2011 WNBA Playoffs

The 2011 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2011 season. Four teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs seeded 1 to 4 in a tournament bracket, with the two opening rounds in a best-of-three format, and the final in a best-of-five format. The finals were won by the Minnesota Lynx who defeated the defending Eastern Conference Champion Atlanta Dream.

2011 WNBA Playoffs
DatesSeptember 15 October 7
ChampionsMinnesota Lynx (Finals Champion)
East championAtlanta Dream (Coach: Marynell Meadors)
West championMinnesota Lynx (Coach: Cheryl Reeve)
Attendance9,232 per game
Standings
Eastern ConferenceWestern Conference
1st Indiana1st Minnesota
2nd Connecticut2nd Seattle
3rd Atlanta3rd Phoenix
4th New York4th San Antonio

The Minnesota Lynx was the top overall seed in the tournament, having finished 27-7 in the regular season, the best record in franchise history. The team was appearing in its first playoffs since 2004. Prior to the 2011 playoffs, the Lynx had not won a playoff series in franchise history. This changed in the 2011 playoffs, as the Lynx won their first two playoff series to advance to the WNBA Finals.

The Atlanta Dream had reached the 2010 WNBA Finals, losing in three games to the Seattle Storm. Despite a slow start to the 2011 season, the Dream rebounded to finish with a 20-14 record, good for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. The Dream upset two higher-seeded teams to reach the WNBA finals for the second straight year.

After earning the third seed in the West, the Phoenix Mercury reached their third straight conference finals after upsetting the defending WNBA Champion Seattle Storm in the opening round. They ultimately lost to Minnesota in the conference final.

The Indiana Fever was the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and dispatched the New York Liberty in the opening round. They ultimately fell short to Atlanta in the conference final after WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings tore her plantar fascia in game two of the series, limiting her in the decisive game.

The Seattle Storm earned the West's second seed, and were attempting to repeat as WNBA champions. They took a 1-0 lead in the conference semifinals, but then dropped the next two, losing to Phoenix.

The Connecticut Sun earned the second seed in the East, but were swept in the opening round by the Dream, the eventual East champs.

The San Antonio Silver Stars were the lowest overall seed in the West and the tournament, and drew the unenviable task of playing the Minnesota Lynx. Despite the apparent mismatch, the Silver Stars lost by only one point in game one of the opening round, and won game two. They could not keep up with the Lynx in game three, however, and lost in the opening round.

Format

  • The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.
    • All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings.
  • The series for rounds one and two are in a best-of-three format with Games 1 and 3 on the home court of the team with the higher seed. In previous years, the higher seed would play the first game on the road, then games 2 and (if needed) 3 at home.
  • The series for the WNBA Finals is in a best-of-five format with Games 1, 2 and 5 on the home court of the team with the higher seed.

Two-team tie

  1. Better record in head-to-head games.
  2. Better winning percentage within own conference.
  3. Better winning percentage against all teams with .500 or better record at the end of the season.
  4. Better point differential in games head-to-head.
  5. Coin toss.

Three or more-team tie

  1. Better winning percentage among all head-to-head games involving tied teams.
  2. Better winning percentage against teams within conference (for first two rounds of playoffs) or better record against teams in the opposite conference (for Finals).
  3. Better winning percentage against all teams with a .500 or better record at the end of the season.
  4. Better point differential in games involving tied teams.
  5. Coin toss.

Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

Seed Team W L Tiebreaker Clinched
Playoff berth Conf. homecourt
1 Indiana Fever 21 13 3–2 vs. CON August 30 September 7
2 Connecticut Sun 21 13 2–3 vs. IND August 30
3 Atlanta Dream 20 14 September 4
4 New York Liberty 19 15 September 2

Western Conference

Seed Team W L Tiebreaker Clinched
Playoff berth Playoffs homecourt
1 Minnesota Lynx 27 7 August 20 September 2
2 Seattle Storm 21 13 September 2
3 Phoenix Mercury 19 15 September 3
4 San Antonio Silver Stars 18 16 September 6

Bracket

Conference Semi-Finals
Best-of-3
Conference Finals
Best-of-3
WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
         
E1 Indiana 2
E4 New York 1
E1 Indiana 1
Eastern Conference
E3 Atlanta 2
E2 Connecticut 0
E3 Atlanta 2
E3 Atlanta 0
W1 Minnesota 3
W1 Minnesota 2
W4 San Antonio 1
W1 Minnesota 2
Western Conference
W3 Phoenix 0
W2 Seattle 1
W3 Phoenix 2

Note: italics denote home-court advantage; bold denotes series winner.

