2011 WNBA playoffs

Professional women's basketball tournament March 2022 August 2023 2011 WNBA playoffs 225px September 15 – October 7, 2011 Minnesota Lynx Atlanta Dream 9,232 per game Scoring leader (s) Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta) 185 MVP Seimone Augustus (Minnesota) 2010 2012 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. 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. 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 SeedTeamWLTiebreakerClinchedPlayoff berthConf. 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 SeedTeamWLTiebreakerClinchedPlayoff berthPlayoffs 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 semifinalsBest-of-3 Conference finalsBest-of-3 WNBA FinalsBest-of-5 Eastern Conference Western Conference E1 Indiana 2 E4 New York 1 E2 Connecticut 0 E3 Atlanta 2 W1 Minnesota 2 W4 San Antonio 1 W2 Seattle 1 W3 Phoenix 2 E1 Indiana 1 E3 Atlanta 2 W1 Minnesota 2 W3 Phoenix 0 E3 Atlanta 0 W1 Minnesota 3 Bold – Series winner Italics – Team with home-court advantage Eastern Conference Conference semifinals (2) Connecticut Sun vs. (3) Atlanta Dream #eee September 16 7:00pm ET Game 1 Atlanta Dream 89 84 Connecticut Sun 18–20 21–21 22–25 28–18 Harding (21) Jones, Montgomery (16) Lyttle (11) McCray (8) Harding (5) Lawson (4) Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT 7,373 Michael Price, Clarke Stevens, Maj Forsberg NBATV #fff September 18 3:00pm ET Game 2 Connecticut Sun 64 69 Atlanta Dream 11–16 25–15 15–13 13–25 Jones (15) de Souza, Harding, Lyttle, McCoughtry (12) Charles (17) de Souza (10) Montgomery (6) Harding (6) Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA 6,887 Sue Blauch, Daryl Humphrey, Tony Dawkins ESPN2 Atlanta won the series, 2–0 Regular-season series The teams were tied 2–2 in the regular-season series: #fffa July 31, 2011 Report Atlanta Dream 92 Connecticut Sun |score2=99 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT #fffa August 19, 2011 Report Connecticut Sun 88 Atlanta Dream |score2=94 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA #fffa August 21, 2011 Report Atlanta Dream 87 Connecticut Sun |score2=96 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT #fffa September 6, 2011 Report Connecticut Sun 74 Atlanta Dream |score2=85 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA (1) Indiana Fever vs. (4) New York Liberty #eee September 15 8:00pm ET Game 1 New York Liberty 72 74 Indiana Fever 16–28 18–16 24–18 14–12 Pondexter (18) Douglas (25) Powell (8) Sutton-Brown (7) Pondexter (6) Bobbitt, Phillips (3) Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN 7,608 Denise Brooks, Lamont Simpson, Roy Gulbeyan ESPN2 #fff September 17 4:00pm ET Game 2 Indiana Fever 72 87 New York Liberty 23–20 18–30 9–12 22–25 Douglas (20) Powell (19) Catchings (9) Pondexter, Powell, Vaughn (5) Bobbitt, Phillips (4) Pondexter (5) Prudential Center, Newark, NJ 8,508 Michael Price, Amy Bonner, Byron Jarret NBATVMSG #eee September 19 8:00pm ET Game 3 New York Liberty 62 72 Indiana Fever 17–17 19–23 12–14 14–18 Powell (19) Douglas (21) Vaughn (7) Catchings (8) Pondexter (5) Catchings (4) Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN 7,368 Sue Blauch, Tom Mauer, Daryl Humphrey ESPN2 Indiana won the series, 2–1 Regular-season series The teams were tied 2–2 in the regular-season series: #fffa June 10, 2011 Report New York Liberty |score1=81 Indiana Fever 80 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN #fffa June 11, 2011 Report Indiana Fever |score1=86 New York Liberty 80 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ #fffa August 13, 2011 Report New York Liberty 71 Indiana Fever |score2=82 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN #fffa