2026 WNBA playoffs: Experts pick the first round, WNBA champion

The WNBA playoffs are here! With all four first-round series tipping off Sunday (first game starts at 2 p.m. ET), it's time to find out what the experts think about some of the best matchups of the 2026 postseason. Will Napheesa Collier and Olivia Miles of the Minnesota Lynx take down the New York Liberty in a 2024 WNBA Finals rematch? Can Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever slow down A'ja Wilson and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces? Will the upstart Golden State Valkyries win their first postseason game after being swept last year? Will the Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese impress against the Washington Mystics in her first postseason game? There's plenty to watch, and we asked our WNBA analysts to break it all down. Check out which teams our experts picked for every first-round series, as well as the Finals matchup, winner and MVP. Who wins each best-of-three first-round series? (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (8) New York Liberty Kendra Andrews: Lynx in 3 Kareem Copeland: Lynx in 3 Myron Medcalf: Lynx in 3 Eric Moody: Lynx in 2 Neil Paine: Lynx in 3 Alexa Philippou: Lynx in 3 Andre Snellings: Lynx in 2 Michael Voepel: Lynx in 3 (2) Golden State Valkyries vs. (7) Dallas Wings Andrews: Valkyries in 2 Copeland: Valkyries in 3 Medcalf: Valkyries in 3 Moody: Valkyries in 2 Paine: Valkyries in 2 Philippou: Valkyries in 2 Snellings: Valkyries in 3 Voepel: Valkyries in 2 (3) Las Vegas Aces vs. (6) Indiana Fever Andrews: Aces in 3 Copeland: Aces in 3 Medcalf: Fever in 3 Moody: Aces in 3 Paine: Fever in 3 Philippou: Aces in 3 Snellings: Aces in 3 Voepel: Aces in 3 (4) Atlanta Dream vs. (5) Washington Mystics Andrews: Dream in 2 Copeland: Dream in 3 Medcalf: Dream in 3 Moody: Dream in 2 Paine: Dream in 2 Philippou: Dream in 3 Snellings: Dream in 2 Voepel: Dream in 3 Which teams will meet in the WNBA Finals? Andrews: Aces vs. Dream Copeland: Lynx vs. Aces Medcalf: Lynx vs. Fever Moody: Lynx vs. Aces Paine: Lynx vs. Valkyries Philippou: Lynx vs. Aces Snellings: Aces vs. Dream Voepel: Lynx vs. Aces Which team will win the championship? Andrews: Aces in 7 Copeland: Aces in 7 Medcalf: Lynx in 7 Moody: Lynx in 7 Paine: Lynx in 6 Philippou: Lynx in 7 Snellings: Aces in 7 Voepel: Aces in 6 Which player will be Finals MVP? Andrews: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces Copeland: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces Medcalf: Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx Moody: Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx Paine: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx Philippou: Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx Snellings: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces Voepel: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces