Liberty, Aces are at the top of the WNBA. Which teams could unseat them?

For the past three seasons, two teams have dominated the WNBA and have been at the top of title favorites: the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty.

Stacked with stars that know how to win, Las Vegas and New York are the ultimate title contenders and they have the résumés to prove it. The Aces are back-to-back defending champions, including last year’s championship over the Liberty. But on the other side of the country, New York has remained a strong force and had the best record in the league this season.

The two squads are meeting again, this time with a trip to the 2024 WNBA Finals on the line. The winner will likely be the favorite in the final round, but a title can’t be assumed. On the other side of the bracket are teams trying to slay the dragon, and there are several more hoping to keep the two heavyweights out of the title picture next season.

So who could be the next team to dethrone the giants of the WNBA?

One of the remaining semifinalists, Minnesota presents one of the best chances to win a title simply because it’s beaten New York and Las Vegas this season. The Lynx went 2-1 against the Liberty − including the Commissioner’s Cup victory − and 3-1 against the Aces.

It got overshadowed by A’ja Wilson winning MVP, but Napheesa Collier finished second in voting and she has shown how much of a star she is, on offense and defense. So far in the playoffs, Collier has gone off and it doesn’t look like there’s an answer to stop her. Kayla McBride continues to get better and the addition of Alanna Smith not only helped the defense be one of the best in the league, but be hard to stop beyond the arc. Minnesota has the best 3-point shooting percentage in the WNBA while opponents have the worst 3-point conversion rate.

The Lynx haven’t gotten to the WNBA Finals since they last won it in 2017. Head coach Cheryl Reeve continues to show why she’s one of the most brilliant minds in basketball, and her team is very capable of making her the first coach to win five WNBA titles.

Good luck to any offense trying to get through this defense. Before it made Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut one to forget, Connecticut has put the clamps on nearly every team that’s stood in its path. Only twice did a team score at least 90 points against the Sun this season, and in both cases, Connecticut still won.

Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, DiJonai Carrington and Brionna Jones are a tough core that’s played together for years, but no in-season acquisition has been as big as Marina Mabrey. The former Chicago Sky guard has given Connecticut a 3-point shooting threat that is in the top 20 of 3-point shooting percentage. She shot 42.4% from behind the arc during the regular season after arriving to Connecticut during the Olympic break in July.

The Sun have cooled off from their blazing regular-season start when they opened 13-1, but they still present a challenge to any offense that goes up against them. They’ve fallen short so many times recently, including two WNBA Finals losses in 2019 and 2022. Now with a complete team, Connecticut has its best chance to win that elusive first title in franchise history.

Leading the teams that aren’t still standing in the 2024 playoffs are the Seattle Storm.

Seattle made the biggest jump in 2024, going from 11 wins and ninth place in 2023 to 25 wins and the fifth seed this season. The offseason acquisitions of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike paid off, helping take the pressure off of Jewell Loyd. The Storm beat the teams they should’ve beaten; the issue was 10 of their 15 losses came against the teams that finished above them, clearly showing they weren’t at the top of the league just yet.

However, Seattle got a major addition when 2024 Paris Olympic star Gabby Williams returned to the team and immediately made an impact. Now, the Storm will need to re-sign Ogwumike and Williams if they want to keep the core of success around. If Seattle can build on that foundation of 2024 with a squad that is together for an entire season, it has a chance to crack the next level of contenders.

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Of course Caitlin Clark has to be here.

The rookie sensation propelled Indiana to its first playoff appearance in 2016, and it all clicked when the Fever built chemistry; they ended the season 17-10 after a 3-10 start. There’s no question the offense is among the best in the league, but the defense is going to need to greatly improve if the Fever want to reach the next level after they gave up 87.7 points per game, second-worst behind the Dallas Wings. As spectacular as Clark is, she’ll also need to take better care of the ball after she averaged a league-worst 5.6 turnovers per game.

Aside from Clark, Indiana does have something special brewing − if it keeps its core together. Aliyah Boston really became a dominating post presence in the second half of the season after a tough start, but all eyes will be on if the Fever can re-sign Kelsey Mitchell. She had a career year with the team that drafted her in 2018 and the backcourt could be one of the top duos in the WNBA if she returns. Should Mitchell be back in Indiana, get ready for even more hype surrounding Clark and company.

This one is a complete wild card, but could the Sparks really go from worst to first?

Los Angeles had a very unfortunate 2024 when it ranked in the bottom half of nearly every statistical category, on top of first-round pick Cameron Brink playing in only 15 games before suffering a season-ending injury. This prediction hinges on a lot of “what ifs?” Currently, the Sparks have the best odds to get the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft and if they get it, it’s likely Paige Bueckers. Of course, there will be a learning curve for the Connecticut star, but she has the potential to be a major boost, similar to what Clark did in Indiana. The Sparks also have a great player in Dearica Hamby, one of the best scorers in the league.

Give Hamby some help with Bueckers and with Brink returning and Los Angeles surely should get out of the bottom of the WNBA. But a possible playoff run that shocks everyone? It could happen − maybe.

Follow Jordan Mendoza on social media @jordan_mendoza5.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who could unseat the Liberty and Aces as the top teams in the WNBA?