September 9, 2011 Report Indiana Fever 75 New York Liberty |score2=83 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ Conference finals (1) Indiana Fever vs. (3) Atlanta Dream #eee September 22 7:00pm ET Game 1 Atlanta Dream 74 82 Indiana Fever 24–21 16–21 17–15 17–25 Harding (17) Smith (25) de Souza (13) Catchings (13) Harding (7) Catchings, Douglas, Zellous (3) Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN 8,253 Denise Brooks, Amy Bonner, Michael Price ESPN2 #fff September 25 3:00pm ET Game 2 Indiana Fever 77 94 Atlanta Dream 25–34 26–21 14–18 12–21 Douglas (25) Castro Marques (30) Catchings (9) Lyttle, Price (7) Douglas (6) Harding (7) Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA 8,052 Eric Brewton, Cameron Inouye, Roy Gulbeyan ESPN2 #eee September 27 8:00pm ET Game 3 Atlanta Dream 83 67 Indiana Fever 28–23 11–12 22–12 22–20 McCoughtry (26) Douglas (16) Lyttle (11) Douglas, Sutton-Brown (9) Harding (6) Catchings, Phillips (3) Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN 9,036 Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Lamont Simpson ESPN2 Atlanta won the series, 2–1 Regular-season series The Atlanta Dream won 4–0 in the regular season series: #fffa July 19, 2011 Report Indiana Fever 74 Atlanta Dream |score2=84 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA #fffa August 27, 2011 Report Atlanta Dream |score1=86 Indiana Fever 80 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN #fffa August 30, 2011 Report Indiana Fever 90 Atlanta Dream |score2=92 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA #fffa September 11, 2011 Report Atlanta Dream |score1=93 Indiana Fever 88 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Western Conference Conference semifinals (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (4) San Antonio Silver Stars #eee September 16 9:00pm ET Game 1 San Antonio Silver Stars 65 66 Minnesota Lynx 16–11 19–21 16–21 14–13 Adams, Hammon (16) Whalen (20) Young (9) Brunson (14) Young (6) Whalen (5) Target Center, Minneapolis, MN 11,891 Sue Blauch, Daryl Humphrey, Jeff Smith NBATV #fff September 18 5:00pm ET Game 2 Minnesota Lynx 75 84 San Antonio Silver Stars 14–18 23–22 13–24 25–20 Augustus (24) Perkins (24) Brunson (16) Adams, Perkins (6) Whalen (3) Hammon (6) AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX 7,023 Denise Brooks, Cameron Inouye, Lamont Simpson ESPN2 #eee September 20 8:00pm ET Game 3 San Antonio Silver Stars 67 85 Minnesota Lynx 19–18 17–26 20–22 11–19 Young (17) Augustus (22) Riley (6) Brunson (9) Hammon (5) Augustus, McWilliams-Franklin, Moore (4) Target Center, Minneapolis, MN 8,734 Eric Brewton, Roy Gulbeyan, Felicia Grinter ESPN2 Minnesota won the series, 2–1 Regular-season series The Minnesota Lynx won 4–0 in the regular season series: #fffa July 31, 2011 Report Minnesota Lynx |score1=70 San Antonio Silver Stars 69 AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX #fffa August 4, 2011 Report San Antonio Silver Stars 60 Minnesota Lynx |score2=62 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN #fffa August 26, 2011 Report San Antonio Silver Stars 75 Minnesota Lynx |score2=85 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN #fffa August 28, 2011 Report Minnesota Lynx |score1=72 San Antonio Silver Stars 61 AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX (2) Seattle Storm vs. (3) Phoenix Mercury #eee September 15 10:00pm ET Game 1 Phoenix Mercury 61 80 Seattle Storm 19–19 12–21 11–29 19–11 Taylor (13) Wright (21) Bonner (8) Cash, Little (11) Johnson, Swanier, Taylor (3) Little (4) KeyArena, Seattle, WA 7,279 Tom Mauer, Eric Brewton, Cameron Inouye ESPN2 #fff September 17 10:00pm ET Game 2 Seattle Storm 83 92 Phoenix Mercury 18–23 22–28 