Sunday's WNBA first-round Game 1s produced a lot of...well...a lot of...basketball? IDK, I'm trying to think of something to say here, but the games were all largely uncompetitive, with each decided by double digits. But does that mean we should expect Game 2 to be exactly like that?
In some cases, probably! In others, maybe not. From least to most likely, here's where the Game 1 losers stand in their quest to advance to the next round.
4. Dallas Wings
Of the four teams that lost Game 1 of their series, three definitely have a shot to at least force a Game 3. The Dallas Wings, though, do not. There's really no way to sugarcoat this. Before the series, I highlighted this as the series that was least likely to produce an upset, and Game 1 just solidified that.
The problem mostly remains what the problem has been: a complete lack of frontcourt production. Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier were a combined 1-for-12 from the floor. This Wings team just isn't built to defeat a defense as good as this one, because it's only players who are capable of busting through this defense play in the backcourt.
And, like...let's be real here. Paige Bueckers shot 90 percent from the floor and the Wings lost 104-80. There's no recovering from that. Golden State's going to close this one out in Game 2.
3. Indiana Fever
The big concern for the Indiana Fever heading into the postseason was that the team's defense would struggle too much for it to be competitive in playoff games. One game in, and the Fever defense is struggling too much to be competitive in playoff games.
The big issue is that the team doesn't even remotely have an answer for A'ja Wilson, who had 38 points on 15-for-19 shooting. Her athleticism means that you can't just throw Aliyah Boston on her like you can do against less mobile bigs, and that just puts Wilson in a position to eat. Add in Jackie Young being unstoppable against the Fever's poor defensive backcourt and you get a blowout loss.
That's not to say that going home won't help put Game 2 in play. Kelsey Mitchell shot 25 percent in Game 1 and Caitlin Clark was 6-for-17 from the floor. You have to think that with the game in Indiana, those two play better, but will it matter if the defense can't get a stop?
2. Washington Mystics
The Atlanta Dream won Game 1, 92-77, though the game felt much closer until Atlanta's huge third quarter. The Mystics just have this issue where the roster is super, super shallow, and the young stars just couldn't keep up with Atlanta.
But that doesn't mean the series is over. Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin's rebounding ability can help negate some of Angel Reese's impact on the boards, and if Austin can be a little more efficient as a scorer in Game 2, Washington will have a shot. The team just needs to be physical and work hard to slow the game down.
One thing that can keep the Mystics in things is 3-point shooting. It's not either team's strong suit, but that also opens up room for Washington to get an advantage if a couple of shooters manage to go off. The same is also true the other way, of course, but Washington might be more likely to force the issue from deep than Atlanta would be.
1. Minnesota Lynx
I mean, the No. 1 seed that features Napheesa Collier and Olivia Miles is obviously the team best equipped to come back and win their series. That's not to say they will, but the Lynx are arguably the league's most talented team.
Something else that can work in Minnesota's favor? Breanna Stewart was on a heater in Game 1, going 11-for-18 with 34 points and 12 rebounds. She was unstoppable on both ends of the floor. But if Stewart doesn't hit those marks in Game 2 and Game 3, things open up a lot for Minnesota.
Olivia Miles and Courtney Williams both went 3-for-12 from the floor. Get them closer to their season averages and we have a completely different game on our hands. New York is in the driver's seat here as the series heads to the Big Apple and the team just has to win one of the next two games, but you can't count the Lynx out.
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