After the most-hyped regular season in its history, the WNBA began its playoffs season on Sept. 22.
The top eight teams in the league qualify for the postseason. The first round is a best-of-three series, followed by a best-of-five semifinals and finals.
The first game of the playoffs was between the New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. The New York Liberty is the first No. 1 overall seed for the second time in franchise history. Coming off a 30-win season, it has the best record in the WNBA.
This is the Atlanta Dream’s second straight playoff appearance under head coach Tanisha Wright. Dream is the No. 8 seed in the league, which was decided in its most recent game of a 78-67 win over Liberty.
Atlanta Dream’s starting lineup included Jordan Canada, Alisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. Liberty’s starters included stars Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.
After a disappointing fourth-place finish last year, Liberty is gunning for the championship this year. Liberty had a fiery start to the game with a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter. After winning the jump ball, Ionescu made the first shot of the game and the first three-pointer.
In the first two and a half minutes of the game, Liberty did not miss a shot, shooting back-to-back threes. Its first miss came at 2:33 of the first quarter, marking the longest stretch of game time without a missed field goal or free throw to start a postseason game in WNBA history.
Liberty beat Dream in an 83-69 win. All of Liberty’s points came from its starting five, Courtney Vandersloot had the rest. The lack of bench scoring was not an issue against Atlanta and may not be for the rest of the series, but New York will need more support from its bench as the playoffs proceed.
Leonie Fiebich led the Liberty offense with a career-high 21 points on seven of eight shooting from the field and four of four shooting from deep to become the first rookie in WNBA history to make at least four three-pointers in a single playoff game without a single miss from beyond the arc.
Overall, Liberty beat Atlanta in three-pointers, free throws, rebounds and assists.
Liberty made 8 of 11 from the field, five of six from the three-point line and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line while outrebounding Dream 11-7.
Atlanta, which made 6 of 17 from the field and went zero for six from behind the arc, trailed behind the whole game.
Liberty also faced Dream again on Sept. 24 in which Liberty once again won, 91-82. Liberty will now continue on to play the Las Vegas Aces on Sept. 29, with that game determining the one for Oct. 1.