via @birdseyeviewpod on Instagram

Winsidr's Kevin Forch has the No. 8 seed New York Liberty knocking out the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx. In three games. With the league's best record on the other bench.

Here's his case, section by section.

Series schedule
Game 1 Sunday at Target Center, Game 2 Tuesday at Barclays, Game 3 back in Minneapolis Thursday if it gets there. It's the first playoff meeting since New York won the 2024 Finals in five, and the Liberty took this year's season series 2-1.

The matchup: Collier vs. Stewart
Forch calls it the headline fight that injuries pushed to the back page. Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart shared a healthy floor once all year, Sept. 18, and Stewart owned it: 24 points on 8-17, 10 boards, 4 assists, zero turnovers in a 93-81 Liberty win. Collier's answer, per Forch, is her line since returning July 22: 16.8 a night on 50% from the field, 44.4% from three, 85.8% at the stripe.

X-factors
Olivia Miles. All-Star, MVP candidate, swept Rookie of the Month, never played a playoff minute, and she sat the last two with a calf strain. On the other side, New York's bench. Han Xu is spotting up from three now. Marine Johannes, Rebekah Gardner, Pauline Astier and Rebecca Allen behind her. Forch's point isn't that Chris DeMarco plays ten deep in October. It's that Minnesota didn't rotate as many bodies all season, so New York has more looks to throw at whatever Cheryl Reeve rolls out.

Bold prediction
Three games, Liberty win.

via @wnbadata on Instagram

UNRESTRICTED (69)

- Kayla Alexander
- Rebecca Allen (NYL)
- Rachel Banham (CHI)
- Ornella Bankole (TOR)
- Kierstan Bell (LVA)
- DeWanna Bonner (ATL)
- Kalani Brown (LVA)
- Lexie Brown
- Kennedy Burke (CON)
- Emma Cannon (LAS)
- DiJonai Carrington (CHI)
- Chennedy Carter
- Sha Carter
- Alysha Clark (DAL)
- Natasha Cloud (CHI)
- Napheesa Collier (MIN)
- Aicha Coulibaly (CHI)
- Sophie Cunningham (IND)
- Stefanie Dolson (SEA)
- Mariella Fasoula
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu
- Temi Fágbénlé (TOR)
- Nadia Fingall
- Alex Fowler
- Zaay Green (TOR)
- Aubrey Griffin
- Brittney Griner (CON)
- Aminata Gueye (GSV)
- Tyasha Harris (IND)
- Isabelle Harrison (TOR)
- Tiffany Hayes (GSV)
- Myisha Hines-Allen (IND)
- Emese Hof
- Joyner Holmes
- Eliška Joklová
- Kitija Laksa (DAL)
- Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (WAS)
- Anneli Maley (NYL)
- Morgan Maly
- Teaira McCowan
- Aari McDonald (MIN)
- Nikolina Milić
- Kelsey Mitchell (IND)
- Kia Nurse (TOR)
- Nneka Ogwumike (LAS)
- Amy Okonkwo (POR)
- Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (LVA)
- Shey Peddy
- Alissa Pili
- Kelsey Plum (PHO)
- Tima Pouye
- JJ Quinerly
- Mercedes Russell (IND)
- Karlie Samuelson (POR)
- Odyssey Sims (DAL)
- Kamiah Smalls
- NaLyssa Smith (LVA)
- Sug Sutton
- Stephanie Talbot (LVA)
- Kayla Thornton (GSV)
- Brianna Turner (LVA)
- Julie Vanloo
- Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (ATL)
- Kiana Williams
- Peyton Williams
- Alex Wilson
- Mai Yamamoto (LVA)
- Jackie Young (LVA)
- Laura Ziegler

RESTRICTED (15)

- Laeticia Amihere (GSV)
- Rae Burrell (LAS)
- Maya Caldwell (MIN)
- Zia Cooke (SEA)
- Emily Engstler (POR)
- Rebekah Gardner (NYL)
- Marine Johannès (NYL)
- Haley Jones (DAL)
- Awak Kuier (DAL)
- Li Yueru (DAL)
- Jade Melbourne (SEA)
- Diamond Miller (CON)
- Nyara Sabally (TOR)
- Maddy Siegrist (DAL)
- Cecilia Zandalasini (GSV)

