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WNBA Tiebreaker Rules: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has implemented a set of tiebreaker rules to determine the ranking of teams in the standings when two or more teams finish with the same regular season record.

Tiebreaker Criteria

1. Head-to-Head Record

If two teams are tied, the team with the better head-to-head record against the other team will be ranked higher.

2. Winning Percentage Against Teams with .500 or Better Records

If the teams are still tied after the head-to-head record, the team with the better winning percentage against teams with a .500 or better record will be ranked higher.

3. Point Differential

If the teams are still tied after the second tiebreaker, the team with the better point differential will be ranked higher.

4. Coin Toss

If the teams are still tied after all three tiebreakers, a coin toss will be used to determine the ranking.

WNBA Tiebreaker Rules in Action

The WNBA tiebreaker rules were used to determine the seeding of the playoffs in the 2022 season.

• The Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm finished with identical 26-10 records.
• The Aces won the tiebreaker by virtue of their 2-1 head-to-head record against the Storm.
• As a result, the Aces earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, while the Storm received the No. 2 seed.

Conclusion

The WNBA tiebreaker rules are a fair and objective way to determine the ranking of teams in the standings when two or more teams finish with the same regular season record.

The rules help to ensure that the best teams earn the highest seeds in the playoffs and have the best chance of winning the championship.