Eastern Conference

(2) Connecticut Sun vs. (3) Atlanta Dream

September 16
7:00pm ET
Atlanta Dream 89, Connecticut Sun 84
Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 21–21, 22–25, 28–18
Pts: Harding (21)
Rebs: Lyttle (11)
Asts: Harding (5)
Pts: Jones, Montgomery (16)
Rebs: McCray (8)
Asts: Lawson (4)
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
Attendance: 7,373
Referees: Michael Price, Clarke Stevens, Maj Forsberg
September 18
3:00pm ET
Connecticut Sun 64, Atlanta Dream 69
Scoring by quarter: 11–16, 25–15, 15–13, 13–25
Pts: Jones (15)
Rebs: Charles (17)
Asts: Montgomery (6)
Pts: de Souza, Harding, Lyttle, McCoughtry (12)
Rebs: de Souza (10)
Asts: Harding (6)
Atlanta won the series, 2–0
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 6,887
Referees: Sue Blauch, Daryl Humphrey, Tony Dawkins
Regular-season series

The teams were tied 2–2 in the regular-season series:

(1) Indiana Fever vs. (4) New York Liberty

September 15
8:00pm ET
New York Liberty 72, Indiana Fever 74
Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 18–16, 24–18, 14–12
Pts: Pondexter (18)
Rebs: Powell (8)
Asts: Pondexter (6)
Pts: Douglas (25)
Rebs: Sutton-Brown (7)
Asts: Bobbitt, Phillips (3)
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 7,608
Referees: Denise Brooks, Lamont Simpson, Roy Gulbeyan
September 17
4:00pm ET
Indiana Fever 72, New York Liberty 87
Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 18–30, 9–12, 22–25
Pts: Douglas (20)
Rebs: Catchings (9)
Asts: Bobbitt, Phillips (4)
Pts: Powell (19)
Rebs: Pondexter, Powell, Vaughn (5)
Asts: Pondexter (5)
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
Attendance: 8,508
Referees: Michael Price, Amy Bonner, Byron Jarret
September 19
8:00pm ET
New York Liberty 62, Indiana Fever 72
Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 19–23, 12–14, 14–18
Pts: Powell (19)
Rebs: Vaughn (7)
Asts: Pondexter (5)
Pts: Douglas (21)
Rebs: Catchings (8)
Asts: Catchings (4)
Indiana won the series, 2–1
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 7,368
Referees: Sue Blauch, Tom Mauer, Daryl Humphrey
Regular-season series

The teams were tied 2–2 in the regular-season series:

(1) Indiana Fever vs. (3) Atlanta Dream

September 22
7:00pm ET
Atlanta Dream 74, Indiana Fever 82
Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 16–21, 17–15, 17–25
Pts: Harding (17)
Rebs: de Souza (13)
Asts: Harding (7)
Pts: Smith (25)
Rebs: Catchings (13)
Asts: Catchings, Douglas, Zellous (3)
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 8,253
Referees: Denise Brooks, Amy Bonner, Michael Price
September 25
3:00pm ET
Indiana Fever 77, Atlanta Dream 94
Scoring by quarter: 25–34, 26–21, 14–18, 12–21
Pts: Douglas (25)
Rebs: Catchings (9)
Asts: Douglas (6)
Pts: Castro Marques (30)
Rebs: Lyttle, Price (7)
Asts: Harding (7)
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 8,052
Referees: Eric Brewton, Cameron Inouye, Roy Gulbeyan
September 27
8:00pm ET
Atlanta Dream 83, Indiana Fever 67
Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 11–12, 22–12, 22–20
Pts: McCoughtry (26)
Rebs: Lyttle (11)
Asts: Harding (6)
Pts: Douglas (16)
Rebs: Douglas, Sutton-Brown (9)
Asts: Catchings, Phillips (3)
Atlanta won the series, 2–1
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 9,036
Referees: Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Lamont Simpson
Regular-season series

The Atlanta Dream won 4–0 in the regular season series:

Western Conference

(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (4) San Antonio Silver Stars

September 16
9:00pm ET
San Antonio Silver Stars 65, Minnesota Lynx 66
Scoring by quarter: 16–11, 19–21, 16–21, 14–13
Pts: Adams, Hammon (16)
Rebs: Young (9)
Asts: Young (6)
Pts: Whalen (20)
Rebs: Brunson (14)
Asts: Whalen (5)
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 11,891
Referees: Sue Blauch, Daryl Humphrey, Jeff Smith
September 18
5:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 75, San Antonio Silver Stars 84
Scoring by quarter: 14–18, 23–22, 13–24, 25–20
Pts: Augustus (24)
Rebs: Brunson (16)
Asts: Whalen (3)
Pts: Perkins (24)
Rebs: Adams, Perkins (6)
Asts: Hammon (6)
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Attendance: 7,023
Referees: Denise Brooks, Cameron Inouye, Lamont Simpson
September 20
8:00pm ET
San Antonio Silver Stars 67, Minnesota Lynx 85
Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 17–26, 20–22, 11–19
Pts: Young (17)
Rebs: Riley (6)
Asts: Hammon (5)
Pts: Augustus (22)
Rebs: Brunson (9)
Asts: Augustus, McWilliams-Franklin, Moore (4)
Minnesota won the series, 2–1
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 8,734
Referees: Eric Brewton, Roy Gulbeyan, Felicia Grinter
Regular-season series

The Minnesota Lynx won 4–0 in the regular season series:

(2) Seattle Storm vs. (3) Phoenix Mercury

September 15
10:00pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 61, Seattle Storm 80
Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 12–21, 11–29, 19–11
Pts: Taylor (13)
Rebs: Bonner (8)
Asts: Johnson, Swanier, Taylor (3)
Pts: Wright (21)
Rebs: Cash, Little (11)
Asts: Little (4)
KeyArena, Seattle, WA
Attendance: 7,279
Referees: Tom Mauer, Eric Brewton, Cameron Inouye
September 17
10:00pm ET
Seattle Storm 83, Phoenix Mercury 92
Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 22–28, 22–20, 21–21
Pts: Wright (18)
Rebs: Cash (5)
Asts: Bird (4)
Pts: Dupree (29)
Rebs: Dupree (13)
Asts: Johnson (9)
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 9,356
Referees: Scott Twardoski, Kurt Walker, Felicia Grinter
September 19
10:00pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 77, Seattle Storm 75
Scoring by quarter: 9–20, 21–19, 24–18, 23–18
Pts: Dupree (20)
Rebs: Taylor (17)
Asts: Johnson, Taurasi (3)
Pts: Bird (22)
Rebs: Cash (10)
Asts: Smith, Wright (4)
Phoenix won the series, 2–1
KeyArena, Seattle, WA
Attendance: 8,589
Referees: Clarke Stevens, Michael Price, Amy Bonner
Regular-season series

The Seattle Storm won 3–1 in the regular-season series:

(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (3) Phoenix Mercury

September 22
9:00pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 67, Minnesota Lynx 95
Scoring by quarter: 11–28, 25–19, 19–27, 12–21
Pts: Taurasi (22)
Rebs: Bonner (8)
Asts: Johnson (4)
Pts: Augustus (21)
Rebs: Brunson (13)
Asts: Augustus (7)
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 8,912
Referees: Sue Blauch, Lamont Simpson, Tom Mauer
September 25
5:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 103, Phoenix Mercury 86
Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 19–25, 27–20, 33–21
Pts: McWilliams-Franklin, Moore (21)
Rebs: Brunson (9)
Asts: McWilliams-Franklin (7)
Pts: Bonner, Taurasi (22)
Rebs: Dupree (11)
Asts: Johnson (6)
Minnesota won the series, 2–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 8,617
Referees: Michael Price, Daryl Humphrey, Denise Brooks
Regular-season series

The Minnesota Lynx won 3–2 in the regular season series:

WNBA Finals

Minnesota Lynx vs. Atlanta Dream

October 2
8:30pm ET
Atlanta Dream 74, Minnesota Lynx 88
Scoring by quarter: 18–14, 21–22, 23–26, 12–26
Pts: McCoughtry (33)
Rebs: Bales (9)
Asts: Harding (5)
Pts: Brunson (26)
Rebs: Brunson (11)
Asts: Augustus (7)
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 15,258
Referees: Eric Brewton, Denise Brooks, Roy Gulbeyan
October 5
8:00 PM ET
Atlanta Dream 95, Minnesota Lynx 101
Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 30–28, 16–19, 21–32
Pts: McCoughtry (38)
Rebs: de Souza (10)
Asts: Harding (7)
Pts: Augustus (36)
Rebs: Augustus (8)
Asts: Whalen (4)
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 15,124
Referees: Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Lamont Simpson
October 7
8:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 73, Atlanta Dream 67
Scoring by quarter: 17–20, 16–17, 19–8, 21–22
Pts: Augustus (16)
Rebs: Brunson (9)
Asts: Augustus, McWilliams-Franklin (4)
Pts: McCoughtry (22)
Rebs: de Souza (15)
Asts: Harding (7)
Minnesota won the series, 3–0
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 11,543
Referees: Michael Price, Daryl Humphrey, Cameron Inouye
Regular-season series

The Minnesota Lynx won the season series 2-0:

References

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