WNBA announces move to best-of-7 Finals starting next season

NEW YORK — The WNBA will move to a best-of-seven series for the WNBA Finals starting next season, commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Thursday.

In her address to the media before Game 1 of the Finals between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, Engelbert also said the league will go to a 1-1-1 setup for the best-of-three first round, giving all playoff teams at least one home game.

The WNBA has had a best-of-five format for the Finals since 2005. From 1998 through 2004, it was a best-of-three series. The championship in the inaugural WNBA season, in 1997, was decided in a single-game format.

The WNBA semifinals will continue to be a best-of-five format.

The first round has changed over the years. Its most recent setup featured the first two games of a best-of-three series played at the home of the higher seed, and a possible third game at home of the lower seed. But that format didn’t guarantee at least one home game for every playoff team — the 1-1-1 scenario will do that.

Engelbert said the WNBA’s move to charter flights for all games starting this season will help with the playoff format changes.

She also announced that the expansion draft for the league’s 13th team, the Golden State Valkyries, will be Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. on ESPN. It was also confirmed that the Valkyries will pick fifth in every round of the standard draft in April. The Valkyries, who announced new coach Natalie Nakase earlier Thursday, begin play next season.