22–20 21–21 Wright (18) Dupree (29) Cash (5) Dupree (13) Bird (4) Johnson (9) US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ 9,356 Scott Twardoski, Kurt Walker, Felicia Grinter NBATV #eee September 19 10:00pm ET Game 3 Phoenix Mercury 77 75 Seattle Storm 9–20 21–19 24–18 23–18 Dupree (20) Bird (22) Taylor (17) Cash (10) Johnson, Taurasi (3) Smith, Wright (4) KeyArena, Seattle, WA 8,589 Clarke Stevens, Michael Price, Amy Bonner ESPN2 Phoenix won the series, 2–1 Regular-season series The Seattle Storm won 3–1 in the regular-season series: #fffa June 4, 2011 Report Phoenix Mercury 71 Seattle Storm |score2=78 KeyArena, Seattle, WA #fffa July 26, 2011 Report Seattle Storm |score1=83 Phoenix Mercury 77 US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ #fffa August 16, 2011 Report Seattle Storm 79 Phoenix Mercury |score2=81 US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ #fffa September 9, 2011 Report Phoenix Mercury 70 Seattle Storm |score2=85 KeyArena, Seattle, WA Conference finals (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (3) Phoenix Mercury #eee September 22 9:00pm ET Game 1 Phoenix Mercury 67 95 Minnesota Lynx 11–28 25–19 19–27 12–21 Taurasi (22) Augustus (21) Bonner (8) Brunson (13) Johnson (4) Augustus (7) Target Center, Minneapolis, MN 8,912 Sue Blauch, Lamont Simpson, Tom Mauer ESPN2 #fff September 25 5:00pm ET Game 2 Minnesota Lynx 103 86 Phoenix Mercury 24–20 19–25 27–20 33–21 McWilliams-Franklin, Moore (21) Bonner, Taurasi (22) Brunson (9) Dupree (11) McWilliams-Franklin (7) Johnson (6) US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ 8,617 Michael Price, Daryl Humphrey, Denise Brooks ESPN2 Minnesota won the series, 2–0 Regular-season series The Minnesota Lynx won 3–2 in the regular season series: #fffa July 13, 2011 Report Phoenix Mercury |score1=112 Minnesota Lynx 105 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN #fffa July 20, 2011 Report Minnesota Lynx 106 Phoenix Mercury 98 US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ #fffa August 2, 2011 Report Phoenix Mercury 73 Minnesota Lynx 90 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN #fffa August 9, 2011 Report Minnesota Lynx 80 Phoenix Mercury 85 US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ #fffa September 11, 2011 Report Minnesota Lynx 96 Phoenix Mercury 90 US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ WNBA Finals 2011 WNBA Finals Minnesota Lynx vs. Atlanta Dream #eee October 2 8:30pm ET Game 1 Atlanta Dream 74 88 Minnesota Lynx 18–14 21–22 23–26 12–26 McCoughtry (33) Brunson (26) Bales (9) Brunson (11) Harding (5) Augustus (7) Target Center, Minneapolis, MN 15,258 Eric Brewton, Denise Brooks, Roy Gulbeyan ESPN #fff October 5 8:00 PM ET Game 2 Atlanta Dream 95 101 Minnesota Lynx 28–22 30–28 16–19 21–32 McCoughtry (38) Augustus (36) de Souza (10) Augustus (8) Harding (7) Whalen (4) Target Center, Minneapolis, MN 15,124 Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Lamont Simpson ESPN2 #eee October 7 8:00pm ET Game 3 Minnesota Lynx 73 67 Atlanta Dream 17–20 16–17 19–8 21–22 Augustus (16) McCoughtry (22) Brunson (9) de Souza (15) Augustus, McWilliams-Franklin (4) Harding (7) Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA 11,543 Michael Price, Daryl Humphrey, Cameron Inouye ESPN2 Minnesota won the series, 3–0 Regular-season series The Minnesota Lynx won the season series 2-0: #eee June 17, 2011 Report Atlanta Dream 85 Minnesota Lynx |score2=96 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN #eee June 19, 2011 Report Minnesota Lynx |score1=77 Atlanta Dream 64 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA References External links Official Site 2011 WNBA Playoffs at ESPN Playoffs Category:WNBA playoffs