Experts unanimously pick Lynx to win 2026 WNBA title — SkimNews
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- Minnesota Lynx were unanimously picked by experts Lindsay Gibbs, Isabel Gonzalez, and Jack Maloney to win the 2026 WNBA championship, making them the consensus favorite heading into the postseason.
- The 2026 playoff bracket was sealed when Gabby Williams hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining, completing a 13-point fourth-quarter comeback that kept the Golden State Valkyries at the No. 2 seed and pushed the Las Vegas Aces to No. 3.
- First-round matchups: No. 1 Lynx vs. No. 8 Liberty (a rematch of the controversial 2024 Finals), No. 2 Valkyries vs. No. 7 Wings, No. 3 Aces vs. No. 6 Fever, and No. 4 Dream vs. No. 5 Mystics.
- The eight playoff teams are separated by just seven games — the closest gap between the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds since the WNBA removed conference affiliation from playoff seeding in 2016.
- Lindsay Gibbs broke from consensus by picking two first-round upsets (Fever over Aces, Mystics over Dream) and tabbed the Valkyries to reach the Finals, while Gonzalez and Maloney stuck with favorites in round one.
- Gonzalez and Maloney both picked the Aces to beat the Valkyries in the semifinals and lose to the Lynx in the Finals, citing A'ja Wilson's track record and Las Vegas's late-season momentum.
- The Lynx's edge was attributed to Cheryl Reeve's coaching, homecourt advantage, a motivated veteran roster, and rookie Olivia Miles providing the elite point guard play they've lacked in past postseasons.
Why it matters: With all three experts unanimous on Minnesota, the Lynx enter as the clear title favorite — but the seven-game gap between the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds, the narrowest in the WNBA's conference-less era, leaves every first-round series genuinely competitive. The Liberty's fall from preseason favorite to a first-round rematch against the team they beat controversially in 2024 sets up the most emotionally charged opening matchup of the bracket.
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