New York Liberty's historic sweep of top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round has reshaped early sentiment, marking the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 in the current playoff format and sending New York into semifinals with momentum. The Las Vegas Aces-Indiana Fever series sits tied at 1-1 after Caitlin Clark's 27-point, 15-assist performance forced a decisive Game 3 in Las Vegas on October 1. Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream hold 1-0 leads in their respective first-round matchups against Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics, with those series potentially wrapping by October 2. Semifinals begin October 4 as best-of-five series, where home-court advantage, rest, and injury status for stars like A'ja Wilson and Clark will heavily influence advancement odds to the October 17 finals.