WNBA playoff picture: What final day means for No. 8 seed, overall bracket

The 2021 WNBA regular season will wrap up on Sunday with a five-game schedule. The day begins at 1 p.m. ET between the Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun. While there isn’t much intrigue in the first game of the schedule, all eyes will be on the Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics at 3:00 p.m ET, and then the Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings at 5:00 p.m. ET.

As things currently stand, seven out of the eight playoff spots are accounted for with the Mystics, Sparks, and New York Liberty battling it out for the final spot. There are a bunch of scenarios at play regarding these two teams that could shakeup the entire WNBA playoffs. Below we’ll take a look at the various scenarios involving these two games.

Scenario 1: Mystics defeat Lynx

If the Mystics somehow pull off the upset victory over the Lynx, it would eliminate both the Sparks and Liberty from the playoffs. Also, it would move the Lynx (21-10) out of the third spot and drop them to fourth. Meanwhile, the Storm (21-11) would move up to the third seed.

Scenario 2: Lynx defeat Mystics

However, if the Lynx handle their business against the Mystics, they will knock Washington out of the postseason. At the same time, Minnesota will hold the third playoff spot and keep the Storm at the fourth seed.

Scenario 3: Sparks defeat Wings

Looking at the second game involving Los Angeles and Dallas, if the Sparks can secure the upset win paired with the Mystics loss, then they will be back in the postseason. The Liberty will be bounced out of the playoffs.

Scenario 4: Wings defeat Sparks

Finally, if the Wings can beat the Sparks this evening, along with the Mystics losing to the Lynx, then the Liberty will be in the playoffs. The Liberty ended the regular season on Friday with an 11-point win over the Mystics.

All scenarios

If you’re more of a visual person, this is helpful: