WNBA playoffs 2023: Are the New York Liberty now the favorite? - ESPN

The 2023 WNBA playoffs are here, with the No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun hosting the No. 6 seed Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App), followed by the No. 1 seed Las Vegas Aces welcoming the No. 8 seed Chicago Sky (10 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App). The other two series kick off Friday when the No. 7 seed Washington Mystics travel to the No. 2 seed New York Liberty (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App) and the No. 5 seed Atlanta Dream visit the No. 4 Dallas Wings (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App).

So much focus has been on a potential WNBA Finals clash between the superteam Aces and Liberty, as the former hope to become the first repeat champions in two decades and the latter seek to win the franchise's first WNBA title. But the other six teams have plenty on the line.

Chicago made the postseason despite a midseason head coaching change and two season-ending injuries. In the first year following Sylvia Fowles' retirement in Minnesota, the storied Lynx overcame early adversity in a 0-6 start to return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

The Wings and Dream are also looking to solidify new chapters for their organizations: First-year head coach Latricia Trammel could lead Dallas past the first round for the first time since 2009, when the franchise was based in Detroit; Tanisha Wright returns the Dream to the postseason for the first time since 2018 following a tumultuous few years.

The Sun own the league's longest active streak of consecutive playoff appearances (seven), but after a transformative offseason look fairly different from last year's squad that made a Finals run. And then there's the Mystics, arguably the most intriguing team in the playoffs given their indisputable potential but slew of injuries.