The 2014 WNBA playoffs was the postseason for the 2014 WNBA 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 Phoenix Mercury won the 2014 WNBA Finals, sweeping the Chicago Sky in three games. The Mercury defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in the conference semifinals before defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the Western Conference Finals. The Mercury lost only one game in the entire playoffs.

The Chicago Sky attempted to complete a cinderella run by upsetting the Atlanta Dream in the conference semifinals and by upsetting the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference Finals, both in three games. However, the Sky were unable to complete their historic playoff run, as the Mercury won their third WNBA championship title.

Tiebreak procedures

Two-team tie

  1. Better record in head-to-head games.
  2. Better winning percentage within own conference.
  3. Better winning percentage against all teams with .500 or better record at the end of the season.
  4. Better point differential in games head-to-head.
  5. Coin toss.

Three or more-team tie

  1. Better winning percentage among all head-to-head games involving tied teams.
  2. Better winning percentage against teams within conference (for first two rounds of playoffs) or better record against teams in the opposite conference (for Finals).
  3. Better winning percentage against all teams with a .500 or better record at the end of the season.
  4. Better point differential in games involving tied teams.
  5. Coin toss.

Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

SeedTeamRecordClinched
Playoff berthBest record in ConferenceBest record in WNBA
1Atlanta Dream19–15August 2August 13—
2Indiana Fever16–18August 14——
3Washington Mystics16–18August 15——
4Chicago Sky15–19August 15——

Western Conference

SeedTeamRecordClinched
Playoff berthBest record in ConferenceBest record in WNBA
1Phoenix Mercury29–5July 22August 12August 12
2Minnesota Lynx25–9July 24——
3San Antonio Stars16–18August 15——
4Los Angeles Sparks16–18August 12——

Notes

Bracket

Conference semifinals Best-of-3Conference finals Best-of-3WNBA Finals Best-of-5
E1Atlanta1
E4Chicago2
E4Chicago2
Eastern Conference
E2Indiana1
E2Indiana2
E3Washington0
E4Chicago0
W1Phoenix3
W1Phoenix2
W4Los Angeles0
W1Phoenix2
Western Conference
W2Minnesota1
W2Minnesota2
W3San Antonio0
  • Bold – Series winner
  • Italics – Team with home-court advantage

Eastern Conference

Conference semifinals

(1) Atlanta Dream vs. (4) Chicago Sky

NBATV
August 22 7:30pm ET
Chicago Sky 80, Atlanta Dream 77
Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 18–14, 21–21, 23–19
Pts: Delle Donne (21) Rebs: Fowles (14) Asts: Prince, Vandersloot (7)Pts: McCoughtry (24) Rebs: Lyttle (14) Asts: Schimmel (6)
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA Attendance: 5,985 Referees: #11 Lauren Holtkamp #21 Byron Jarrett #38 Lamont Simpson
ESPN2
August 24 7:00pm ET
Atlanta Dream 92, Chicago Sky 83
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 20–21, 24–18, 24–22
Pts: McCoughtry (39) Rebs: Lyttle, Thomas (7) Asts: Thomas (6)Pts: Delle Donne (22) Rebs: Delle Donne, Fowles (6) Asts: Vandersloot (8)
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL Attendance: 4,546 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #9 Denise Brooks #42 Roy Gulbeyan
NBATV
August 26 7:30pm ET
Chicago Sky 81, Atlanta Dream 80
Scoring by quarter: 17–30, 24–24, 10–13, 30–13
Pts: Delle Donne (34) Rebs: Fowles (15) Asts: Vandersloot, Young (5)Pts: de Souza (18) Rebs: Lyttle (13) Asts: Schimmel (6)
Chicago won the series, 2–1
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA Attendance: 4,829 Referees: #31 Amy Bonner #39 Michael Price #55 Eric Brewton

Regular-season series

Chicago won the regular-season series 3–2:

May 24, 2014
Atlanta Dream 73, Chicago Sky 87
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
June 7, 2014
Chicago Sky 59, Atlanta Dream 97
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
July 13, 2014
Chicago Sky 79, Atlanta Dream 81 (OT)
Hank McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, GA
July 25, 2014
Chicago Sky 79, Atlanta Dream 75
Hank McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, GA
August 10, 2014
Atlanta Dream 69, Chicago Sky 80
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

(2) Indiana Fever vs. (3) Washington Mystics

ESPN2
August 21 7:00pm ET
Washington Mystics 73, Indiana Fever 78
Scoring by quarter: 13–22, 23–8, 14–17, 23–31
Pts: Latta (22) Rebs: Vaughn (8) Asts: Latta (5)Pts: Catchings (22) Rebs: Larkins (11) Asts: Catchings, Christmas, January, Zellous (2)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,576 Referees: #8 Daryl Humphrey #9 Denise Brooks #45 Tom Mauer
ESPN2
August 23 5:00pm ET
Indiana Fever 81, Washington Mystics 76(OT)
Scoring by quarter: 16–12, 14–15, 21–26, 15–13,Overtime: 15–10
Pts: Catchings (26) Rebs: Catchings, Larkins (11) Asts: January (7)Pts: Lawson (20) Rebs: Meesseman (10) Asts: Hartley (5)
Indiana won the series, 2–0
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 6,124 Referees: #13 Cameron Inouye #24 Tony Dawkins #55 Eric Brewton

Regular-season series

The regular season series was tied 2–2:

May 23, 2014
Washington Mystics 79, Indiana Fever 63
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
June 6, 2014
Indiana Fever 64, Washington Mystics 61
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
July 2, 2014
Indiana Fever 80, Washington Mystics 77
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
August 8, 2014
Atlanta Dream 74, Indiana Fever 61
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Conference finals

(2) Indiana Fever vs. (4) Chicago Sky

NBATV
August 30 7:00pm ET
Chicago Sky 70, Indiana Fever 77
Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 15–21, 15–1 8, 22–17
Pts: Fowles (20) Rebs: Fowles (14) Asts: Vandersloot (4)Pts: January (19) Rebs: Larkins (8) Asts: Catchings (4)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,557 Referees: #9 Denise Brooks #34 Maj Forsberg #42 Roy Gulbeyan
NBATV
September 1 4:00pm ET
Indiana Fever 84, Chicago Sky 86(2OT)
Scoring by quarter: 18–16, 21–15, 13–17, 19–23,Overtime: 8–8, 5–7
Pts: Zellous (20) Rebs: Catchings (14) Asts: January (6)Pts: Fowles (27) Rebs: Young (9) Asts: Prince, Quigley, Vandersloot (5)
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL Attendance: 6,019 Referees: #11 Lauren Holtkamp #13 Cameron Inouye #18 Kurt Walker
NBATV
September 3 7:00pm ET
Chicago Sky 75, Indiana Fever 62
Scoring by quarter: 15–11, 22–18, 15–16, 23–17
Pts: Quigley (24) Rebs: Fowles (7) Asts: Vandersloot (9)Pts: Zellous (16) Rebs: Larkins (11) Asts: Catchings, January (3)
Chicago won the series, 2–1
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,705 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #45 Tom Mauer #55 Eric Brewton

Regular-season series

Indiana won the regular season series 3–2:

May 16, 2014
Indiana Fever 71, Chicago Sky 74
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
June 20, 2014
Indiana Fever 83, Chicago Sky 75
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
July 17, 2015
Chicago Sky 64, Indiana Fever 82
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
July 22, 2014
Indiana Fever 57, Chicago Sky 60
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
August 16, 2014
Chicago Sky 67, Indiana Fever 71
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Western Conference

Conference semifinals

(1) Phoenix Mercury vs. (4) Los Angeles Sparks

NBATV
August 22 10:00pm ET
Los Angeles Sparks 72, Phoenix Mercury 75
Scoring by quarter: 12–13, 22–22, 19–21, 19–19
Pts: Parker (22) Rebs: Lavender, Parker (7) Asts: Parker, Toliver (4)Pts: Taurasi (34) Rebs: Dupree, Griner (7) Asts: Taylor (7)
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 11,591 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #30 Thomas Nunez #35 Billy Smith
ESPN2
August 24 9:00pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 93, Los Angeles Sparks 68
Scoring by quarter: 30–14, 22–19, 23–18, 18–17
Pts: Griner (21) Rebs: Dupree (8) Asts: Phillips, Taurasi (7)Pts: Parker (21) Rebs: Ogwumike (6) Asts: Toliver (9)
Phoenix won the series, 2–0
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA Attendance: 7,449 Referees: #34 Maj Forsberg #39 Michael Price #62 Jeff Wooten

Regular-season series

Phoenix won the regular-season series 5–0:

May 18, 2014
Phoenix Mercury 74, Los Angeles Sparks 69
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
July 6, 2014
Phoenix Mercury 94, Los Angeles Sparks 89
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
July 24, 2014
Phoenix Mercury 93, Los Angeles Sparks 73
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
July 29, 2014
Los Angeles Sparks 69, Phoenix Mercury 90
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
August 16, 2014
Los Angeles Sparks 69, Phoenix Mercury 76
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ

(2) Minnesota Lynx vs. (3) San Antonio Stars

ESPN2
August 21 9:00pm ET
San Antonio Stars 84, Minnesota Lynx 88
Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 14–16, 23–25, 31–23
Pts: McBride (20) Rebs: Adams (10) Asts: Robinson (6)Pts: Moore (26) Rebs: Brunson, Whalen (7) Asts: Whalen (11)
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 8,523 Referees: #34 Maj Forsberg #39 Michael Price #53 Jeff Smith
ESPN2
August 23 7:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 94, San Antonio Stars 89
Scoring by quarter: 12–28, 28–16, 27–20, 27–25
Pts: Whalen (31) Rebs: Moore (8) Asts: Moore (10)Pts: McBride (25) Rebs: Appel (8) Asts: Robinson (6)
Minnesota won the series, 2–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX Attendance: 7,085 Referees: #8 Daryl Humphrey #18 Kurt Walker #31 Amy Bonner

Regular-season series

Minnesota won the regular-season series 4–1:

May 30, 2014
San Antonio Stars 72, Minnesota Lynx 88
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
June 1, 2014
Minnesota Lynx 87, San Antonio Stars 79
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
July 3, 2014
San Antonio Stars 84, Minnesota Lynx 91
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
July 25, 2014
San Antonio Stars 78, Minnesota Lynx 88
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
August 15, 2014
Minnesota Lynx 76, San Antonio Stars 92
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

Conference finals

(1) Phoenix Mercury vs. (2) Minnesota Lynx

NBA TV
August 29 10:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 71, Phoenix Mercury 85
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 11–19, 16–25, 24–18
Pts: Whalen (25) Rebs: Brunson (8) Asts: Brunson, Moore (3)Pts: Griner (23) Rebs: Taylor (13) Asts: Taylor (7)
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 10,376 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #39 Michael Price #45 Tom Mauer
ABC
August 31 3:30pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 77, Minnesota Lynx 82
Scoring by quarter: 22–9, 22–27, 18–20, 15–26
Pts: Taurasi (23) Rebs: Dupree (9) Asts: Taurasi (5)Pts: Moore (32) Rebs: Brunson (10) Asts: Whalen (7)
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 10,513 Referees: #31 Amy Bonner #38 Lamont Simpson #55 Eric Brewton
NBATV
September 2 10:00pm ET
Minnesota Lynx 78, Phoenix Mercury 96
Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 21–22, 25–22, 11–24
Pts: Augustus (21) Rebs: Brunson (8) Asts: Whalen (6)Pts: Taurasi (22) Rebs: Bonner (7) Asts: Taurasi (7)
Phoenix won the series, 2–1
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 9,749 Referees: #9 Denise Brooks #39 Michael Price #42 Roy Gulbeyan

Regular-season series

Phoenix won the regular-season series 3–1:

June 15, 2014
Phoenix Mercury 80, Minnesota Lynx 72
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
June 18, 2014
Minnesota Lynx 79, Phoenix Mercury 92
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
July 31, 2014
Phoenix Mercury 67, Minnesota Lynx 75
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
August 9, 2014
Minnesota Lynx 80, Phoenix Mercury 82
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ

WNBA Finals

Phoenix Mercury vs. Chicago Sky

ABC
September 7 3:30pm ET
Chicago Sky 62, Phoenix Mercury 83
Scoring by quarter: 8–15, 12–27, 14–14, 28–27
Pts: Fowles (19) Rebs: Fowles (11) Asts: Vandersloot (5)Pts: Dupree (26) Rebs: Griner (7) Asts: Taurasi (11)
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 13,263 Referees: #31 Amy Bonner #38 Lamont Simpson #42 Roy Gulbeyan
ESPN
September 9 9:00pm ET
Chicago Sky 68, Phoenix Mercury 97
Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 22–30, 15–23, 17–23
Pts: Delle Donne (22) Rebs: Fowles (5) Asts: Vandersloot (4)Pts: Griner (19) Rebs: Taylor (8) Asts: Taylor (6)
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 13,348 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #18 Kurt Walker #55 Eric Brewton
ESPN2
September 12 8:00pm ET
Phoenix Mercury 87, Chicago Sky 82
Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 23–21, 16–20, 26–19
Pts: Dupree, Taurasi (24) Rebs: Bonner (9) Asts: Dupree (6)Pts: Delle Donne (23) Rebs: Fowles (8) Asts: Vandersloot (11)
Phoenix wins series, 3–0
UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL Attendance: 7,365 Referees: #9 Denise Brooks #34 Maj Forsberg #39 Michael Price

Regular-season series

Phoenix won the regular-season series 2–0:

July 2, 2014
Chicago Sky 69, Phoenix Mercury 87
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
July 11, 2014
Phoenix Mercury 72, Chicago Sky 66
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL