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WNBA Champs Will Clinch Playoff Spot With Indiana Fever Loss on Sept. 2

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 1:10 PM ET

After plowing to a WNBA championship in 2024 with a 32-8 regular-season record and a 5-1 Eastern Conference playoff mark before a five-game Finals against the Lynx, things have not gone quite so well for the Liberty here in 2025. Injuries have been the key factor, but New York stands 2.0 games behind the Dream in the conference standings.

Still, the Liberty are a sure thing to earn another shot at a playoff run. In fact, they could get there on Tuesday night even with a loss to the Valkyries in San Francisco.

That's because the Liberty have a magic number of one heading into Tuesday's action, and with the Indiana Fever--one team even more affected by injuries than the Liberty--playing in Phoenix, New York has two chances to wrap up a playoff spot, either with a win or an Indiana Fever loss.

Where Do Liberty, Fever Stand in WNBA Playoff Seeding?

The Liberty started the season like gangbusters, going 9-0 out of the gate before taking their first loss against the Fever. A five-game winning streak in late July left them at 17-6 and seemingly in good position to take the top seed in the East again.

But the Liberty underwent key injuries, particular to star bigs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, and have slipped since then. The Liberty have gone 7-10 since late July, and now have star guard Sabrina Ionescu battling a toe injury that cost her the past two games and could keep her out against the Valkyries.

The Fever have been decimated by injuries but still have managed to remain at 21-19, three games behind the Liberty with four to play. The Atlanta Dream, then, are first in the East at 26-14, with the Liberty 2.0 games behind and the Fever 5.0 games behind, and out of contention to win the East.

The Liberty clinch a playoff spot today with a win against the Valkyries OR if the Fever lose.
— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) September 2, 2025

Injuries Have Hurt the Fever Even More Than the Liberty

New York will get no sympathy from the Fever, who have had to remake the team on the fly as injuries have mounted. This was expected to be the year Indiana rose to contender’s status with Caitlin Clark at the helm, but Clark’s quad and groin injuries have limited her to 13 games.

The Fever have also lost backup guards Aari McDonald (broken foot) and Sydney Colson (ACL tear) for the season. Star wing Sophie Cunningham is also out for the rest of the year with a torn ligament in her knee.

Trying to accentuate the positive, coach Stephanie White said earlier this season that the team was “honoring” its injured players by attempting to finish the season strong. That has not been easy—the Fever are 4-7 in their last 11 games.

“I mean, first and foremost, just broken-hearted for them," White said. "They’re really good people that you hate to see this happen to. They’re an integral part of what we’ve been doing, and so I hate it for them. Unfortunately, it's part of the deal, and we've got to roll with it.

"We've got players in that locker room who believe in one another, players in that locker room who are competitive as all get-out. ... I think now, it's about playing to honor them and playing for them.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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