# 2014 WNBA playoffs

The 2014 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the 2014 WNBA season. Four teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, seeded 1 to 4 in a tournament bracket, with the two opening rounds in a best-of-three format, and the final in a best-of-five format.
The Phoenix Mercury won the 2014 WNBA Finals, sweeping the Chicago Sky in three games. The Mercury defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in the conference semifinals before defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the Western Conference Finals. The Mercury lost only one game in the entire playoffs.
The Chicago Sky attempted to complete a cinderella run by upsetting the Atlanta Dream in the conference semifinals and by upsetting the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference Finals, both in three games. However, the Sky were unable to complete their historic playoff run, as the Mercury won their third WNBA championship title.

## Tiebreak procedures
### Two-team tie

* Better record in head-to-head games.
* Better winning percentage within own conference.
* Better winning percentage against all teams with .500 or better record at the end of the season.
* Better point differential in games head-to-head.
* Coin toss.

### Three or more-team tie

* Better winning percentage among all head-to-head games involving tied teams.
* Better winning percentage against teams within conference (for first two rounds of playoffs) or better record against teams in the opposite conference (for Finals).
* Better winning percentage against all teams with a .500 or better record at the end of the season.
* Better point differential in games involving tied teams.
* Coin toss.

## Playoff qualifying
### Eastern Conference

| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | Clinched | Clinched |
| Seed | Team | Record | Playoff berth | Best record in Conference | Best record in WNBA |
| 1 | Atlanta Dream | 19–15 | August 2 | August 13 | — |
| 2 | Indiana Fever | 16–18 | August 14 | — | — |
| 3 | Washington Mystics | 16–18 | August 15 | — | — |
| 4 | Chicago Sky | 15–19 | August 15 | — | — |

### Western Conference

| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | Clinched | Clinched |
| Seed | Team | Record | Playoff berth | Best record in Conference | Best record in WNBA |
| 1 | Phoenix Mercury | 29–5 | July 22 | August 12 | August 12 |
| 2 | Minnesota Lynx | 25–9 | July 24 | — | — |
| 3 | San Antonio Stars | 16–18 | August 15 | — | — |
| 4 | Los Angeles Sparks | 16–18 | August 12 | — | — |

#### Notes

* 1 2 Indiana Fever clinched #2 seed over Washington Mystics based on Eastern Conference winning percentage. (.545 vs .500)
* ↑ Chicago Sky clinched #4 seed over New York Liberty based on a 4–0 regular season series record.
* 1 2 San Antonio Stars clinched #3 seed over Los Angeles Sparks based on a 3–1 regular season series record.

## Bracket

| Conference semi-finals: best-of-3 | Conference semi-finals: best-of-3 | Conference semi-finals: best-of-3 | Conference finals: best-of-3 | Conference finals: best-of-3 | Conference finals: best-of-3 | WNBA finals: best-of-5 | WNBA finals: best-of-5 | WNBA finals: best-of-5 |
| E1 | Atlanta | 1 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Chicago | 2 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Chicago | 2 | E4 | Chicago | 2 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E4 | Chicago | 2 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Indiana | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | E2 | Indiana | 1 | | | |
| E3 | Washington | 0 | | | | | | |
| E3 | Washington | 0 | | | | E4 | Chicago | 0 |
| | | | | | | W1 | Phoenix | 3 |
| W1 | Phoenix | 2 | | | | | | | W1 | Phoenix | 3 |
| W4 | Los Angeles | 0 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Los Angeles | 0 | W1 | Phoenix | 2 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Phoenix | 2 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W2 | Minnesota | 1 | | | |
| W2 | Minnesota | 2 | W2 | Minnesota | 1 | | | |
| W3 | San Antonio | 0 | | | | | | |
* Bold – Series winner
* Italics – Team with home-court advantage

## Eastern Conference
### Conference semifinals
#### (1) Atlanta Dream vs. (4) Chicago Sky

* NBATV
* August 22 7:30pm ET
* Game 1
Chicago Sky 80, Atlanta Dream 77 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 18–14, 21–21, 23–19 |||
| Pts: Delle Donne (21) Rebs: Fowles (14) Asts: Prince, Vandersloot (7) | Pts: McCoughtry (24) Rebs: Lyttle (14) Asts: Schimmel (6) |
* Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA Attendance: 5,985 Referees: #11 Lauren Holtkamp #21 Byron Jarrett #38 Lamont Simpson
* ESPN2
* August 24 7:00pm ET
* Game 2
Atlanta Dream 92, Chicago Sky 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 20–21, 24–18, 24–22 |||
| Pts: McCoughtry (39) Rebs: Lyttle, Thomas (7) Asts: Thomas (6) | Pts: Delle Donne (22) Rebs: Delle Donne, Fowles (6) Asts: Vandersloot (8) |
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL Attendance: 4,546 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #9 Denise Brooks #42 Roy Gulbeyan
* NBATV
* August 26 7:30pm ET
* Game 3
Chicago Sky 81, Atlanta Dream 80 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–30, 24–24, 10–13, 30–13 |||
| Pts: Delle Donne (34) Rebs: Fowles (15) Asts: Vandersloot, Young (5) | Pts: de Souza (18) Rebs: Lyttle (13) Asts: Schimmel (6) |
| Chicago won the series, 2–1 |||
* Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA Attendance: 4,829 Referees: #31 Amy Bonner #39 Michael Price #55 Eric Brewton

