WNBA: Game 1 stars for Lynx, Dream, Liberty and Aces

The chase for a championship creates GOATs and goats.

The 2025 WNBA Playoffs will be no different, where those who rise to the moment can inscribe their names into the sport’s lore, and those who fail to meet it will occupy a more ignominious place in the game’s history.

Yes, it’s a bit early to determine who could fall into each category. Nevertheless, here’s who were the heroes for the victorious Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, and the zeroes for the Golden State Valkyries, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm after all four Game 1s:

No. 1 -seed Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 8-seed Golden State Valkyries, 101-72

Hero: Natisha Hiedeman (Lynx)

The Lynx are loaded with heroes, but the honor goes to Natisha Hiedeman, who continued her recent run of excellent off-the-bench production with 18 points and four assists. Minnesota outscored Golden State by a game-high 32 points during the 26 minutes of energetic effort from one half of the StudBudz.

Zero: Iliana Rupert (Valkyries)

The Valkyries appear overmatched—and then some. Their best chance might involve praying to the gods of 3-point variance. They did fire off 31 triples on Sunday afternoon, seven more than Minnesota. But Iliana Rupert attempted just two in her 17 minutes, failing to make a basket. Rupert’s value derives from her ability to stretch the floor from the center position. If she can get hot from behind the arc, as she did when she netted five 3s in a late August Valkyrie win over the Fever, she can pull the Lynx’s bigs out of the paint, and possibly open things up for a Golden State offense that struggled to generate much of anything as the game progressed.

No. 3-seed Atlanta Dream vs. No. 6-seed Indiana Fever, 80-68

Hero: Naz Hillmon (Dream)

A closely-contested first half turned into a relatively comfortable Dream win, and not coincidentally, a quiet first half from Naz Hillmon was followed by a loud second half. After scoring just two points across the first two quarters, Hillmon authored the kind of impact she has become known for after halftime, scoring 14 points, including two 3s, to finish with a near double-double of 16 points and nine rebounds.

Zero: Natasha Howard (Fever)

In the second quarter, Natasha Howard established early post position on Hillmon and scored with ease. But otherwise, the taller Howard was unable to exploit that matchup, or take advantage of any of the other undersized defenders that the Dream often deployed on her. She finished with five points on seven shots. While Howard is most effective scoring in transition, she still is capable of finding her groove in the post. Indiana, which did not receive any reliable scoring production outside of Kelsey Mitchell, needs to to try to get Howard the ball in favorable situations.

No. 5-seed New York Liberty vs. No. 4-seed Phoenix Mercury, 76-69 (OT)

Hero: Natasha Cloud (Liberty)

Natasha Cloud is a certified playoff riser, as she proved once again on Sunday afternoon against the team that traded her away without warning during the offseason. An often inconsistent regular-season player, especially as a shooter, Cloud consistently discovers a higher gear in the postseason. Two years ago, she put a 33-point, nine-assist, six-rebound and four-steal performance on the Liberty, nearly leading her Washington Mystics to the upset win. Now, she starred in seafoam, with 23 points, three 3s, six boards, five assists and four steals while playing almost 40 minutes in the overtime affair.

Zero: Satou Sabally (Mercury)

One of the stars that the Mercury opted for over Cloud did not rise to the occasion. Satou Sabally’s shot came up empty—a lot. Phoenix’s leading scorer made just two of her 17 shots, including a 1-for-10 effort from behind the arc. Those 10 triples matched the most she attempted in a regular-season game. While Phoenix wants players to fire off the 3s created by Alyssa Thomas, Sabally might try activating her drive game. Even as the Liberty offer strong rim protection with Jonquel Jones, charging to the rim and possibly getting Jones into foul trouble could lead to a more positive result for Sabally and the Mercury.

No. 2-seed Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 7-seed Seattle Storm, 102-77

As with the Lynx, the Aces presented plenty of heroic performances, but let’s go with another player who, like Cloud, exacted revenge on her former team in Jewell Loyd. After a less-than-ideal inaugural season with the Aces that included a midseason move to the bench, Loyd looked more like the player who used to wear green and gold on Sunday night, hitting half her 3s as she dropped 14 points. Vegas also outgunned Seattle by a game-best 30 points in her minutes.

Zero: Brittney Sykes (Storm)

Brittney Sykes’ tenure with Seattle has been a bit stormier than hoped. Acquired from the Mystics at the trade deadline, Sykes has not found her niche in the Storm hierarchy, as was reflected in her up-and-down play in her 14 regular-season games in a Storm uniform. Sunday night was a low point, as she failed to scratch in her Seattle playoff debut. She also racked up five fouls in her 16 minutes of play. Sykes has to flip that script—and quick. She’s supposed to bring her foul-drawing prowess to a Storm offense that otherwise does not consistently put pressure on the rim or earn trips to the line.