WNBA Beginner's Guide Part 5: Why the opening day schedule rules
WNBA Beginner's Guide Part 5: Why the opening day schedule rules
Sabrina vs. Sue. Candace vs. Diana. Teaira vs. Emma. Opening day is gonna slap!
Hello, it’s me, Matt Ellentuck.
This is the final edition of the WNBA beginner’s guide! We did it! That means we’re less than 24 hours from the start of the 2020 season. L.F.G.
Here’s a recap of everything I’ve covered this week.
Part 1: 2019 season and 2020 offseason recap (7/20)
Part 2: How to pick which WNBA team to root for (7/21)
Part 3: How the 2020 WNBA season will (try to) work (7/22)
Part 4: How each team will win the 2020 WNBA championship (7/23)
Part 5: Why the 2020 WNBA opening day schedule is perfect (7/24)
I’ll stop talking now.
Here’s Basketball
WNBA opening days aren’t always this great. It’s not necessarily the league’s fault. Scheduling is extremely tough for any league, but the W doesn’t always get its preference for TV times and playing locations like the NBA or NFL do. Because of it, the league can’t always slot its best teams for the first day of action.
For the W, there’s a tight deadline for getting 34 games and the playoffs in before players start to leave for their second season of the year overseas in late October or November. Just looking at the 2019 season, the first two games of the year were entertaining, but they were played by the only four teams that didn’t make the playoffs. There’s no way the league wanted those matchups to kick things off.
The 2020 season is, obviously, different for lots of bad reasons. But in terms of scheduling, things are a whole lot simpler. All 12 teams are in one location, meaning there’s no travel, and courts are always open. So this year, the WNBA got to chose its best possible games, and I think it did a great job.
On Saturday, we’ll see one of the best college basketball players ever debut against the team we all expect to be the best in the world. Shortly after, we’ll see at least four Hall of Famers-to be play in a game that could be a semifinals, or even Finals, matchup. Game 3 is definitely the weakest, but there’s no shortage of talent there either, with one of last season’s best rookies playing against the Finals MVP.
Saturday should be good! It should be fun! Here’s what you should expect.
Game 1: New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN
The Liberty’s best players: Sabrina Ionescu (rookie No. 1 pick, if you don’t know her by now I have failed you), Kia Nurse (2019 All-Star)
The Storm’s best players: Sue Bird (maybe the best WNBA point guard ever), Breanna Stewart (2018 MVP, won 4 out of 4 NCAA championships), Natasha Howard (2019 Defensive Player of the Year, 2019 All-Star), Jewell Loyd (two-time All-Star)
Who I expect to win: The Storm… by a lot. The Liberty have seven rookies lol. This is a team rebuilding vs. the favorite to win a championship.
Why you should watch: This is Ionescu’s debut game in the WNBA!!! The future has arrived. You can’t miss this. And even if Ionescu struggles in her opener — which, listen, there’s just a little bit of pressure on her and she’s playing against the best team in the world — watching the Storm is also worth your time. Bird is 39 years old, and this could be her last year playing. Stewart, if fully recovered from a torn Achilles, might be the best player in the world. And Howard and Loyd are incredible as primary options, and even more ridiculous as complements. This game is fire, and a virtual lock to be entertaining.
Oh, and if that’s not enough, here’s the time both Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi agreed that they wanted to “fucking kill” rookies. So best of luck, Sabrina.
My rating for this game: 9/10. This is a great way to kick things off, even if it might not be the most competitive game.
Game 2: Phoenix Mercury vs. Los Angeles Sparks at 3 p.m. ET on ABC
The Mercury’s best players: Diana Taurasi (the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader), Brittney Griner (six-time All-Star), Skylar Diggins-Smith (four-time All-Star)
The Sparks’ best players: Candace Parker (two-time MVP), Nneka Ogwumike (2016 MVP), Chelsea Gray (three-time All-Star)
Who I expect to win: Could go either way!
Why you should watch: This is basically a playoff game centered around two of the best to ever play: Candace Parker and Diana Tauasi. It’s the game of the day. Taurasi missed almost all of last season to a back injury, and now that she’s healed, you just know she’ll shooting from anywhere and cursing from everywhere. Candace Parker wants to rebound, too. Her team’s exit from last year’s playoffs was embarrassing, and she’ll be out to shake that narrative by running the floor and throwing no-look full-court passes. If you’re a basketball fan, you need to be watching this game.
My rating for this game: 25/10. This is the one.
Game 3: Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics at 5 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
The Fever’s best players: Candice Dupree (seven-time All-Star), Teaira McCowan (2019 All-Rookie First Team), Kelsey Mitchell (2018 No. 2 pick)
The Mystics’ best players: Emma Meesseman (2019 Finals MVP), Leilani Mitchell (2019 Most Improved Player), Aerial Powers (League’s best name, breakout season in 2019)
Who I expect to win: Could be either, but I’m leaning Mystics
Why you should watch: Nobody can say with confidence what’s going to happen in this game. The Mystics are without Natasha Cloud, LaToya Sanders, Tina Charles and 2019 MVP Elena Delle Donne, four of their five probable starters. The reigning champs aren’t what they were last year. But Washington is still really good! Powers and Tianna Hawkins were Sixth Woman candidates. Mitchell can shoot the lights out. Meesseman is the main reason D.C. survived Delle Donne’s injury in the Finals last year. The Mystics are going to entertain. The Fever will probably be without their No. 3 pick, Lauren Cox, too. But Dupree is one of the most consistent stars in the league, and 6’7 McCowan had an even better rookie year than we thought. Let’s get weird, Mystics vs. Fever.
My rating for this game: 6/10 I would’ve preferred to see the Chicago Sky vs. Las Vegas Aces game for opening day, but this is still a game worth watching.
Thanks for reading.
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