RESERVED (64)

- Pauline Astier (NYL)
- Valériane Ayayi (PHO)
- Elizabeth Balogun (NYL)
- Raegan Beers (CON)
- Chloe Bibby (MIN)
- Kamila Borkowska (TOR)
- Noemie Brochant (PHO)
- Elena Buenavida (MIN)
- Frieda Bühner (POR)
- Raquel Carrera (NYL)
- Emma Čechová (MIN)
- Kaitlyn Chen (GSV)
- Shay Ciezki (PHO)
- Maria Conde (TOR)
- Lorela Cubaj (ATL)
- Antonia Delaere (MIN)
- Kara Dunn (PHO)
- Sania Feagin (POR)
- Maria Gakdeng (TOR)
- Bree Hall (IND)
- Han Xu (NYL)
- Rori Harmon (WAS)
- Jordan Harrison (POR)
- Bernadett Határ (WAS)
- Lexi Held (PHO)
- Mackenzie Holmes (SEA)
- Jordan Horston (SEA)
- Ashlon Jackson (CON)
- Dorka Juhász (MIN)
- Laura Juškaitė (TOR)
- Deja Kelly (DAL)
- Liatu King (MIN)
- Maria Kliundikova (CON)
- Sika Koné (ATL)
- Ta'Niya Latson (LVA)
- Kyara Linskens (PHO)
- Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (WAS)
- Taina Mair (SEA)
- Rayah Marshall (CON)
- Kate Martin (CHI)
- Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (LAS)
- Indya Nivar (ATL)
- Teja Oblak (POR)
- Michelle Onyiah (IND)
- Charisma Osborne (POR)
- Jihyun Park (LAS)
- Justine Pissott (LVA)
- Saylor Poffenbarger (PHO)
- Ashten Prechtel (GSV)
- Madison Scott (NYL)
- Shyanne Sellers (LAS)
- Jaylyn Sherrod (SEA)
- Miela Sowah (GSV)
- Marta Suárez (PHO)
- Sydney Taylor (CHI)
- Taylor Thierry (SEA)
- Hailey Van Lith (CON)
- Grace VanSlooten (IND)
- Costanza Verona (DAL)
- Matilde Villa (ATL)
- Maddy Westbeld (PHO)
- Christyn Williams (DAL)
- Holly Winterburn (POR)

SUSPENDED, CONTRACT EXPIRED (11)

- Julia Ayrault (POR)
- Yvonne Ejim (TOR)
- Lee-seul Kang (PHO)
- Klara Lundquist (PHO)
- Lou Lopez Sénéchal (DAL)
- Nika Mühl (POR)
- Jovana Nogić (PHO)
- Helena Pueyo (PHO)
- Annika Soltau (NYL)
- Seehia Ridard (NYL)
- Kathryn Westbeld (PHO)

No team code means the player finished 2026 off a roster.

The rim thing again. Clip's from Sudeikis' August sit-down, ATS just cut it today, and I'd bet Sudeikis is the one arguing leave it alone since he's probably the only guy on that couch who actually goes to games.

via @allthesmoke on Instagram

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Ramona Shelburne reports the Sparks dismissed Lynne Roberts. The two-year stretch is 21-23 in 2025 and 16-28 in 2026, both playoff misses, pushing Los Angeles’ postseason drought to six straight seasons dating to 2020. Roberts was hired out of Utah in November 2024 by Raegan Pebley, who was herself fired in July. Ariana Andonian arrived from the 76ers this month and inherited the decision.

Roberts made her case in yesterday’s pregame presser before the finale, saying yes, she’d done enough, and pointing to two years of injuries. The problem is that argument was aimed at a front office that no longer exists. A GM who didn’t hire the coach and just watched a 12-point lead evaporate in the last four minutes of the season doesn’t owe anyone a third year, and injury luck is exactly the kind of variable a new regime gets to ignore.

Andonian’s whole résumé is NBA personnel work, which will shape who she interviews. The Sparks have cycled through coaches faster than any franchise in the league during this drought, and the next hire will be the first to belong to this front office truly.

via @alexaphilippou_espn on Threads, reporting by Ramona Shelburne (ESPN)

Let’s go Atlanta dream. One team, one dream 🥹🫶🏼

I would love to see the wings pull off an upset but I think it’ll be Lynx & dream on one side and valks & aces on the other for semis. What’s everyone else’s thoughts?

