The LPGA needs to move the Kroger Queen City Championship. I believe it is one of the best tournaments on the schedule, as was borne out by a crazy 72nd-hole finish featuring two of the biggest stars in women’s golf. Unfortunately for us, it was completely overshadowed by the first day of the WNBA Playoffs. After the longest regular season in WNBA history, Sunday was our first chance to see how all eight teams would respond to playoff basketball. As such, there was a lot to learn from the four games. These observations are loosely ordered by game, so if you don’t see notes from the game you’re looking for, keep scrolling.

No one can compete with Minnesota’s bench.

Golden State got off to a great start in their first playoff game in franchise history. Thanks to some hot shooting and swarming defense, the Valkyries were able to take advantage of Minnesota’s poor attention to detail and jump out to an 18-9 lead. That was when Natisha Hiedeman entered the game, and Minnesota never looked back.

With 1:29 remaining in the third quarter and the Valkyries struggling to stay in the game, Napheesa Collier went to the bench with her fourth foul. If there was any chance for the Valkyries to make a comeback, it would be with Minnesota’s MVP candidate on the bench. Instead, DiJonai Carrington made two three-pointers, assisted by Heideman and Jessica Shepard, to keep Golden State at bay.

Overall, the Lynx bench outscored the Valkyries bench 42-17, but it was even more lopsided than that in the competitive portion of the game. The Valkyries did not score their first points off the bench until Kate Martin’s three-pointer with 3:04 left in the third quarter. The Lynx had 15 points off the bench in the first half alone.

Hiedeman and Shepard were arguably Minnesota’s best players in this game outside of Collier. Carrington didn’t even play in the first half after missing her last four games with a shoulder injury, but her defense at the point of attack was a big reason Minnesota outscored Golden State 31-18 in the third quarter.

Minnesota cannot help off Golden State’s shooters.

Temi Fagbenle had some success early making contested layups, but she is not going to beat you consistently, especially when she is being guarded by the reigning defensive player of the year in Napheesa Collier, or DPOY candidate Alanna Smith.

So many of the Valkyries’ open shots in the first quarter came when Minnesota sent help, often unnecessarily. In the second quarter, I thought Minnesota did a better job defending the pick-and-roll two-on-two. In the third quarter, they defended Golden State’s bigs one-on-one, even when they would get a guard on a switch. I think that needs to continue for the rest of the series, even if the Valkyries’ bigs have more success inside.

Did Natalie Nakase pull a J.J. Reddick?

I thought Golden State actually played pretty well overall, and it is difficult to be too critical of any coach in such a big blowout. Nakase’s rotation was not the reason the Valkyries lost this game.

That being said, Most Improved Player Veronica Burton played the first 34 minutes and 29 seconds of this game. By the time she was finally subbed out, Golden State was down by 28. Burton made her first two shots (both threes) but finished the game with just 14 points on 3-13 shooting with five rebounds, seven assists, and seven turnovers. We’ll never know if she would have taken care of the ball or knocked down more shots if she had gotten a rest in the first half, but it probably couldn’t have hurt. There is no doubt she was tired when DiJonai Carrington entered the game for the first time midway through the third quarter and took on the defensive assignment on Burton. If Tiffany Hayes is able to return from her knee injury for Game 2, the Valkyries should have no problem finding some rest for Burton. If Hayes remains out, I would try to steal a few minutes with Burton on the bench by letting Kaila Charles run the offense. Charles struggled on Sunday, but I think she has a good chance to bounce back at home.

The Valkyries need to shelve their zone defense until next season.

Golden State played more zone defense than any team in the regular season, but as we pointed out in our preview, you just cannot play zone against this team. They tried it a few times as a change-up out of timeouts, and it resulted in a wide-open three every time. It's probably worth trying a few times in live-ball situations, maybe after free throws, but there is no reason to believe it will work much better. Minnesota is probably the smartest team in the league and they have too many knockdown shooters for Golden State to get away with playing zone for long.

Anastasiia Olairi Kosu looks like a player.

Reading anything into garbage time in a 30-point blowout is a fool’s errand, but if you are a WNBA fan in Toronto or Portland, you may have seen one of your team’s future players in the fourth quarter of this game. Anastasiia Olairi Kosu looked athletic and assertive offensively, scoring six points on 3-of-3 shooting in four minutes. She also committed three fouls, which is something she’ll need to work on, but I think the 20-year-old could be a rotation player as soon as next season. She averaged 15.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, 3.2 turnovers and 4.1 personal fouls per 36 minutes in the regular season. Those last two numbers are a problem, and almost all of those minutes came in garbage time, but there is plenty of room for growth for the rookie. We don’t know what the rules will be for the expansion draft, but I suspect she will get selected if she is not protected. If she is protected, there is a good chance she finds her way into Minnesota’s rotation next season.

Golden State’s defense is legit.

This may seem like a crazy assertion for a team that allowed 101 points in a 40-minute game, but I was so impressed with the Valkyries’ defense, especially in the first half. They did a great job of swarming to the basketball and then recovering to jump the passing lanes. There were several plays when Minnesota created an advantage and made the correct pass, only to have a defender apparate out of nowhere to intercept the pass. The Lynx did a better job taking care of the ball in the second quarter, but I didn’t think they were doing much wrong initially. They were making the correct passes, and the Valkyries were still intercepting them.

Atlanta’s court looks awesome.

I know it isn’t new, but considering how many more people are watching during the playoffs, I thought this deserved mentioning. I’m not usually the type of fan to care or even really notice things like the court, jerseys, etc… That being said, Atlanta’s home court immediately stood out, especially after watching Minnesota’s more traditional court for two hours. The ATLANTA in black font across half court was still visible against the dark background, and the blue at the top of the key really popped. I also liked that the key faded near the basket. If the entire key was blue, I think it would have been too much. I don’t necessarily want every court to look like this, but whoever designed this court deserves a raise.