##### Regular-season series

Chicago won the regular-season series 3–2:
* May 24, 2014
* Report
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
* June 7, 2014
* Report
* Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
* July 13, 2014
* Report
* Hank McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, GA
* July 25, 2014
* Report
* Hank McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, GA
* August 10, 2014
* Report
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

#### (2) Indiana Fever vs. (3) Washington Mystics

* ESPN2
* August 21 7:00pm ET
* Game 1
Washington Mystics 73, Indiana Fever 78 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–22, 23–8, 14–17, 23–31 |||
| Pts: Latta (22) Rebs: Vaughn (8) Asts: Latta (5) | Pts: Catchings (22) Rebs: Larkins (11) Asts: Catchings, Christmas, January, Zellous (2) |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,576 Referees: #8 Daryl Humphrey #9 Denise Brooks #45 Tom Mauer
* ESPN2
* August 23 5:00pm ET
* Game 2
Indiana Fever 81, Washington Mystics 76 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–12, 14–15, 21–26, 15–13, Overtime: 15–10 |||
| Pts: Catchings (26) Rebs: Catchings, Larkins (11) Asts: January (7) | Pts: Lawson (20) Rebs: Meesseman (10) Asts: Hartley (5) |
| Indiana won the series, 2–0 |||
* Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 6,124 Referees: #13 Cameron Inouye #24 Tony Dawkins #55 Eric Brewton

##### Regular-season series

The regular season series was tied 2–2:
* May 23, 2014
* Report
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
* June 6, 2014
* Report
* Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
* July 2, 2014
* Report
* Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
* August 8, 2014
* Report
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

### Conference finals
#### (2) Indiana Fever vs. (4) Chicago Sky

* NBATV
* August 30 7:00pm ET
* Game 1
Chicago Sky 70, Indiana Fever 77 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 15–21, 15–1 8, 22–17 |||
| Pts: Fowles (20) Rebs: Fowles (14) Asts: Vandersloot (4) | Pts: January (19) Rebs: Larkins (8) Asts: Catchings (4) |
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,557 Referees: #9 Denise Brooks #34 Maj Forsberg #42 Roy Gulbeyan
* NBATV
* September 1 4:00pm ET
* Game 2
Indiana Fever 84, Chicago Sky 86 (2OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–16, 21–15, 13–17, 19–23, Overtime: 8–8, 5–7 |||
| Pts: Zellous (20) Rebs: Catchings (14) Asts: January (6) | Pts: Fowles (27) Rebs: Young (9) Asts: Prince, Quigley, Vandersloot (5) |
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL Attendance: 6,019 Referees: #11 Lauren Holtkamp #13 Cameron Inouye #18 Kurt Walker
* NBATV
* September 3 7:00pm ET
* Game 3
Chicago Sky 75, Indiana Fever 62 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–11, 22–18, 15–16, 23–17 |||
| Pts: Quigley (24) Rebs: Fowles (7) Asts: Vandersloot (9) | Pts: Zellous (16) Rebs: Larkins (11) Asts: Catchings, January (3) |
| Chicago won the series, 2–1 |||
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,705 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #45 Tom Mauer #55 Eric Brewton

##### Regular-season series

Indiana won the regular season series 3–2:
* May 16, 2014
* Report
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
* June 20, 2014
* Report
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
* July 17, 2015
* Report
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
* July 22, 2014
* Report
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
* August 16, 2014
* Report
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

## Western Conference
### Conference semifinals
#### (1) Phoenix Mercury vs. (4) Los Angeles Sparks

* NBATV
* August 22 10:00pm ET
* Game 1
Los Angeles Sparks 72, Phoenix Mercury 75 :
| Scoring by quarter: 12–13, 22–22, 19–21, 19–19 |||
| Pts: Parker (22) Rebs: Lavender, Parker (7) Asts: Parker, Toliver (4) | Pts: Taurasi (34) Rebs: Dupree, Griner (7) Asts: Taylor (7) |
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 11,591 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #30 Thomas Nunez #35 Billy Smith
* ESPN2
* August 24 9:00pm ET
* Game 2
Phoenix Mercury 93, Los Angeles Sparks 68 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–14, 22–19, 23–18, 18–17 |||
| Pts: Griner (21) Rebs: Dupree (8) Asts: Phillips, Taurasi (7) | Pts: Parker (21) Rebs: Ogwumike (6) Asts: Toliver (9) |
| Phoenix won the series, 2–0 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA Attendance: 7,449 Referees: #34 Maj Forsberg #39 Michael Price #62 Jeff Wooten

##### Regular-season series

Phoenix won the regular-season series 5–0:
* May 18, 2014
* Report
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
* July 6, 2014
* Report
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
* July 24, 2014
* Report
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
* July 29, 2014
* Report
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
* August 16, 2014
* Report
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ

#### (2) Minnesota Lynx vs. (3) San Antonio Stars

* ESPN2
* August 21 9:00pm ET
* Game 1
San Antonio Stars 84, Minnesota Lynx 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 14–16, 23–25, 31–23 |||
| Pts: McBride (20) Rebs: Adams (10) Asts: Robinson (6) | Pts: Moore (26) Rebs: Brunson, Whalen (7) Asts: Whalen (11) |
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 8,523 Referees: #34 Maj Forsberg #39 Michael Price #53 Jeff Smith
* ESPN2
* August 23 7:00pm ET
* Game 2
Minnesota Lynx 94, San Antonio Stars 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 12–28, 28–16, 27–20, 27–25 |||
| Pts: Whalen (31) Rebs: Moore (8) Asts: Moore (10) | Pts: McBride (25) Rebs: Appel (8) Asts: Robinson (6) |
| Minnesota won the series, 2–0 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX Attendance: 7,085 Referees: #8 Daryl Humphrey #18 Kurt Walker #31 Amy Bonner

##### Regular-season series

Minnesota won the regular-season series 4–1:
* May 30, 2014
* Report
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
* June 1, 2014
* Report
* AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
* July 3, 2014
* Report
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
* July 25, 2014
* Report
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
* August 15, 2014
* Report
* AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

### Conference finals
#### (1) Phoenix Mercury vs. (2) Minnesota Lynx

* NBA TV
* August 29 10:00pm ET
* Game 1
Minnesota Lynx 71, Phoenix Mercury 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 11–19, 16–25, 24–18 |||
| Pts: Whalen (25) Rebs: Brunson (8) Asts: Brunson, Moore (3) | Pts: Griner (23) Rebs: Taylor (13) Asts: Taylor (7) |
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 10,376 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #39 Michael Price #45 Tom Mauer
* ABC
* August 31 3:30pm ET
* Game 2
Phoenix Mercury 77, Minnesota Lynx 82 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–9, 22–27, 18–20, 15–26 |||
| Pts: Taurasi (23) Rebs: Dupree (9) Asts: Taurasi (5) | Pts: Moore (32) Rebs: Brunson (10) Asts: Whalen (7) |
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 10,513 Referees: #31 Amy Bonner #38 Lamont Simpson #55 Eric Brewton
* NBATV
* September 2 10:00pm ET
* Game 3
Minnesota Lynx 78, Phoenix Mercury 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 21–22, 25–22, 11–24 |||
| Pts: Augustus (21) Rebs: Brunson (8) Asts: Whalen (6) | Pts: Taurasi (22) Rebs: Bonner (7) Asts: Taurasi (7) |
| Phoenix won the series, 2–1 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 9,749 Referees: #9 Denise Brooks #39 Michael Price #42 Roy Gulbeyan

##### Regular-season series

Phoenix won the regular-season series 3–1:
* June 15, 2014
* Report
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
* June 18, 2014
* Report
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
* July 31, 2014
* Report
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
* August 9, 2014
* Report
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ

## WNBA Finals
### Phoenix Mercury vs. Chicago Sky

* ABC
* September 7 3:30pm ET
* Report
Chicago Sky 62, Phoenix Mercury 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 8–15, 12–27, 14–14, 28–27 |||
| Pts: Fowles (19) Rebs: Fowles (11) Asts: Vandersloot (5) | Pts: Dupree (26) Rebs: Griner (7) Asts: Taurasi (11) |
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 13,263 Referees: #31 Amy Bonner #38 Lamont Simpson #42 Roy Gulbeyan
* ESPN
* September 9 9:00pm ET
* Report
Chicago Sky 68, Phoenix Mercury 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 22–30, 15–23, 17–23 |||
| Pts: Delle Donne (22) Rebs: Fowles (5) Asts: Vandersloot (4) | Pts: Griner (19) Rebs: Taylor (8) Asts: Taylor (6) |
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 13,348 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #18 Kurt Walker #55 Eric Brewton
* ESPN2
* September 12 8:00pm ET
* Report
Phoenix Mercury 87, Chicago Sky 82 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 23–21, 16–20, 26–19 |||
| Pts: Dupree, Taurasi (24) Rebs: Bonner (9) Asts: Dupree (6) | Pts: Delle Donne (23) Rebs: Fowles (8) Asts: Vandersloot (11) |
| Phoenix wins series, 3–0 |||
* UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL Attendance: 7,365 Referees: #9 Denise Brooks #34 Maj Forsberg #39 Michael Price

#### Regular-season series

Phoenix won the regular-season series 2–0:
* July 2, 2014
* Report
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
* July 11, 2014
* Report
* Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL