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2022 WNBA Playoffs: Schedule, Bracket, Times, TV Channel, How to Watch

WNBA Playoffs TV Schedule originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The WNBA playoffs are here as eight teams will vie for the 2022 WNBA Championship.

All season long, it's been the Las Vegas Aces, under new head coach Becky Hammon, and defending champion Chicago Sky atop the standings. But, there are other intriguing storylines throughout the rest of the field. 

Elena Delle Donne and the Mystics are back in the postseason after making the lottery a year ago. They'll face the Seattle Storm in a 2018 WNBA Finals rematch. It will tip off Sue Bird's final postseason as she heads toward retirement this offseason.

The Phoenix Mercury squeaked into the playoffs after the circus on the final weekend. Their opening round matchup against the Aces will be one littered with stars.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2022 WNBA playoffs.

When are the 2022 WNBA Playoffs?

The 2022 WNBA playoffs began on Wednesday, Aug. 17, while the WNBA Finals are set to begin on Sept. 11.

Related: WNBA Power Rankings: Looking to the playoffs

 

How do the WNBA Playoffs work?

The eight teams with the best record, regardless of conference, advance to the WNBA playoffs. Regular season records determine those seeds.

This past offseason, the WNBA changed its playoff format where no team received a bye. It will be a traditional bracket where the No. 1 seed will play No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.

The first round will be a rare best-of-three series, where the top seed will host the first two games and the lower seed hosting a potential winner-take-all Game 3. The semifinals and WNBA Finals will each be a best-of-five series (2-2-1).

How to watch the WNBA Playoffs?

All three rounds of the WNBA Playoffs will be broadcast on ESPN's family of networks including ABC. Some select games will be simulcast on NBATV as well. You can stream every game at ESPN.com or the ESPN app.

2022 WNBA Playoffs Schedule

First Round (Best of three):

No. 1 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Phoenix Mercury

-Game 1: Mercury at Aces, Wednesday, Aug. 17: 10 p.m. (ESPN)

-Game 2: Mercury at Aces, Saturday, Aug. 20: 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

-Game 3: Aces at Mercury, Tuesday, Aug. 23: TBD (TBD)*

No. 2 Chicago Sky vs. No. 7 New York Liberty

-Game 1: Liberty at Sky, Wednesday, Aug. 17: 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

-Game 2: Liberty at Sky, Saturday, Aug. 20: 12 p.m. (ESPN)

-Game 3: Sky at Liberty, Tuesday, Aug. 23: TBD (TBD)*

No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Dallas Wings

-Game 1: Wings at Sun, Thursday, Aug. 18: 8 p.m. (ESPNU/NBATV)

-Game 2: Wings at Sun, Sunday, Aug. 21: 12 p.m. (ABC)

-Game 3: Sun at Wings, Wednesday, Aug. 24: TBD (TBD)*

No. 4 Seattle Storm vs. No. 5 Washington Mystics

-Game 1: Mystics at Storm, Thursday, Aug. 18: 10 p.m. (ESPN2)

-Game 2: Mystics at Storm, Sunday, Aug. 21: 4 p.m. (ESPN)

-Game 3: Storm at Mystics, Wednesday, Aug. 24: TBD (TBD)*

* if necessary

Semifinals (Best of five):

The WNBA Semifinals will be held Aug. 28 through Sept. 8.

WNBA Finals (Best of five):

The WNBA Finals will be held Sept. 11 through Sept. 20.

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