MYSTICS FALL DESPITE MYISHA'S DOUBLE DOUBLE -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CONNECTICUT 76 - WASHINGTON 63

It has been a struggle for the Washington Mystics to grab "W"'s  as we leave August and roll into September. Washington is 1-9 in their last ten games and took another one on the chin yesterday when short-handed Connecticut (they had just seven players available for the game) won every quarter in the 13-point victory.

Myisha Hines-Allen continues to impress, though, and yesterday was another shining example of how she's become a leader on the 2020 Mystics roster. She scored 12 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had six assists in 30 minutes for Washington. 

The "Myisha Mystics" are 4-11, though, and playoff hopes are starting to look pretty dim for her and her teammates. The WNBA takes the top eight teams in the standings for the playoffs and Washington is in 10th place, a game and a half back of eighth-place Dallas (6-10). 

Here hoping the Mystics can recover the winning ways that started the season for them and make a late push to gain playoff eligibility. 

No former Cardinals will be in action tonight (Monday)....as Chicago takes on Indy in the early game and Los Angeles battles Minnesota in the nightcap at the  "wubble". 

SCENARIOS

Current standings have it pretty tight at the top of the league, with Seattle (13-3), Las Vegas (12-3) and Los Angeles (12-3. These three have already clinched playoff berths.

Right behind them are Minnesota (10-5) and Chicago (10-6). The Phoenix Mercury are at 9-7 and on a three-game win streak....so the top six spots have pulled away from the bottom half of the league. 

Connecticut (7-9) holds seventh spot and then Dallas. 

The bottom four in the league (Indiana 5-10), Washington (4-11), Atlanta (3-13) and New York (2-13) have work to do. From a Cardinal player view, right now, only Angel McCoughtry would advance to the playoffs. 

This year, only 22 regular season games per team are being played. Theoretically, if the New York Liberty got "hot" and won out -- they'd be 9-13 and might be eligible for a first round playoff berth. We can only hope. I'd like to see Jaz and Kylee in the playoffs, but, they've been impressive in their rookie seasons regardless of the outcome. 

How do the playoffs work?

The first two rounds are single-elimination games...meaning seeds #1 and #2 receive byes to the semis and #3 and #4 receive byes to the second round. If the playoffs were to start today, the scenario would look like:

FIRST ROUND:  Single elimination game.

#5 Chicago vs #8 Dallas

#6 Phoenix vs #7 Connecticut

(It's interesting to note that six of the top eight from 2019 are still playoff bound)..  

SECOND ROUND:  Single elimination game

Winner of Chicago vs. Dallas plays Minnesota

Winner of Phoenix vs Connecticut plays Los Angeles  

It is, obviously, too early to set the "final eight" in stone and tables could turn dramatically for any or all of the nine teams fighting to automatically qualify. 

Have a meaningful Monday and it's Derby Week (I know, it seems strange to say that as we head into September). Mask up, keep washing and sanitizing if you're "out and about" and be kind. 

paulie