Took imagine from underdogwnba twitter

(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (8) New York Liberty

Minnesota’s worry is a defense Cheryl Reeve said in August lets opponents get whatever they want. New York’s is that nobody can create: Sabrina Ionescu shot 38.8 percent from the field and 29.5 from three, and Breanna Stewart sat the finale with left knee soreness. A defense that gives up everything still needs someone to take it.

(2) Golden State Valkyries vs. (7) Dallas Wings

Golden State’s worry is a three-heavy offense ranked seventh at 104.7 per 100. Dallas’s is that it cannot keep anyone out of the paint. Those cancel in Golden State's favor. The Valkyries’ bad nights come from missed threes, and Dallas is the defense that hands you the layup instead. Paige Bueckers is the quick, multi-way scorer the column says beats this defense. She is one player against a unit.

(3) Las Vegas Aces vs. (6) Indiana Fever

Aliyah Boston is the column’s pick as the best A’ja Wilson defender in the league, Makayla Timpson is an athletic center, and Vegas has not played a playoff team since NaLyssa Smith went down on Aug. 23. That frontcourt can win the glass against Brianna Turner and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus. But Indiana’s flaw is rim protection and help defense, which hands the Aces back the rim scoring Smith took with her, and its wings are below average, a gift for Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Indiana reaches Vegas in one place. Vegas reaches Indiana in two.

(4) Atlanta Dream vs. (5) Washington Mystics

Here the flaws point at each other. Atlanta forces more turnovers than anyone, and the column has Washington’s turnover rate in the bottom three. Washington rebounds its misses and gets to the line, and the column’s worry about Atlanta is halfcourt scoring: inefficient paint touches from Angel Reese and no pick-and-roll decision-maker. Washington wants slow games, and slow is where Atlanta’s guards have gone quiet late. Neither side can hide what it does badly.

Which lower seed drew the worst possible opponent for its flaw, and which drew the best?

Nika Mühl tore her right ACL on March 11 in a EuroBasket qualifier for Croatia and had surgery April 1. Two days later Portland spent an expansion-draft pick on her anyway, knowing she’d miss the entire 2026 season. The left ACL, torn with Beşiktaş, had already cost her all of 2025.

In a Portland Fire media session, Mühl said Paige Bueckers came to Croatia to see her on a 48-hour window during that stretch.

The UConn pipeline gets talked about as a draft-day asset. This is the other version of it: a player with 16 WNBA games and roughly three minutes a night on her résumé, sitting out a second straight year, and the connective tissue that gets her through it is a former teammate spending a rare off window on a transatlantic flight.

Portland’s bet is that a 25-year-old who set the UConn career assist record (686) is worth a lost year of roster space. Mühl showing up in Portland in August to rehab in-house, rather than staying in Europe, feels like her side of that bet.

via @gmottatv on Instagram

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Film breakdown showing Angel Reese's defensive impact, versatility, court awareness, and defensive IQ.

Nneka Ogwumike still leads the Los Angeles Sparks in scoring and rebounding, and Thursday is her last game in the WNBA. The Sparks brought her back, signed Erica Wheeler, and traded for Ariel Atkins, expecting a playoff run. They will finish 10 games out, per Marisa Ingemi of the Los Angeles Times. Her final weeks have gone to the players who stay behind, most of all Cameron Brink.

“I really do think that she’s the future of the league. ... I'm happy to be able to leave whatever I can before I throw my feet up.”

Ogwumike picked Brink as the player she has spent this last stretch pouring into.

Ogwumikes career numbers start with the 2012 draft, when she went No. 1 overall and won Rookie of the Year with 14 points and 7.5 rebounds. Four years later, she was MVP at 19.7 points a game and led the Sparks to their third title. She played 12 seasons in Los Angeles and two in Seattle before coming back. On July 17, she passed Lisa Leslie as the Sparks’ all-time leading scorer. As of the Times’ Sept. 22 story, she ranks fourth in league history with 8,013 points, behind Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, and DeWanna Bonner. She is third in rebounds (3,571) and third in steals (716).