WNBA changes its playoff format to more traditional bracket

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer

The WNBA is changing its playoff format to a more traditional bracket. The postseason will consist of three rounds — best-of-three games for the first round and best-of-five games for subsequent ones — beginning this summer. The top eight teams overall will make the playoffs. The league adopted a playoff structure in 2016 that had single-elimination games in the opening two rounds and gave byes to the semifinals for the top two teams. While the league will lose a round of the playoffs under the new format, going from four to three, it will gain more games using a series structure.