2015 WNBA Playoffs
The 2015 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2015 season.
| Dates | September 17–October 14 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Minnesota Lynx (Finals Champion) | ||
| East champion | Indiana Fever (Coach: Stephanie White) | ||
| West champion | Minnesota Lynx (Coach: Cheryl Reeve) | ||
| Attendance | 8,799 per game | ||
| |||
| Standings | |
|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
| 1st New York Liberty | 1st Minnesota Lynx |
| 2nd Chicago Sky | 2nd Phoenix Mercury |
| 3rd Indiana Fever | 3rd Tulsa Shock |
| 4th Washington Mystics | 4th Los Angeles Sparks |
Format
Following the WNBA regular season, four teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs and are seeded one to four based on their regular season record.
The first round of the playoffs, or Conference Semi-Finals, consisted of two match-ups in each conference based on the seedings (1-4 and 2-3). The two winners advanced to the second round, or Conference Finals, with a match-up between the 1-4 and 2-3 winners. At the conclusion of the Conference Finals, the winners of these series advanced to the WNBA Finals.
The Conference Semi-Finals and the Conference Finals are each best-of-three series. Series are played in a 1-1-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage (better record) hosts games 1 and 3, while their opponent hosts game 2. The WNBA Finals are a best-of-five series played in a 2-2-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, and 5 while their opponent hosts games 3 and 4.
Two-team tie
- Better record in head-to-head games.
- Better winning percentage within own conference.
- Better winning percentage against all teams with .500 or better record at the end of the season.
- Better point differential in games head-to-head.
- Coin toss.
Three or more-team tie
- Better winning percentage among all head-to-head games involving tied teams.
- Better winning percentage against teams within conference (for first two rounds of playoffs) or better record against teams in the opposite conference (for Finals).
- Better winning percentage against all teams with a .500 or better record at the end of the season.
- Better point differential in games involving tied teams.
- Coin toss.
Playoff qualifying
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Best record in Conference | Best record in WNBA | |||
| 1 | New York Liberty | 23–11 | August 28 | September 6 | September 9 |
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 21–13 | August 29 | — | — |
| 3 | Indiana Fever | 20–14 | September 1 | — | — |
| 4 | Washington Mystics | 18–16 | September 8 | — | — |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Best record in Conference | Best record in WNBA | |||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 22–12 | August 11 | September 8 | — |
| 2 | Phoenix Mercury | 20–14 | August 21 | — | — |
| 3 | Tulsa Shock | 18–16 | August 30 | — | — |
| 4 | Los Angeles Sparks | 14–20 | September 6 | — | — |
Playoffs and Finals
| Conference Semi-Finals: Best-of-3 | Conference Finals: Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Chicago | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Tulsa | 0 | ||||||||||||
Bold Series winner
italics Team with home-court advantage
Eastern Conference
- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
(1) New York Liberty vs. (4) Washington Mystics
September 18 7:00 PM |
| Washington Mystics 86, New York Liberty 83 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 22–15, 19–20, 14–13, Overtime: 7–7, 10–7 | ||
| Pts: Latta 15 Rebs: Meesseman 10 Asts: three tied 3 |
Pts: Prince 26 Rebs: Swords 9 Asts: Charles 5 | |
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Attendance: 10,120 Referees: Michael Price, Cheryl Flores, Tom Mauer |
