Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the magic number and how is it computed?
- How are the WNBA playoff teams determined?
- What happens when there are ties for playoff spots?
- If RIOT says that my team's first-place elimination number is zero, does that mean my team has clinched first place?
- If RIOT shows * for my team's first-place clinch number, does that mean my team has been eliminated from first place?
- What is the magic number and how is it computed?
- w1 - the number of games the team currently in first place has won so far
- w2 - the number of games the team currently in second place has won so far
- g2 - the number of games the team currently in second place has left to play
- How are the WNBA playoff teams determined?
- What happens when there are ties for playoff spots?
- Head-to-Head Record: the team with the better record in the season series between the two teams wins the tie.
- Winning Percentage Against Winning Teams: the team with the better winning percentage against all teams with .500 or better record at the end of the season wins the tie.
- Head-to-Head Point Differential: the team that scored more points in the season series between the two teams wins the tie.
- Overall Point Differential: the team with the larger difference between total points scored during the season and total points allowed during the season wins the tie.
- If RIOT says that my team's first-place elimination number is zero, does that mean my team has clinched first place?
- If RIOT shows * for my team's first-place clinch number, does that mean my team has been eliminated from first place?
The traditional magic number is the smallest number such that any combination of wins by the first-place team and losses by the second-place team totaling the magic
number guarantees that the first-place team will finish the season with a better record than the second-place team.
The magic number can be computed using the following numbers:
Now, suppose that the first-place team wins x more of its remaining games and the second-place team loses y more of its remaining games (i.e., it wins g2 -
y games). We will now derive a formula for the magic number, x + y.
The team currently in first place will finish with w1+ x
wins and the team currently in second place will finish with w2 +
g2 - y wins. The team currently in first place will finish
ahead of the team currently in second place as long as w1 +
x > w2 + g2- y. The magic number is the smallest
number x + y such that x + y > w2 + g2
- w1.
Since we are dealing with integers (whole numbers), the magic number is w2 + g2 - w1+ 1.
Take the WNBA standings on the morning of September 5, 2020 for example.
Clinch | Avoid Elimination From | ||||||||
Team | W | L | GB | PCT | GL | 1st | Postseason | 1st | Postseason |
Seattle | 15 | 3 | - | 0.833 | 4 | 4 | In | 0 | 0 |
Las Vegas | 13 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.765 | 5 | 5 | In | 2 | 0 |
Los Angels | 13 | 5 | 2.0 | 0.722 | 4 | * | In | 3 | 0 |
Minnesota | 13 | 5 | 2.0 | 0.722 | 4 | * | In | 2 | 0 |
Phoenix | 11 | 7 | 4.0 | 0.611 | 4 | * | In | Elim | 0 |
The first-place team, Seattle, has 15 wins and the second-place team, Las Vegas, has 13 wins and 5 games left to play. So, w1= 15, w2= 13 and g2= 5, and Seattle's magic number is 13 + 5 - 15 + 1 = 4. This means that any combination of wins by Seattle and losses by Las Vegas totaling 4 ensures that Seattle will finish with a better record than Las Vegas. For example, if Seattle wins 1 more game (and loses the other 3) and Las Vegas loses 3 more games (and wins the other 2), then Seattle will finish the season with a record of 16 wins and 6 losses while Las Vegas finishes with 15 wins and 7 losses. However, the magic number calculation doesn't consider the fact that Los Angeles or Minnesota might win 4 more games and move ahead of both Seattle and Las Vegas. At this point in the season, Seattle can only guarantee themselves a first-place finish by winning all 4 of their remaining games as indicated by their first-place clinch number.
The top eight teams are seeded in a playoff bracket.
When two teams are tied for a playoff spot, then the following criteria are applied until the tie is broken:
The process for breaking ties between three or more teams is described at the bottom of the official WNBA standings page.
Not necessarily. In the example above, Seattle's first-place elimination number zero. With 5 games left, Las Vegas still has a chance to finish in first place. So, Seattle hasn't yet clinched first place. Having a first-place elimination number of zero simply means that it's possible for Seattle to finish in first place without winning another game. In other words, there is at least one scenario in which no team wins more than 15 games. Based on the current standings and schedule of remaining games, Seattle needs to win at least 4 more games to guarantee a first-place finish. Meanwhile, if Las Vegas doesn't win at least 2 more games, they can't possibly catch up. So, they need to win at least 2 more games to avoid being eliminated from first place. Since Seattle has already won the tiebreakers with Minnesota and Phoenix, their first-place elimination numbers are 3 and "Elim," respectively.
Not necessarily. In the example above, RIOT shows * for Los Angeles's first-place clinch number. This means that even if Los Angeles wins all of their remaining games, there is still the possibility of some other team finishing in first place. Notice, however, that Los Angeles's first-place elimination number in the example is 3. That means that there is a scenario in which Los Angeles finishes in first place with as few as 16 wins if other teams lose most of their remaining games. So, the RIOT numbers in the example show that Los Angeles can finish in first place, but cannot guarantee themselves a first-place finish solely by winning a particular number of games.