Five burning questions for the WNBA playoffs: Can the Lynx win first title since 2017? Will Liberty, Dream vanquish first-round demons? - Yahoo Sports

The mad dash to seeding after the FIBA World Cup break proved that the next month will be tense, chaotic and full of good postseason basketball.

After the WNBA needed the entirety of its regular season to lock in postseason seeds — all of which were still available about 48 hours ahead of the season close — the playoffs will tip on Sunday with a full slate of games.

The tight nature of the standings and the close games throughout the year could spell a WNBA Finals series that bucks the trend of top-two seeds. The field is more wide-open than any in recent memory, combined with an offensive explosion and parity near the top. The format, which begins as a 1-1-1 best-of-three, lends itself to early upsets.

As the playoffs get underway, here are five big-picture questions to answer by the time the confetti falls.