NEW YORK, July 29, 2010 – As teams continue to jockey for playoff positioning, the WNBA today announced dates for the first two rounds of the postseason, as well as a new format for the conference semifinals and conference finals. Semifinals games will be played Aug. 25-30 with the conference finals played Sept. 2-8. Both series will now be played in a 1-1-1 best-of-three format, with the higher-seeded teams hosting games 1 and 3. In years prior, the first two rounds were played 1-2, with the higher-seed opening on the road.
“Every team plays hard to gain competitive home-court advantage in the postseason. This change provides incentive and reward for teams who perform at the highest-level, while giving fans the opportunity to see their playoff series tip-off at home,” said WNBA President Donna Orender.
The WNBA Finals, scheduled to begin on Sept. 12, will remain a 2-2-1 best-of-five format in which the higher-seeded team will host games 1, 2, and 5. All WNBA Playoff games will be televised nationally, with ESPN2 and ABC airing up to 10 games, including all contests during the WNBA Finals. NBA TV will also air up to 12 games as part of its conference semifinals and conference finals coverage.
“Every team plays hard to gain competitive home-court advantage in the postseason. This change provides incentive and reward for teams who perform at the highest-level, while giving fans the opportunity to see their playoff series tip-off at home,” said WNBA President Donna Orender.
The WNBA Finals, scheduled to begin on Sept. 12, will remain a 2-2-1 best-of-five format in which the higher-seeded team will host games 1, 2, and 5. All WNBA Playoff games will be televised nationally, with ESPN2 and ABC airing up to 10 games, including all contests during the WNBA Finals. NBA TV will also air up to 12 games as part of its conference semifinals and conference finals coverage.