002, with LA trying to replicate its win from 2001. The Sparks’ rookie Nikki Teasley couldn’t get a pass through to Lisa Leslie, so she just trusted her instinct, drove for the hole, and sank a three-pointer with 2 seconds on the clock to give the Sparks the win in Game 2.
September 12, 2014, Phoenix vs Chicago
Diana Taurasi is the WNBA’s all-timer scoring leader. That’s important context to know before you remember that she grabbed the rock with just over 14 seconds left to play in the Mercury’s Game 3 against the Sky. Taurasi not only sank a running two-pointer, she drew a foul that let her hurl in a huge three-pointer to secure the 3-0 sweep and bring the trophy home to Phoenix.
October 20, 2016, Los Angeles vs Minnesota
In one of the most dramatic Finals contests in the league’s history, the extremely tight contest between the Sparks and Lynx in Game 5 of the 2016 finals saw 24 lead changes and 11 ties. The game finally ended with a victory for the Sparks when Nneka Ogwumike recovered a blocked layup and sank in a fadeaway jump shot with just over 3 seconds left on the clock.
September 16, 2003, Detroit vs Los Angeles
It’s hard to believe it when you see their 2003 performance, but Detroit had the worst record in the WNBA in 2002. They hired Bill Laimbeer to coach the team in 2003, and the difference is quite obvious. They overcame two-time WNBA champs Los Angeles that same year, winning the last Finals game 83-78 in a dominant showing in Detroit.
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September 29, 2009, Phoenix vs Indiana
The 2009 Finals opener between Phoenix and Indiana is remembered for a lot of reasons, the least of which being its absurdly high score. The Mercury ended up winning 120-116, an unheard score in the WNBA. Cappie Pondexter became the biggest story of the opener due to her impressive seven points in overtime to put Phoenix ahead.
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October 10, 2012, Minnesota vs Atlanta
Maya Moore was on fire in Gwinnet Arena during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, but that makes sense. She’d actually lit that arena up numerous times when she was in high school, winning no fewer than three state championships in that very building. She secured 23 points for the Lynx 86-77 victory over Atlanta, bringing the trophy home for her team once again.
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