This year, the WNBA saw what having a best-of-seven finals series could look like with two relatively evenly matched teams. The Golden State Valkyries needed all seven games to beat the Atlanta Dream—unlike the Las Vegas Aces in last year’s finals. They swept the Phoenix Mercury in four games.
Game 7 of this year’s finals is now the most-watched WNBA playoff game ever with over 3 million average viewers. The Dream and Valkyries also did a great job filling their arenas, even for a controversial 12:30 p.m. tip-off on Thursday in Atlanta.
Fans are eager to watch the WNBA, especially when games matter the most. The WNBA is expanding its regular season next year, going from 44 games to 50 games. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark would like to see the playoffs expand as well.
“A three-game series is a little bit silly in my opinion,” Clark said when she appeared on Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce. “It could probably be 5-5-7 or 5-7-7 just so it feels like you’re getting a real series and a real battle.”
50 games plus an extended postseason would be a lot for players, especially the ones that get to the finals. But WNBA players now live in a very different world than they did just a few years ago. They make a lot more money and fewer players are playing an entire EuroLeague or WNBL season right after wrapping up their WNBA campaign. Most play in Unrivaled or Project B now, and big-time stars like Clark and A’ja Wilson don’t play in any offseason leagues.
A longer first-round series makes sense and would drive TV viewership numbers and ticket sales.
Clark probably would have liked more opportunities against the Aces this year
A best-of-three playoff series leaves little room for error, and Clark experienced that firsthand twice in her WNBA career. She and the Fever were swept in just two games by the Connecticut Sun in her rookie year. She missed the 2025 postseason, but the team still made it to the semifinals.
Clark’s return was supposed to catapult the Fever into potential title contention. Instead, they lost in the first round to the Las Vegas Aces. The Fever won Game 2 but ultimately didn’t have enough in Game 3. They shot just 38% from the field and 28% from deep, while Wilson went off for 36 points.
Clark certainly would have liked a longer series and more games to work her way past the Aces.
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