September 20 1:00 PM |
| New York Liberty 86, Washington Mystics 68 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–15, 21–22, 26–15, 16–16 | ||
| Pts: Charles 22 Rebs: Stokes 7 Asts: Wright 6 |
Pts: Hill 19 Rebs: Dolson, Meesseman 5 Asts: Ruffin-Pratt 4 | |
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 6,619 Referees: Daryl Humphrey, Denise Brooks, Kurt Walker |
September 22 7:00 PM |
| Washington Mystics 74, New York Liberty 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25-15, 12-30, 20-12, 17-22 | ||
| Pts: Latta 18 Rebs: Vaughn 9 Asts: Latta 7 |
Pts: Charles 22 Rebs: Stokes 13 Asts: Wright 5 | |
| New York wins series 2-1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Attendance: 9,255 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Sue Blauch, Lamont Simpson |
| Washington won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
(2) Chicago Sky vs. (3) Indiana Fever
September 17 8:00 PM |
| Indiana Fever 72, Chicago Sky 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–24, 20–12, 16–18, 21–23 | ||
| Pts: Catchings 21 Rebs: Larkins 10 Asts: January 7 |
Pts: Quigley 20 Rebs: Delle Donne 11 Asts: Quigley 6 | |
September 19 7:00 PM |
| Chicago Sky 82, Indiana Fever 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 22–24, 23–25, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: Vandersloot 19 Rebs: de Souza 8 Asts: Vandersloot 6 |
Pts: Catchings 22 Rebs: Larkins 12 Asts: Zellous 8 | |
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,124 Referees: Amy Bonner, Lamont Simpson, Roy Gulbeyan |
September 21 8:00 PM |
| Indiana Fever 100, Chicago Sky 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 24–19, 19–16, 29–26 | ||
| Pts: Catchings 27 Rebs: Catchings 9 Asts: January 8 |
Pts: Delle Donne 40 Rebs: Breland 8 Asts: Vandersloot 14 | |
| Indiana wins series 2–1 | ||
| Chicago won 4–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
Conference Finals: (1) New York Liberty vs. (3) Indiana Fever
September 23 7:00 PM |
| Indiana Fever 67, New York Liberty 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 24–22, 7–16, 18–20 | ||
| Pts: Johnson 12 Rebs: Zellous 5 Asts: four tied 4 |
Pts: Stokes 21 Rebs: Charles 7 Asts: Charles 9 | |
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Attendance: 7,229 Referees: Denise Brooks, Byron Jarrett, Eric Brewton |
September 27 1:00 PM |
| New York Liberty 64, Indiana Fever 70 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–17, 22–12, 9–13, 11–28 | ||
| Pts: Charles 25 Rebs: Stokes 11 Asts: Wright 5 |
Pts: Tamika Catchings 25 Rebs: Catchings 7 Asts: January 4 | |
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,505 Referees: Sue Blauch, Maj Forsberg, Tom Mauer |
September 29 7:00 PM |
| Indiana Fever 66, New York Liberty 51 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–13, 18–9, 16–18, 17–11 | ||
| Pts: Coleman 15 Rebs: Larkins 8 Asts: January 8 |
Pts: Wiggins 15 Rebs: Charles 10 Asts: Prince 4 | |
| Indiana wins series 2-1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Attendance: 10,120 Referees: Michael Price, Roy Gulbeyan, Lamont Simpson |
| Indiana won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
Western Conference
- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (4) Los Angeles Sparks
September 18 9:00 PM |
| Los Angeles Sparks 65, Minnesota Lynx 67 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 21–11, 13–22, 16–12 | ||
| Pts: Parker 16 Rebs: Parker 9 Asts: Parker 4 |
Pts: Moore 33 Rebs: Fowles 9 Asts: Cruz 5 | |
September 20 3:00 PM |
| Minnesota Lynx 71, Los Angeles Sparks 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 12–29, 20–10, 16–18 | ||
| Pts: Moore 27 Rebs: three tied 7 Asts: Whalen 5 |
Pts: Parker 25 Rebs: Parker 10 Asts: Dabović 7 | |
September 22 9:00 PM |
| Los Angeles Sparks 80, Minnesota Lynx 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 10-18, 20-25, 27-20, 23-28 | ||
| Pts: Parker 28 Rebs: Parker 13 Asts: Ogwumike, Parker 4 |
Pts: Moore 20 Rebs: Moore 8 Asts: Brunson 5 | |
| Minnesota wins series 2-1 | ||
| Minnesota won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
(2) Phoenix Mercury vs. (3) Tulsa Shock
September 17 10:00 PM |
| Tulsa Shock 55, Phoenix Mercury 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 7–30, 22–16, 11–20 | ||
| Pts: Sims 18 Rebs: Paris 7 Asts: Sims 3 |
Pts: Griner 18 Rebs: Griner 8 Asts: Mitchell 6 | |
Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 8,509 Referees: Denise Brooks, Byron Jarrett, Thomas Nunez |
September 19 9:00 PM |
| Phoenix Mercury 91, Tulsa Shock 67 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 22–12, 23–17, 27–19 | ||
| Pts: Griner 23 Rebs: Griner 12 Asts: Xargay, Mitchell 3 |
Pts: Sims 22 Rebs: Paris 8 Asts: Sims 7 | |
| Phoenix wins series 2–0 | ||
| Phoenix won 3–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
Conference Finals: (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (2) Phoenix Mercury
September 24 8:00 PM |
| Phoenix Mercury 60, Minnesota Lynx 67 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–14, 11–21, 14–14, 14–18 | ||
| Pts: Bonner 21 Rebs: Dupree 12 Asts: Bonner 5 |
Pts: Moore 19 Rebs: Brunson 19 Asts: Whalen 5 | |
September 27 3:00 PM |
| Minnesota Lynx 72, Phoenix Mercury 71 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–15, 16–26, 17–18, 14–12 | ||
| Pts: Moore 40 Rebs: Fowles 14 Asts: Moore, Whalen 4 |
Pts: Dupree 16 Rebs: Currie 7 Asts: Currie 6 | |
| Minnesota wins series 2-0 | ||
Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 9,871 Referees: Kurt Walker, Amy Bonner, Eric Brewton |
| Phoenix won 3–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
WNBA Finals
Minnesota Lynx vs. Indiana Fever
October 4 3:00 PM |
| Indiana Fever 75, Minnesota Lynx 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 10–10, 25–19, 19–18, 21–22 | ||
| Pts: January 19 Rebs: Larkins 8 Asts: January 6 |
Pts: Moore 27 Rebs: Moore 12 Asts: Augustus, Whalen 4 | |
October 6 8:00 PM |
| Indiana Fever 71, Minnesota Lynx 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 17–19, 18–24, 12–14 | ||
| Pts: January 17 Rebs: Catchings, Larkins 9 Asts: Catchings, January 5 |
Pts: Fowles 21 Rebs: Fowles 9 Asts: Cruz, Moore 5 | |
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 12,134 Referees: Michael Price, Maj Forsberg, Lamont Simpson |
October 9 8:00 PM |
| Minnesota Lynx 80, Indiana Fever 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 18–23, 21–15, 21–20 | ||
| Pts: Moore 24 Rebs: Fowles 11 Asts: Cruz 5 |
Pts: Johnson 17 Rebs: Catchings 10 Asts: January 8 | |
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 16,332 Referees: Denise Brooks, Roy Gulbeyan, Tom Mauer |
October 11 8:30 PM |
| Minnesota Lynx 69, Indiana Fever 75 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–15, 12–21, 14–22, 23–17 | ||
| Pts: Moore 20 Rebs: Moore 8 Asts: six tied 2 |
Pts: Johnson 15 Rebs: Larkins 6 Asts: January 5 | |
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 10,582 Referees: Sue Blauch, Eric Brewton, Maj Forsberg |
October 14 8:00 PM |
| Indiana Fever 52, Minnesota Lynx 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–15, 4–12, 8–21, 23–21 | ||
| Pts: Catchings 18 Rebs: Catchings 11 Asts: January, Zellous 3 |
Pts: Fowles 20 Rebs: Brunson 14 Asts: Moore 5 | |
| Minnesota wins series 3-2 | ||
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 18,933 Referees: Michael Price, Denise Brooks, Roy Gulbeyan |
| Minnesota won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
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References
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