Replay reviews take way, way, way too long.

“This review is taking longer than I thought it would,” said Pam Ward during the Liberty/Mercury game. Truer words have never been spoken. By the third game of the night, long reviews had already marred an already strong slate of games.

It eludes comprehension that in the year 2025, we still haven’t figured out a better way to handle reviews. I’m all for getting a call correct, but it is not worth stopping the game for 3-5 minutes at a time so that we can see the replay a dozen times. If you can’t find enough to overturn a call in 60 seconds, just let the call stand and move on. All four games got bogged down by both coaches' challenges and reviews for possible flagrant fouls.  This issue is not limited to the WNBA, but that doesn’t make it any palatable. In a season marked by record viewership, the WNBA isn’t helping its cause by wasting so much time on reviews.

Playoff Atmospheres have been great

I feel sorry for the players, coaches and broadcasters who have tried to conduct interviews between quarters. It was nearly impossible for them to hear the questions or answers because the home crowds were so loud. Not that anyone who has paid attention to the WNBA for more than three seconds was surprised, but it was still great to see. Much has been made of Golden State’s home crowd this season, and I cannot wait to see how they show up in San Jose, but the four crowds on Sunday showed up for their teams in a big way.

Naz Hillmon is underrated.

We have discussed at length the struggles that led to Brittney Griner being benched this season, but the other side of that coin is Naz Hillmon's career year. I’m kind of shocked Hillmon didn’t receive any votes for Most Improved Player as she set career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, and assists while committing just 1.1 turnovers per game. In this game, Hillmon scored 16 points on 5-7 shooting with nine rebounds, three assist,s and three blocks. If she’s going to play that well on defense, Atlanta may not need to play Brittney Griner much after all.

Indiana isn’t going away quietly.

I don’t think I was alone in dismissing Indiana’s chances of pulling off an upset in the wake of all of their injuries. I don’t really think they can win back-to-back games in this series, but I won’t be surprised if they pull out a win in game two. Indiana gave Atlanta all they could handle through three quarters before Atlanta was able to get a few key stops and knock down big shots to earn the double-digit win. The Fever are four-point underdogs at home Tuesday, and I’m not sure they should be.

The Liberty and Mercury are very evenly matched.

These teams had identical records in the regular season, so it wasn’t shocking to see that game go to overtime. In most circumstances, I would say a home team losing Game 1 of a three-game series was in deep trouble, but there is reason for optimism for Phoenix. The Mercury’s big three of Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas, and Kahleah Copper combined for 38 points on 14–for-48 shooting. Meanwhile, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionesc,u and Natasha Cloud combined for 57 points on 22-for-44 shooting. Phoenix won’t possibly shoot that poorly again, and they might even get some regression from the Liberty. Obviously, they have very little margin for error, but I am optimistic they can send this series back to Phoenix.

Liberty need more from Emma Meesseman.

This is especially true if Breanna Stewart’s knee injury keeps her out. We never want to read too much into +/- in one game, but Meesseman was a team-worst -17 in 12:51 Sunday. She’s been a Finals MVP in the past, and the Liberty will need her at some point if they want a repeat championship. Phoenix attacked her defense a bit, but she finished with eight rebounds. Despite pulling away in overtime, New York managed just 10 points in the fourth quarter. If the offense struggles on Wednesday, they may look to get Meesseeman more minutes.

Monique Akoa Makani is a vital member of this team.

Akoa Makani shot just as poorly as the other starters, going 2-for-11, and lost some playing time to Sami Whitcomb late. Even so, she still played a career-high 33:30. Phoenix needs her defense if they are going to have any chance of slowing down Sabrina Ionescu. She’ll probably shoot better on Wednesday as well.

Nneka Ogwumike still has it.

Just about all of the good shots Seattle generated in the first half were taken by Ogwumike. She has a very difficult matchup with A’ja Wilson, but she still needs to be more aggressive looking for her own shot. If Seattle is going to have a chance to extend this series, I think Ogwumike needs to lead the Storm in usage.

Seattle needs to switch up its defense.

To be fair, I’m not sure there is much anybody could do against A’ja Wilson and the Aces offense, but there is no doubt that what they did try didn’t work. I think the first thing I would do is try zone defense, especially when Dominique Malonga is in the game. Seattle has a long team with a lot of smart veterans, and I think they could be effective in a zone. More importantly, I’m not afraid of the Aces shooting Seattle out of the zone. Las Vegas shot the ball well in Game 1, but I would make them do it again.

When they’re in man-to-man, I would try Gabby Williams on A’ja Wilson. Williams made an all-defensive team in 2022, and even if she gives up some size to Wilson, I think Williams is strong enough and athletic enough to make Wilson work on offense. She did have a few possessions on Wilson Sunday, but I would start with that assignment Tuesday. Seattle could hide a defender on Kierstan Bell or Dana Evans, or they could play small with Williams at the four.

Brittney Sykes needs to play more.

Sykes had zero points, five turnovers, and five personal fouls in Game 1. Seattle needs her to play 30+ minutes, even if her shot isn’t falling. Sykes averaged 5.6 free throw attempts per game this season, and I would like to see her get into the paint and initiate more contact.

Seattle needs to take more threes.

The Storm were actually fifth in three-point percentage in the regular season, but ninth in three-point attempts per game. Seattle has even fewer knockdown shooters than Las Vegas, but there were far too many times a Seattle guard got into the paint only to be met with five Aces defenders. Seattle’s shooters need to make them pay if they’re going to have any chance in Game 2.