2015 WNBA Playoffs


The 2015 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2015 season.

Format

Following the WNBA regular season, four teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs and are seeded one to four based on their regular season record.
The first round of the playoffs, or Conference Semi-Finals, consisted of two match-ups in each conference based on the seedings. The two winners advanced to the second round, or Conference Finals, with a match-up between the 1-4 and 2-3 winners. At the conclusion of the Conference Finals, the winners of these series advanced to the WNBA Finals.
The Conference Semi-Finals and the Conference Finals are each best-of-three series. Series are played in a 1-1-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1 and 3, while their opponent hosts game 2. The WNBA Finals are a best-of-five series played in a 2-2-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, and 5 while their opponent hosts games 3 and 4.

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

  6. Better winning percentage among all head-to-head games involving tied teams.
  7. Better winning percentage against teams within conference or better record against teams in the opposite conference.
  8. Better winning percentage against all teams with a.500 or better record at the end of the season.
  9. Better point differential in games involving tied teams.
  10. Coin toss.

    Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Playoffs and Finals

Eastern Conference

Conference Semifinals

(1) New York Liberty vs. (4) Washington Mystics

Washington won 3–1 in the regular-season series

(2) Chicago Sky vs. (3) Indiana Fever

Chicago won 4–0 in the regular-season series

Conference Finals: (1) New York Liberty vs. (3) Indiana Fever

Indiana won 4–1 in the regular-season series

Western Conference

Conference Semifinals

(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (4) Los Angeles Sparks

Minnesota won 3–1 in the regular-season series

(2) Phoenix Mercury vs. (3) Tulsa Shock

Phoenix won 3–2 in the regular-season series

Conference Finals: (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (2) Phoenix Mercury

Phoenix won 3–2 in the regular-season series

WNBA Finals

Minnesota Lynx vs. Indiana Fever

Minnesota won 2–0 in the regular-season series