# 2016 WNBA playoffs

The 2016 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2016 season.

## Format

The WNBA changed its playoff format in 2016. Following the WNBA regular season, eight teams in the entire league qualified for the playoffs and were seeded one to eight.
Regular season records determined the seedings of the teams. The team with the best record received seed one, the team with the next best record received seed two, and so on. The top two seeds get double byes, while the next two seeds get first-round byes.
These seedings were used to create a bracket that determines the match-ups throughout the playoffs. The first round of the playoffs consisted of two match-ups based on the seedings (5-8 and 6-7). The two winners advanced to the second round with a match-up between the number 3 seed and the lower of the advancing seeds and another match-up between the number 4 seed and the other first round winner. The winners of the first two rounds advanced to the semifinals, where the lower ranked seed of the winners faced the number 1 seed, while the other remaining team faced the number 2 seed.
The first two rounds are single elimination games played on the higher ranking seed's home court. The semifinals and WNBA Finals are best-of-five series played in a 2-2-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage (better record) hosts games 1, 2, and 5 while their opponent hosts games 3 and 4.

### Tiebreak procedures

* Better winning percentage among all head-to-head games involving tied teams.
* Better winning percentage against teams within conference (for Finals only: better record against teams in # the opposite conference).
* 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 (or draw of lots, if at least 3 teams are still tied after the first 4 tiebreakers fail).

## Playoff qualifying

| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | Clinched | Clinched |
| Seed | Team | Record | Playoff berth | Bye to Semis | Top Record |
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 28–6 | July 25 | September 6 | September 12 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 26–8 | July 25 | September 6 | — |
| 3 | New York Liberty | 21–13 | September 7 | — | — |
| 4 | Chicago Sky | 18–16 | September 10 | — | — |
| 5 | Indiana Fever | 17–17 | September 10 | — | — |
| 6 | Atlanta Dream | 17–17 | September 10 | — | — |
| 7 | Seattle Storm | 16–18 | September 11 | — | — |
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 16–18 | September 14 | — | — |

### Notes

* 1 2 Indiana Fever clinched #5 seed over Atlanta Dream based on a 2–1 regular season series record.
* 1 2 Seattle Storm clinched #7 seed over Phoenix Mercury based on a 2–1 regular season series record.

## Bracket

| First round: Single elimination (Sept. 21) | First round: Single elimination (Sept. 21) | First round: Single elimination (Sept. 21) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 24 and 25) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 24 and 25) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 24 and 25) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 6) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 6) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 6) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 6) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 6) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 6) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 9 – 20) |
| | | | | | | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 113 | 96 | 82 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | New York Liberty | 94 | 8 | Phoenix Mercury | Phoenix Mercury | 95 | 86 | 67 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Indiana Fever | 78 | 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 101 | | | | | | | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 76 | 79 | 75 | 85 | 76 |
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 89 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 78 | 60 | 92 | 79 | 77 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 95 | 99 | 66 | 95 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Chicago Sky | 108 | 4 | Chicago Sky | 75 | 84 | 70 | 75 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Atlanta Dream | 94 | 6 | Atlanta Dream | 98 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Seattle Storm | 85 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

## First round

    All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

### (5) Indiana Fever vs. (8) Phoenix Mercury

* ESPNews
* September 21 6:00 PM
* Game 1
Phoenix Mercury 89, Indiana Fever 78 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18-18, 17-20, 24-19, 30-21 |||
| Pts: Taurasi 20 Rebs: Griner 9 Asts: Taylor 4 | Pts: Coleman & Catchings 13 Rebs: Catchings 10 Asts: January 9 |
| Phoenix wins series 1-0 |||
* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 6,282 Referees: Tom Nunez, Byron Jarrett, Maj Forsberg
Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
May 18, 2016
Report
Phoenix Mercury 93, Indiana Fever 97
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
July 8, 2016
Report
Indiana Fever 78, Phoenix Mercury 60
Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
August 30, 2016
Report
Phoenix Mercury 79, Indiana Fever 65
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN :

### (6) Atlanta Dream vs. (7) Seattle Storm

* ESPNews
* September 21 8:00 PM
* Game 1
Seattle Storm 85, Atlanta Dream 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–19, 27–18, 21–29, 19-28 |||
| Pts: Loyd 24 Rebs: Steward & Langhorne 7 Asts: Bird 7 | Pts: McCoughtry 37 Rebs: Williams 16 Asts: McCoughtry & Clarendon 7 |
| Atlanta wins series 1-0 |||
* Hank McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 2,553 Referees: Eric Brewton, Amy Bonner, Jeff Wooten
Seattle won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
June 28, 2016
Report
Atlanta Dream 81, Seattle Storm 84
KeyArena, Seattle, WA
July 5, 2016
Report
Seattle Storm 64, Atlanta Dream 77
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
September 4, 2016
Report
Seattle Storm 91, Atlanta Dream 82
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA :

## Second round

    All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

### (3) New York Liberty vs. (8) Phoenix Mercury

* NBA TV
* September 24 7:00 PM
* Game 1
Phoenix Mercury 101, New York Liberty 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25-25, 27–16, 16–26, 33-27 |||
| Pts: Taurasi 30 Rebs: Griner 10 Asts: Griner 5 | Pts: Wright 21 Rebs: Charles 9 Asts: Wright & Charles 5 |
| Phoenix wins series 1-0 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Attendance: 10,227 Referees: Michael Price, Jeff Smith, Tom Mauer, Cheryl Flores
New York won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
June 26, 2016
Report
Phoenix Mercury 104, New York Liberty 97 (OT)
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
July 1, 2016
Report
New York Liberty 99, Phoenix Mercury 88
Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
September 3, 2016
Report
Phoenix Mercury 70, New York Liberty 92
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY :

### (4) Chicago Sky vs. (6) Atlanta Dream

* ESPN2
* September 25 12:00 PM
* Game 1
Atlanta Dream 98, Chicago Sky 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25-37, 25–19, 20–31, 28-21 |||
| Pts: Hayes 30 Rebs: Williams 9 Asts: McCoughtry 9 | Pts: Vandersloot 21 Rebs: Breland 16 Asts: Vandersloot 13 |
| Chicago wins series 1-0 |||
* Allstate Arena Rosemont, Illinois Attendance: 3,922 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker
Atlanta won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
May 22, 2016
Report
Chicago Sky 81, Atlanta Dream 87
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
June 17, 2016
Report
Chicago Sky 97, Atlanta Dream 101
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
August 26, 2016
Report
Atlanta Dream 82, Chicago Sky 90
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL :

## Semifinals

    All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

### (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (8) Phoenix Mercury

* ESPN2
* September 28 8:00 PM
* Game 1
Phoenix Mercury 95, Minnesota Lynx 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 15-31, 34-36, 23–22 |||
| Pts: Taurasi 25 Rebs: Taylor 5 Asts: Dupree & Harding 5 | Pts: Moore 31 Rebs: Fowles 10 Asts: Augustus & Whalen 7 |
* Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota Attendance: 9,013 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Eric Brewton, Tiffany Bird
* ESPNews
* September 30 8:00 PM
* Game 2
Phoenix Mercury 86, Minnesota Lynx 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 23-20, 18–22, 21–19 |||
| Pts: Taurasi 31 Rebs: Harrison 9 Asts: Taylor 5 | Pts: Moore 26 Rebs: Brunson 11 Asts: Moore 5 |
* Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota Attendance: 11,923 Referees: Byron Jarrett Jeff Smith, Maj Forsberg
* ESPN
* October 2 5:00 PM
* Game 3
Minnesota Lynx 82, Phoenix Mercury 67 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 21–15, 26–15, 17–14 |||
| Pts: Moore 20 Rebs: Brunson 9 Asts: Whalen 5 | Pts: Taurasi & Bonner 12 Rebs: Griner & Harrison 7 Asts: Xargay 5 |
| Minnesota wins series 3-0 |||
* Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 9,631 Referees: Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Michael Price
Minnesota won 3–0 in the regular-season series :
May 14, 2016
Report
Phoenix Mercury 76, Minnesota Lynx 95
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
May 25, 2016
Report
Minnesota Lynx 85, Phoenix Mercury 78
Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
June 7, 2016
Report
Phoenix Mercury 81, Minnesota Lynx 89
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN :

### (2) Los Angeles Sparks vs. (4) Chicago Sky

* ESPN2
* September 28 9:00 PM
* Game 1
Chicago Sky 75, Los Angeles Sparks 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 15-30, 26-23, 14-20 |||
| Pts: Faulkner 13 Rebs: Breland 7 Asts: Vandersloot 5 | Pts: Parker 30 Rebs: Ogwumike 10 Asts: Ogwumike 6 |
* Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, CA Attendance: 3,894 Referees: Michael Price, Cheryl Flores, Tom Mauer
* ESPNews
* September 30 9:00 PM
* Game 2
Chicago Sky 84, Los Angeles Sparks 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 15-29, 17-21, 25–21 |||
| Pts: Dos Santos 15 Rebs: Breland 9 Asts: Quigley 5 | Pts: Parker, Lavender 20 Rebs: Parker 12 Asts: Parker 8 |
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA Attendance: 7,855 Referees: Eric Brewton, Amy Bonner, Billy Smith
* ESPN
* October 2 3:00 PM
* Game 3
Los Angeles Sparks 66, Chicago Sky 70 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–14, 16–16, 8–19, 19–21 |||
| Pts: Ogwumike 22 Rebs: Parker 15 Asts: Parker 6 | Pts: Vandersloot 17 Rebs: Boyette 11 Asts: Faulkner & Vandersloot 5 |
* Allstate Arena Rosemont, Illinois Attendance: 5,018 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Tom Nunez, Jeff Wooten
* ESPN2
* October 4 8:00 PM
* Game 4
Los Angeles Sparks 95, Chicago Sky 75 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–11, 32–20, 14–28, 26–16 |||
| Pts: Parker 29 Rebs: Ogwumike 9 Asts: Gray 7 | Pts: Pondexter 19 Rebs: Boyette 10 Asts: Young 6 |
| Los Angeles wins series 3-1 |||
* Allstate Arena Rosemont, Illinois Attendance: 3,841 Referees: Sue Blauch, Tiffany Bird, Roy Gulbeyan
Los Angeles won 3–0 in the regular-season series :
May 24, 2016
Report
Los Angeles Sparks 93, Chicago Sky 80
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
June 14, 2016
Report
Chicago Sky 85, Los Angeles Sparks 98
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
July 13, 2016
Report
Los Angeles Sparks 77, Chicago Sky 67
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL :

## Finals

    All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

### (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (2) Los Angeles Sparks

* ABC
* October 9 3:00 PM
* Game 1
Los Angeles Sparks 78, Minnesota Lynx 76 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 13–18, 22–24, 22–16 |||
| Pts: Toliver & Ogwumike 19 Rebs: Parker & Ogwumike 9 Asts: Gray 4 | Pts: three tied 18 Rebs: Fowles 13 Asts: Whalen 6 |
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 12,113 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Jeff Wooten, Tom Nunez
* ESPN2
* October 11 8:00 PM
* Game 2
Los Angeles Sparks 60, Minnesota Lynx 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–18, 11–21, 21–15, 14–25 |||
| Pts: Ogwumike 14 Rebs: Ogwumike 12 Asts: three tied 3 | Pts: Moore 21 Rebs: Fowles 15 Asts: Fowles 4 |
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 12,832 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Michael Price, Billy Smith
* ESPN2
* October 14 9:00 PM
* Game 3
Minnesota Lynx 75, Los Angeles Sparks 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–32, 23–16, 18–22, 17–22 |||
| Pts: Fowles, Brunson 14 Rebs: Moore 7 Asts: Moore 5 | Pts: Parker 24 Rebs: Parker, Ogwumike 9 Asts: Beard 7 |
* Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA Attendance: 8,093 Referees: Tom Mauer, Eric Brewton, Amy Bonner
* ESPN
* October 16 8:30 PM
* Game 4
Minnesota Lynx 85, Los Angeles Sparks 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 24–20, 19–19, 20–20 |||
| Pts: Moore 31 Rebs: Fowles 13 Asts: Augustus, Moore 5 | Pts: Gray 20 Rebs: Ogwumike 8 Asts: Beard 4 |
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA Attendance: 12,885 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Maj Forsberg, Kurt Walker
* ESPN2
* October 20 8:00 PM
* Game 5
Los Angeles Sparks 77, Minnesota Lynx 76 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 11–16, 26–21, 23–21 |||
| Pts: Parker 28 Rebs: Parker, Ogwumike 12 Asts: Beard 6 | Pts: Moore 23 Rebs: Brunson, Fowles 9 Asts: Moore 11 |
| Los Angeles wins series 3–2 |||
* Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 19,423 Referees: Amy Bonner, Eric Brewton, Thomas Nunez
Minnesota won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
June 21, 2016
Report
Minnesota Lynx 72, Los Angeles Sparks 69
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
June 24, 2016
Report
Los Angeles Sparks 94, Minnesota Lynx 76
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
September 6, 2016
Report
Minnesota Lynx 77, Los Angeles Sparks 74
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA :