The 2011 WNBA Playoffs was the

postseason The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

for the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

'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 There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

format, and the final in a

best-of-five There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

format. The

finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

were won by the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded ...

who defeated the defending Eastern Conference Champion

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real e ...

. 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 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. 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 The 2010 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The champions of the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Dream, faced the champi ...

, losing in three games to the

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

. 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 The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season ...

reached their third straight conference finals after upsetting the defending WNBA Champion

in the opening round. They ultimately lost to Minnesota in the conference final. The

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...

was the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and dispatched the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was ...

in the opening round. They ultimately fell short to Atlanta in the conference final after WNBA MVP

Tamika Catchings Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Catchings has won a WNBA champi ...

tore her

plantar fascia The plantar fascia is the thick connective tissue (aponeurosis) which supports the arch on the bottom (plantar side) of the foot. It runs from the tuberosity of the calcaneus (heel bone) forward to the heads of the metatarsal bones (the bone be ...

in game two of the series, limiting her in the decisive game. The

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 The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

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 The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before th ...

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 The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the offici ...

is in a best-of-five format with Games 1, 2 and 5 on the home court of the team with the higher seed.

Tiebreak procedures

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

Western Conference

Bracket

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

Eastern Conference

Conference Semifinals

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

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

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

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

Conference Finals

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

;Regular-season series The

won 4–0 in the regular season series:

Western Conference

Conference Semifinals

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

;Regular-season series The

won 4–0 in the regular season series:

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

;Regular-season series The

won 3–1 in the regular-season series:

Conference Finals

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

;Regular-season series The

won 3–2 in the regular season series:

WNBA Finals

Minnesota Lynx vs. Atlanta Dream

;Regular-season series The

won the season series 2-0:

References

External links

Official Site2011 WNBA Playoffs at ESPN
{{WNBA Playoffs

Playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

Women's National Basketball Association Playoffs